Who Are we?

Our Mission

We are the Arizona affiliation of the National Side Winders on Two Radio Club (SWOT).  As VHF/UHF weak signal enthusiasts, we encourage others who are interested in the challenges and excitement of building and operating their own stations.  Our net will provide you with a gathering place to make new friends, learn from others, mentor new hams, test and evaluate your own stations, and inspire you to make improvements.  We hope to offer something for everyone with common interest.  

We have our SSB net on Sunday Mornings at 8:30 am on 144.250 MHz.  We start taking early check-ins at 8:00 am for those who have other Sunday morning commitments.  While many check-ins are members of the National SWOT Radio Club, you DO NOT have to be a member to participate.  We are always excited to hear a new check-in and hear about your station.  We all started somewhere, so even if you are just starting out, try us and see who you can hear. 

Net Control Stations

K7ZYP – AL

Al has been the long standing Net Control Station.  Located in Sahuarita, Arizona, just south of Tucson, he has called the Net for many years and has a wealth of knowledge on station building and VHF propagation.  With a great station, antennas, and location, Al can hear most stations through out Arizona and W/SW New Mexico.

K7EME – Doug

Doug has been recently taking the Net Control duties, providing Al a break to work on home improvement projects.  Located in Picture Rocks, Arizona, just west of Tucson, he has a great location and station that can cover most of Arizona and west New Mexico.  Doug is also a great resource for the more exotic modes, such as EME and meteor scatter. 

N7VD – Robert

Robert serves as alternate Net Control, backing up Doug or Al when required.  Located in NE Mesa, Arizona he has a good location covering east, south, and west Arizona. Robert also serves as NetLogger operator during the nets.

Net Structure

The Net is loosely structured as follows:

  • Early check-ins start at 8:00 am. Check-in early and take a turn then if you can't stay for the entire net. Net Control will pass along any info or news you may provide. Net Control Stations will be using very narrow and high gain antennas and checking in all directions. You may not hear the NCS at first, so be patient until they turn the beams your way.
  • Main Net check-ins start at 8:30 am. Net Control will continue with the list started for the early check-ins. Call the NCS to get on the list. When recognized, please provide you call sign, location, and SWOT number if you have one. SWOT membership and numbers ARE NOT required to participate.
    After the participant list is created, please respond when you are called for comments. Weaker stations can be relayed in, so if you can't hear NCS, throw out your call and most times someone will pick you up. At the end of the Net List, NCS will call for additional late check-ins, so if you didn't get in the first time, try again.
    As some of our participants are in the outlying areas, Net Control will announce their location when it's their turn for comments to allow you to turn your antenna to try to hear them.
  • After the official Net is closed, there is an opportunity to try and work stations you want and/or exchange SWOT numbers. This is a great opportunity to stretch your station's legs and see what you can do.
  • You may also use NetLogger to see the Net activity online. Select the NetLogger tab above for instructions on how to do so.