7:00 PM Central Time
KDØCI/R – 147.240 MHz, PL 146.2 Hz
KDØCI/R – 146.910 MHz, PL 146.2 Hz
Starting January 8th 2019 The Tuesday Evening repeater net was renamed the Mora Open Repeater Association Tuesday Evening Net – or simply MORANET.
The purpose of the Tuesday Evening Net – formerly known as named the Eastern Minnesota Emergency Services Net or simply EMESNET – remains the same as it was, to give Amateurs an opportunity for “on-air” operator training that they might not otherwise have. It helps new Hams in particular by presenting them with a chance to get acquainted with other Hams in our area, and to learn and practice operational rules and protocol – all of which is part of an overall effort by the Mora Open Repeater Association to train operators for emergency preparedness. The net also serves local Hams by disseminating Amateur Radio Information and Bulletins.
The net is directed by a Net Control station, and each station that checks into the net is given a chance to participate with informal comments when directed to do so by the Net Control.
Current Net Control Station Roster:
KCØDDV – Our “First Tuesday” Net Control – Flawlessly professional and engaging.
CURRENTLY OPEN –
KEØTTM – Our “Third Tuesday” Net Control – Young, willing to learn, and ambitious.
KJ9W – The “Fourth Tuesday” Net Control and MORANet Manager.
KAØAJF – Our “Fifth Tuesday” [also an alternate] Net Control and delightful sounding XYL.
KDØBUS – An alternate Net Control – a very laid back and mellow fellow.
Tuesday Evening Net History:
The Tuesday Evening Net has not always been a repeater net, nor has it always been under MORA control.
It started as an independent net named the Mille Lacs County Emergency Preparedness Net, operating on the local Emergency Simplex frequency of 146.565 MHz. The primary purpose of the net was to give newly licensed Hams in the local area a chance to get on the air and learn operator skills. The first session was on April 11, 2006.
The net grew quickly, and soon a few of the new Hams were recruited from the ranks to be Net Control Stations – among them were KCØDDV, KCØEQE, KCØVZA, KCØVZB, KCØYBX, and KDØBUS. A Net Control rotation schedule was established and they operated from either their homes, or the Public Health Center in Milaca. Net operations soon expanded into neighboring Kanabec County. From an amateur station at the Kanabec Hospital in Mora, and with the aid of an antenna mounted near the top of its 125 foot tower, net coverage quickly expanded further across Eastern Minnesota and into Northwest Wisconsin, generally within 75 miles of Mora.
Having expanded well beyond the boundaries of Mille Lacs County, the net was renamed the East Central Minnesota Emergency Preparedness Net. However, within the next year, to avoid being confused with another net with a similar name, the name was changed once more – this time to the Eastern Minnesota Emergency Simplex Net [aka: EMESNET].
Participation in the net peaked in 2009, then began to slowly decline. Because of the declining net activity and based on the results of a survey among regular net members, the Mora Open Repeater Association assumed control of the net and the membership voted to change it to a repeater net. By coincidence, the net acronym EMESNET remained intact – with the word “Services” replacing “Simplex” as the only change. The change took effect on January 6th 2015, and remained as the net name for four years.
Starting on January 8th 2019, the net was renamed the Mora Open Repeater Association Tuesday Evening Net – or simply MORANET. It not only continues to operate on the KDØCI repeater [147.240 MHz, PL 146.2 Hz] at Ogilvie, but starting in October 2019, the net was expanded to include the KEØACL Repeater [146.910 MHz, PL 146.2 Hz] at Duxbury on the completion of the Skywarn Link between Duxbury and Ogilvie repeaters.
The net still retains some of its originality, with a “spinoff” simplex session on 146.565 MHz – immediately following the regular repeater net session – on the fourth Tuesday of each month except in December. For Hams having 2 meter sideband capabilities, a “ragchewers” session called “Sideband on Two” with KBØRFY was added on the second Tuesday, immediately following the regular net session on 144.240 MHz.
The Legend of the Tanglefoot Kid:
Since 2013, the legend of the Tanglefoot Kid has become a major summertime topic on EMESNET.
The legend started when the Tanglefoot Kid found a way to effectively fight back against the vicious and relentless attacks of the Deer Fly – a notoriously voracious blood sucking insect.
By simply smearing a thick, pasty material called TANGLEFOOT on a helmet, or other solid head covering, preferably a dark colored covering such as deep red or purple, Deer Flies are somehow attracted to this deadly combination instead of exposed skin on your body. When the flies land on a helmet covered with Tanglefoot, there is usually NO escape!
The Tanglefoot Kid cannot claim total credit, however his pursuit of an answer to the Deer Fly plague has made him a local legend! It all started on one hot summer day in 2013 while out in his yard mowing lawn, he was viciously attacked by these blood sucking demons. He decided right then and there it was time to do something about it. He logged onto the Internet – looking for answers. His original idea was to find a way to raise Dragon Flies – known to be mortal enemies of Deer Flies. Instead, he ran across a simpler, more convenient answer – that being the use of Tanglefoot.
