This is a work in progress. Please send MPN Historical Data, NCS Bios/Email info, Pictures and Website Requests (what you would like to see here) to submissions@themainepotatonet.net
Thanks & 73 de WA5LEE
About the Great Maine Potato Net
The Maine Potato Net is a Rag Chew Net founded by potato farmers in Aroostook County Maine during the 1970s. During that period of high long distance telephone charges, the Maine Potato Net served as a convenient and low cost alternative for potato farmers who were also Ham Radio operators to communicate among themselves over the large area of Aroostook County. The Maine Potato Net has grown over the years to encompass several Northeastern states and has had numerous Net Control operators.
Keeping in mind that the band “goes long” about 45 minutes after the local sunset in Syracuse, the following schedule of start times will be effective for for the Maine Potato Net (3958 KHZ) for the calendar year 2020:
January 1 to February 1: 16:30 EST (21:30 UTC)
Sunday February 1 to the end of EST: 17:00 EST (22:00 UTC)
Sunday March 8 to the end of EDT: 18:30 EDT (22:30 UTC)
Sunday November 1 to December 31: 16:30 EST (21:30 UTC)
The above gives us 3 winter months with a 16:30 EST start time and the
dreaded “Foreign Broadcast” on 3955 KHZ that ends at 17:00 EST. Lately I
have noted (with my receiver and with the K3FEF WebSDR) that 3830,
3860, 3865, and 3905) are often open in the 4PM EST to 6PM EST time
frame. Net Control Stations are authorized to make a “tactical switch”
to one of these frequencies (or to another open frequency) if the
Foreign Broadcast is truly awful; in addition to over the air
announcements use the NetLogger AIM Window to announce such a tactical
frequency shift.
Most of our Net Control Stations make use of the NetLogger application software to log and keep track of checkins during the net. This application software is available for download at http://www.netlogger.org/. Versions are available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Day of Week Net Control Station
Monday Bob – N2FKW
Tuesday Pete – KD2JKV
Wednesday Bob – N2FKW
Thursday Bill – N1WHA
Friday Robert – K0PB (Bob – N2FKW is NetLogger)