The Happy Saturday Klub (KR4KEX), operated by Clay (KO4MEX), has been active on the 3905 nets to give fellow members the opportunity to make contacts with our club call and work toward the many awards the 3905 Century Club has to offer.
Last weekend, several 3905 members—after a great deal of planning—traveled to Juneau in an effort to work as many stations in the lower 48 as possible. Ahead of their arrival, they shipped multiple radios, antennas, and even a 500-watt amplifier. The team flew in shortly after and began settling into their operating location.
By Wednesday, they were getting everything set up and preparing to join the nets starting Thursday night. They operated with both a mobile station and a portable station, rotating operators between positions to help stay warm in the Alaskan conditions.
The first night proved very successful on the 40-meter late net, with Alaska making contacts all the way into Florida. Unfortunately, I didn’t stay up late enough to take advantage of that opening—it was around 3 AM local time before the band really opened up to the East.
The following night, the group attempted the 75-meter late net but had no luck making contacts. Keep in mind, Juneau sits right up against a large mountain, making it even more challenging to hear stations in the lower 48. They gave the 40-meter late net another shot that evening. This time, I stayed up for the entire net—but unfortunately, my North Carolina station didn’t hear a single signal from the Alaska group. A mild solar storm and auroral activity made the bands extremely noisy.
Sunday night brought another attempt on 75 meters, but again, no success. By Monday, the group took time to regroup—“licking their wounds,” so to speak—and came up with a plan to make 75-meter contacts on their final night of operation.
Success! The band conditions finally cooperated, and they were able to log many contacts throughout the Northeast and beyond. As for me, I wasn’t able to complete a single QSO with them on any band. Local storms Monday night brought heavy static crashes—so intense that I could barely hear my own neighbors, let alone Alaska. After days of cranking up the audio and wearing the headphones, my ears were definitely feeling it!
Looking back on the weekend, it was a blast being part of the nets and really exciting to hear so many Alaska stations checking in. Many stations were also running club calls and special event operations, adding even more excitement to the nets. Kudos to everyone who managed to rack up contacts under those challenging conditions!
In closing, I’d like to give a special thanks to everyone who made the trip and put in the time and effort—not just for themselves, but for the entire amateur radio community. Events like this make the hobby what it is.
So… when is the Happy Saturday Klub heading to Hawaii?
73,
de KO4MEX
Clay Seaver