Using the same idea used by individuals just as determined to fight back as he was, the Tanglefoot Kid immediately went into action. In lieu of finding a suitable helmet, he asked his XYL to go a local hardware store and purchase some plastic bowls that could fit over his head, and a small tub of Tanglefoot paste. When she arrived back home, he used a putty knife to smear the Tanglefoot on one of the bowls, fitted the bowl on his head, and casually walked around the yard for about 15 minutes. He snared 30 Deer Flies during that time and – as they say, the rest is history!
Since the beginning, the Tanglefoot Kid has upgraded to a baseball batters helmet, then covers the helmet with “Press n Seal” before applying tanglefoot. Once the helmet has captured all the deer flies it can hold, he simply removes the Press n Seal from the helmet and discards it – tanglefoot, flies, and all – into the garbage. The pasty material and its captured occupants can be removed from the helmet very easily with the Press n Seal used as a base, thus making room on your helmet for the next covering of Press n Seal and application of Tanglefoot – and the next batch of Deer Flies. Just be careful to avoid getting Tanglefoot on your fingers and hands – it’s very hard to clean off.
As everyone knows, once a legend is established, other ideas evolve from it. There’s talk about having an annual Deer Fly Snaging Contest in which whoever captures the most Deer Flies in a certain period of time, wins! Could a Deer Fly Trophy be in our future? There are even Deer Fly recipes being offered up for “Road Kill Cafe” customers, such as Deer Fly Soup.
The Holiday “Scatterbrain” Nets:
During the year-end holiday season, the regular Tuesday Evening Net takes time off from its normal routine, and substituted with our own version of Jolly Old St Nicholas [NØRJW] as he cuts loose with his good cheer in two rather irreverent sessions of what has become known as the Holiday Scatterbrain Nets.
These holiday nets [one during Christmas week, the other during New Years week] have been part of the Tuesday Evening radiosphere for several years now, and is as much of a holiday tradition for the local Hams as Christmas Trees and Santa Claus.
The net is directed, but that is the only similarity between it and the regular Tuesday Evening Net. Everything else is pretty much unpredictable – as you might expect from someone as jolly as Old St Nick!
Tuesday Evening Net Summaries:
Simplex Nets
2006: 28 Sessions – Total QNI: 121, Avg QNI/Session: 4.32, High QNI: 7, Low QNI: 2.
2007: 30 Sessions – Total QNI: 278, Avg QNI/Session: 9.27, High QNI: 15, Low QNI: 6 (3).
2008: 33 Sessions – Total QNI: 434, Avg QNI/Session: 13.15, High QNI: 18, Low QNI: 9.
2009: 48 Sessions – Total QNI: 630, Avg QNI/Session: 13.13, High QNI: 22, Low QNI: 5.
2010: 49 Sessions – Total QNI: 579, Avg QNI/Session: 11.82, High QNI: 16, Low QNI: 6.
2011: 50 Sessions – Total QNI: 557, Avg QNI/Session: 11.14, High QNI: 15 (4), Low QNI: 4.
2012: 50 Sessions – Total QNI: 479, Avg QNI/Session: 9.58, High QNI: 14 (2), Low QNI: 6 (2).
2013: 50 Sessions – Total QNI: 457, Avg QNI/Session: 9.14, High QNI: 17, Low QNI: 5 (3).
2014: 50 Sessions – Total QNI: 451, Avg QNI/Session: 9.04, High QNI: 14, Low QNI: 5.
Repeater Nets
2015: 49 Sessions – Total QNI: 517, Avg QNI/Session: 10.55, High QNI: 16, Low QNI: 5.
2016: 50 Sessions – Total QNI: 500, Avg QNI/Session: 10.00, High QNI: 17, Low QNI: 7 (6).
2017: 50 Sessions – Total QNI: 523, Avg QNI/Session: 10.43, High QNI: 15 (3), Low QNI: 5.
2018: 50 Sessions – Total QNI: 525, Avg QNI/Session: 10.50, High QNI: 16, Low QNI: 3.
2019: 51 Sessions – Total QNI: 594, Avg QNI/Session: 11.65, High QNI: 17, Low QNI: 7.
Total Net Summary [Through 2019]
Total Actual Sessions: 638, Total QNI: 6655, Avg QNI/Session: 10.43, High QNI: 22, Low QNI: 2.
Other Nets In Our Area:
7 PM Monday
ECMARC Net – KØECM/R, 145.330 MHz, PL146.2 Hz
8:25 PM Wednesday
Isanti County ARES Net – 146.420 MHz (Simplex)
8:30 PM Wednesday
Isanti County ARES Net – 146.640 MHz, PL 146.2 Hz
Suggested Operating Frequencies for MORA:
75 Meters – 3840 kHz Lower Sideband
40 Meters – 7240 kHz Lower Sideband
20 Meters – 14.240 MHz Upper Sideband
15 Meters – 21.240 MHz Upper Sideband
10 Meters – 28.240 MHz CW
10 Meters – 28.565 MHz Upper Sideband
6 Meters – 50.240 MHz Upper Sideband
2 Meters – 144.240 MHz Upper Sideband
2 Meters – 146.565 MHz FM Local Emergency Simplex