W5HXL History

Central Oklahoma

Chapter 63

W5HXL MEMORIAL NET HISTORY

A two meter Net for Chapter 63 had been talked about for a long time. It was promoted by Larry Watson W5EIU and others, including Bob Ashby W5HXL and Charlie WA5JGU. Nothing much happened. A lot of people said they wanted one, but nobody wanted to do it.

Somewhere around 1990 a 2 Meter Net (145.41) was tried. It ran for a short period of time, a couple of months, Net control unknown, and could not get any traction or generate any support from Chapter 63 or others. It died on the vine!

Sometime in mid-1993 a two meter net was started again. It was also on the 145.41 repeater, which Chapter members had been using for about 10 years. One of our members, Ken Fields K5VFN was the 145.41 trustee for many years. He became a SK on 10 Sep. 1998.

Bob Ashby W5HXL volunteered to be Net Control/Net Manager and called the net each Thursday till just before he became a Silent Key. Bob liked to travel and when he was out of town, various people stepped in as Net Control. Bob developed brain cancer and had to quit as Net Control. He continued to check in each Thursday up to the last 30 days before his death.

Bob became a SK on 22 April 1999. The Net had never had a real name. It was just called The 2 Meter Net on 145.41. The first Thursday after Bob died, it was suggested that the Net be Named "THE W5HXL MEMORIAL NET". The people on the Net that evening agreed. Gene Hawkins KA5CNT became the Net Manager. A roster of 5 or 6 net control stations took the net on a rotating basis much like the 75 meter HF net.

It was decided to get Bob's call W5HXL for the Net. Gene Hawkins KA5CNT went to work on the project. Since Chapter 63 QCWA had the club call W5AS, The W5HXL Memorial Net Club was formed to get a Club call. You had to have a Club call before you could get a Vanity Call. (W5HXL) The Club was issued the call KD5NWN ON 22 March 2001.

Bob's XYL Roslyn gave The W5HXL Memorial Net Club permission to get Bob's call. Gene KA5CNT got the neccessary paper work together to apply for the Vanity call W5HXL. After 2 or 3 problems with the FCC, the W5HXL call was issued 12 June 2001. Gene KA5CNT was the trustee.

The net continued on the 145.41 repeater until July 2002, when it was moved to the MORI repeater 145.21.

Gene Hawkins KA5CNT was Net Manager and Trustee till 16 July 2003. On that date Norm Wilson W5FLO became Net Manager and Trustee.

The net continued on the 145.21 machine until repeater problems forced a move to 146.925 MORI repeater in Feb. 2004.

Repeater problems on the 146.925 machine once again caused a move to the 147.105 repeater. In October of 2004 we received permission to use the 146.985 Aeronautical Club repeater as a back-up.

There have been problems and changes, but, the net continues each Thursday evening at 7:00pm on 147.105 MHz or 146.985 MHz.

Above history by Gene Nailon, K5DLE SK (9-13-2006): Chapter 63 QCWA Historian, 3 April 2005

After Norm Wilson retired, Lyeal Amos served as Net Manager for a number of years. Bob, KA5EOS, became a silent key on May 7, 2013. Mike Campbell, W5KSU is working on relocating Bob's repeater and getting it back on the air. The KA5LSU repeater on 145.170 MHz (courtesy of Tracie, WA5LSH) became the primary repeater for the W5HXL Memorial Net.

After the December 26, 2013, on-the-air meeting the W5HXL Memorial Net was suspended. If someone does not volunteer to become Net Manager the net is history.

Howard O. Wise, Jr., WD5IDB, has volunteered to restart the W5HXL Memorial Net and become Net Manager starting at 7:00 p.m. local time on Thursday, October 1, 2015, and every Thursday thereafter. Another repeater has been chosen for this net. It is the W5RLW repeater compliments of Robert L. Williams, with a frequency of 146.790 MHz, minus offset, and a PL tone of 100 Hz., which has excellent OKC metropolitan area coverage. The alternate repeater is at 147.105 MHz.

Updated 3 February, 2016, by Lyeal Amos, W5SJC