Here’s an AI report of the net held at 8pm on Monday 13 Oct 2025:
This week’s Monday Night Net on GB3DA (Danbury) was hosted by Dorothy (M0LMR), who did her usual great job of keeping things running smoothly. It was one of those nets where the conversation flowed naturally from one subject to another — a good mix of radio chat, everyday life and a few laughs along the way.
Joining Dorothy this week were Aubrey (M7SDA), Pete (M0PSX), Andrew (M0OTV), Rory (M0NFJ), Guy (2E0JFF) and Neil (M0NMT), with a few others listening in. It was nice to welcome Guy, a former Essex Ham Foundation student, who spotted the net listed on the website and decided to call in for the first time — great to have you with us, Guy!
We kicked off with a bit of chat about the mild October weather, before Aubrey told the story of a surprise discovery on one of his beach walks — what he first thought was a round stone turned out to be a musket ball! After showing it to a local metal-detectorist, it was confirmed as a genuine old find, possibly iron rather than lead. That set off a bit of discussion about local history and the odd things people turn up along the Essex coast.
Pete dropped in for a while before heading off for dinner and mentioned catching parts of the RSGB Convention online over the weekend — including some interesting sessions about running clubs and a behind-the-scenes look at a BBC technical project. Dorothy had seen a few clips too, and everyone agreed it was nice that the RSGB make the talks available to watch back afterwards.
Guy raised a useful technical question about CTCSS tones and whether repeaters transmit a tone on their output. This sparked a lively round of advice: most do, but not all, and using tone squelch on receive can sometimes mask co-channel or “lifted” repeaters during good conditions. Rory and Richard (M7OID, listening in) explained that a normal squelch setting is often best if you want to hear what else is about. Aubrey also recommended the RepeaterBook app for checking settings — handy if you’re programming radios or travelling.
Andrew checked in via C4FM, reporting that he’s recovering from COVID, but sounded in good spirits and with a solid signal through the Secret Nuclear Bunker SDR. He was also tinkering with a small QRP project — a class-kit build to keep busy while he’s stuck at home. It was great to hear him back on the air.
Rory shared some phone-related tips, including how to enable a SIM PIN for extra security and the differences between physical SIMs and eSIMs, which led to a long and genuinely interesting bit of tech chat. The consensus was that eSIMs are the future, but for now a physical SIM is still handier if you drop your phone or need to pop your number into a spare handset. Neil asked how to enable his SIM PIN without getting locked out — and we all admitted to being a bit cautious about pressing unfamiliar buttons!
Of course, no Monday night net would be complete without a bit of off-topic banter. We had a laugh about cats bringing home “presents”, and Neil’s story about his mum’s elderly dog opened up a thoughtful chat about how to care for older pets. He also asked for non-smelly fish recipes, since frying sea bass wasn’t popular in his kitchen — baking it in foil with lemon and butter was the winning suggestion.
Before long the conversation drifted to phones and gadgets again. Rory had just upgraded to an iPhone 17 and gave it a glowing review, while Aubrey championed his Samsung Galaxy and teased Apple users for “finally catching up” with Android features. Dorothy agreed everyone has their preferences, and as usual, the debate stayed good-natured with plenty of friendly ribbing.
As the evening drew on, Dorothy thanked everyone for joining, gave a nod to the Essex Repeater Group for keeping GB3DA running so well, and wrapped things up just after nine o’clock.
All in all, it was another friendly, light-hearted net with plenty of radio chat, practical advice and laughter — exactly what Monday nights are all about. Thanks to everyone who called in or listened along. We’ll be back next week from 8pm local on GB3DA, and everyone’s welcome to join in — whether you’ve been licensed for years or just got your callsign.
Here’s a montage of tonight’s topics:
