Tag Archives: On The Air

Activities, Featured, General, On The Air

Using AI for Ham Radio Repeater Net

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One of my favorite uses of AI for Ham Radio is using it to help me come up with questions for the Weekly Repeater Net.  Our weekly repeater net uses a chat net format – the Net Control asks a question and each checked in station gets a chance to answer the questions.

I have been in the Net Control Rotation for several years and it is getting more difficult to come up with fresh questions for an engaging discussion on the net.

Lately, I have been getting my questions from AI.  For this week’s net I used the following prompt to get ChatGPT to provide some questions:    “Fred, AB1OC is the net control for tonight’s Nashua Area Radio Society repeater net. Please suggest some questions that he can ask on tonight’s chat format net.”

Here is what ChatGPT generated for me:

Here are fresh, timely, fun, and ham-radio-relevant chat-format questions Fred (AB1OC) can use for tonight’s Nashua Area Radio Society repeater net. I’ve mixed in seasonal topics, technical ones, Winter Field Day tie-ins, and light conversation starters that work well on a repeater.

📡 Chat Net Questions for Tonight’s Repeater Net

🔧 Ham-Radio / Technical Questions
  • What is one piece of ham gear you plan to upgrade or add in 2026?
  • What mode did you use most in 2025—FM, HF SSB, CW, FT8, DMR, or something else?
  • What antenna have you been the most happy with this year—and why?
  • What is your favorite local repeater to monitor besides N1IMO/N1IMN?
  • What radio accessory under $50 do you think is most useful? (Cables, mics, filters, tools…)
  • If you could add one feature to your current HF radio, what would it be?
  • Which band do you plan to operate more in 2026—6m, 10m, 160m, or VHF/UHF?
  • What’s your favorite mobile or portable antenna you’ve used?

    📡 Operating & Events

  • Will you be joining Winter Field Day at AB1OC/AB1QB on Jan 24–25, and what band/mode would you like to operate?
  • What operating achievement are you most proud of this year? (A contest, DX, POTA, SOTA, new mode…)
  • What’s one ham-radio skill you’d like to improve in 2026?
  • What’s your favorite POTA or portable location you operated from in 2025?
  • Have you ever tried digital voice modes (DMR, C4FM, D-Star)? What was your experience?

    🛠 Shack & Projects

  • Do you have a winter ham-radio project planned for home or the shack?
  • What’s the most useful tool on your ham bench?
  • Have you built or repaired anything ham-related recently?
  • If you could reorganize one part of your shack, what would it be?

    🌐 Fun / Light Questions

  • If you could operate from any DX location for a week, where would you pick?
  • What’s your favorite ham-radio-related YouTube channel?
  • What’s the best radio-related gift you’ve ever received (or given)?
  • If you could design your own callsign (other than the one you have), what would it be?
  • What’s the most unusual contact you made this year? (Location, mode, band, or story)

🎄 Seasonal / Holiday Themed

  • Do you operate any holiday-season special events or callsigns?
  • Are you planning any ham-radio gifts for someone—or hoping to receive one?
  • Do you operate more, less, or about the same during the holiday season?
  • If Santa delivered one piece of ham gear to your shack, what would you ask for?

If you would like to be a net control for our repeater net, but have a hard time thinking of a good question, try using AI, or use one of  the questions above.

Education and Training, Featured, General, On The Air

Mentoring Net Debuts Sunday, November 30th

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Join Us for a Mentoring Net on November 30th at 7:30 pm EST! 📡

Are you working on a new Ham Radio project, trying to get on a new band or mode, or just have a question you’ve always wanted to ask? Our upcoming Mentoring Net on Sunday, November 30th at 7:30 pm EST is the perfect place to get help, share ideas, and learn from fellow amateurs.

What Is the Mentoring Net?

The Mentoring Net is a friendly, interactive on-the-air session designed to help hams at all experience levels — from brand-new Technicians to seasoned operators.

Unlike a typical “chat” net with a single topic or question, this net is all about your questions and projects.

During the net:

  • Each checked-in station will be invited to
    • Ask a question about a project they’re working on,
    • Ask about any aspect of Ham Radio they’d like to understand better, or
    • Answer or comment on questions that earlier stations have asked.
  • Net Control will help guide the discussion, making sure everyone gets a turn and that questions are heard and addressed.
  • Other club members are encouraged to jump in with suggestions, tips, and their own experience.
  • The round table will continue as long as there are new questions.

It’s like a round-table Elmering session — just on the air!

Not sure what to ask? Here are some ideas to get you thinking:

  • “I’m setting up my first HF station. What should I consider for antennas in a small yard?
  • “How do I get started with digital modes like FT8 or Winlink?”
  • “I’m confused about grounding and bonding in the shack. What’s really important?”
  • “What’s a good first portable or POTA setup?”
  • “How do you manage logging for contests and casual operating?”
  • “I want to try satellites / DMR / APRS. Where should I start?”

No question is too basic. If you’re wondering about it, chances are someone else is too.

Who Should Join?

  • New hams looking for guidance on getting started
  • Upgrading hams working toward their General or Extra
  • Experienced operators willing to share knowledge and help others
  • Anyone with a project on the bench, a rig in the car, or an antenna in a tree!

If you’re shy about asking a question, you’re still very welcome to listen in and learn from what others ask.

How to Prepare

You don’t have to prepare anything—but it can help to:

  • Jot down one or two questions you’d like to ask.
  • Note any rigs, antennas, or software you’re using so others can give more specific advice.
  • Think about a challenge you’ve hit recently: noise issues, SWR, digital setup, repeater coverage, antennas, logging, etc.
  • If you’re an experienced operator, come ready to share practical tips and “what worked for me” stories.

Join Us!

Mark your calendar for:

🗓 Sunday, November 30th
🕢 7:30 pm EST
🎙 Mentoring Net

Find us on the N1IMO/N1IMN Repeater System

Internet Subscribers or those who cannot hit the N1IMO/N1IMN repeaters are welcome to join on Echolink – N1IMO-R

We hope you’ll join us on the air for an evening of questions, answers, ideas, and Elmering. Whether you’re stuck on a project, exploring a new mode, or just curious about what others are doing in the hobby, this Mentoring Net is for you.

Bring your questions, your curiosity, and your experience — and let’s learn from each other!

Weekly Repeater Chat Net

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Our weekly repeater net is held on Sunday Evenings at 7:30 pm.   We will use a round-robin chat format – discussion topics will change each week.  This is a great opportunity for all hams and Nashua Area Radio Society members to get on the air.  EchoLink is available for those that don’t yet have a rig – search for N1IMO-R.    Here is the repeater information:

You can also view the access information on the N1IMN-N1IMO site. We post a list of stations that check-in to each of our nets in the On The Air Forum here on our website.

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