The club net meets every Thursday at 8:00PM on the 146.76 repeater.

Recent Checkins - April 2024

Upcoming Net Controls

Trivia Question Etiquette

Trivia questions are multiple-choice. If unsure, it's okay to guess! If you know the answer, no explanation is needed - it makes things less fun for those after you.

After the correct answer is revealed, sharing related facts or personal stories is encouraged, but save detailed discussions for the end of the session. Let the Net Control know if you have extra information to share afterwards.

Past Trivia / Discussion Questions

• 3/07/24 Question: Before WW II, how many US States were in W0 (zero) land?
  a) 6, b) 8, c) 4, d) 0 - none
  Answer: d)None
  The tenth call district was implemented in 1947, during the post WW II boom in amateur radio. The creation of this new district was basically to equalize ham populations among the districts.
• 3/14/24: Question: What clues are being looked at to find the remains of MH-370 ?
  A) barnacles
  B) Corrosion on parts found on shore
  C) Ocean currents
  D) New satellite data
  E) None of the above.
  Answer: A) barnacles
  Additional data can be found at the following web sites.
  https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/mh370-search-debris-barnacles.html
  https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/08/barnacles-could-hold-key-to-finding-wreckage-of-malaysia-airlines-mh370/
  https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidbressan/2023/08/27/sea-creatures-may-help-find-final-resting-place-of-malaysia-airlines-mh370/?sh=18b950bb53f4
  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230823122608.htm
  https://time.com/3987026/mh370-reunion-debris-malaysia-airlines-search-indian-ocean/
• 3/21/24: When were the first call signs beginning with “K” issued in the Continental United States?
  A. 1939, B. 1942, C. 1945, D. 1947
  Answer: D. 1947
  Reference: https://fasma.org/wp-content/uploads/1994-05-QST-Radio-History-08-Amateur-Radio-Callsigns-History-By-Phil-Sager-WB4FDT-Rick-Palm-K1CE.pdf
• 3/28/24: Trivia: What was the “Simon”?
  A) World’s first smart phone?
  B) First handheld 2 meter prototype?
  C) First lithium rechargeable battery?
  D) First 2 meter mobile antenna?
  Answer: A
  The IBM Simon is widely regarded as one of the first devices that could be termed a “smartphone” – however it is important to note that when it was launched, it was characterized as a PDA (personal digital assistant) with communication capabilities via a cellular connection. It was the result of IBM's desire to design a "computer that could fit in your shirt pocket".
• 4/04/24 Question: Of the following US states, which has the largest number of licensed hams?
  Choices: A) Arkansas, B) Connecticut, C) Kansas, D) Louisiana
  Answer: A. Arkansas Arkansas: 8080, Connecticut: 7110, Kansas: 7163, Louisiana: 6042
• 4/11/24 Question: When the gain of an antenna is quoted in dBi. The i in this expression stands for:
  A: ideal
  B: isotropic
  C: ionosphere
  D: interpolated
  Correct Answer: B) isotropic
  (This is a common tactic that manufacturers use when advertising the gain of an antenna (using dBi instead of dBd). dBi gives a number 2.14 dB higher than dBd. The notation dBd means "gain over a dipole antenna".)
  Discusion: The Eclipse! Did you see it, what was your impression?
• 4/18/24 Question: In long standing amateur radio tradition, what is considered "the final courtesy" of having had a QSO?
  a) Saying 73 at the end of the QSO
  b) Providing a QSL, either paper or electronic, as a confirmation of the QSO
  c) Logging the contact, saving all critical data
  d) Greeting fellow hams during a hamfest or club meeting
  Answer: B
• 04/25/24 Question: What day had the most recorded tornadoes in the State of Ohio?
  A) 12 jul 1992 - 29
  B) 10 Nov 2022 - 19
  C) 15 June 2023- 12
  D) 24 Aug 2023 - 12
  Answer: A) 12 jul 1992 - 29
  More information; available at:
  https://www.news5cleveland.com/weather/weather-news/last-weeks-12-northern-ohio-tornadoes-made-history
• 05/02/24 Question: What agency issued radio licenses before the FCC?
  Choices: A-DOC, B-FLB, C-FRC, D-RCC
  Answer: FRC FEDERAL RADIO COMMISSION
• 5/9/24 CONELRAD (Control of Electromagnetic Radiation) was a method of emergency broadcasting to the public of the United States in the event of enemy attack during the Cold War.
  Question: The CONELRAD system operated on what two frequencies?
  A) 560 & 1420 AM,
  B) 640 & 1240 AM,
  C) 94 & 106 FM,
  D) 560 AM & 106 FM
  Answer B) 640 & 1240 AM
  In the event of an emergency, all United States television and FM radio stations were required to stop broadcasting. Upon alert, most AM medium-wave stations shut down. The stations that stayed on the air would transmit on either 640 or 1240 kHz. They would transmit for several minutes and then go off the air, and another station would take over on the same frequency in a "round robin" chain. This was to confuse enemy aircraft who might be navigating using radio direction finding. By law, radio sets manufactured between 1953 and 1963 had these two frequencies marked by the triangle-in-circle ("CD Mark") symbol of Civil Defense.^[3]