The path according to QRZ, was only 106 miles but it is a great start. There are more amateurs out there that we normally do not get to talk to, that are active and interested in 2 meter weak-signal work, be it with voice or digital modes.
This past Saturday morning we used the Rusk County Amateur Radio Club's chat page to coordinate with each other in real-time, which worked very well.
N5SSH, Frank in Laredo, K3TD, Tad, in George Town, KG5UN, Ed, in Abeline, and KA5DWI, Art, in Arizona, also joined the effort and checked in via the chat page.
I appreciate everyone taking the time to check in and increasing the activity on the weak-signal portion of our 2 meter band.
Wouldn't it be great if we had enough active 2 meter stations on the air each Saturday morning to be able to get on and make some SSB and Digital mode contacts with surrounding and distant stations for a few hours each week?
The "Sidewinders on Two" group is a collection of amateur operators, with an Internet presence, who are interested in 2 meter, weak-signal work, especially SSB Voice. I found this group and began to check into some of their 2 meter, SSB nets a couple of years ago. You can find out more about them and what activities they participate in at the Widewinders website and on the SWOTRC website.
The various SWOT groups hold 2 meter SSB voice nets on most evenings of the week. Several are close enough that we can check into them from the local Henderson area with modest SSB stations and horizontal antennas.
73 and Happy New Years!
Keith - KN5G