This page is intended to assist amateurs who are contemplating becomming Alternate Net Controls.
The process is not demanding or difficult.
As an alternate net control you could be called on to fill in for a regular NC when business or personal travel calls them away from their regular session. Normally you would have some days or even weeks of notice. In any case, when called, your own schedule would prevail and you would be free to decline.
The Magnolia Section Net has avalilable, a computer program to keep track of, and identify by callsign, name and location, birthday and net control status of amateurs who check in on a given session.
The only other responsibility you incur is to keep track of the sessions you call; number of sessions, number of checkins, and formal traffic so that you can report the total for the month at the end of the month to the net manager. The format of this report is in traffic form but our net is not large enough to require this so that often our net controls give their months report in essential form with just the information noted above. The computer program will keep track of the above information for you so all you have to do is read it off of the screen at the end of the month. There is also a provision to email your report to the net manager.
Downloading the program from this web site will get you a .exe file. This file is a self extracting .zip file and will unzip the installer files to C:\Magnolia Net\Install. It then will start the installer program which will install the latest program in its own directory. The installer will install an icon for the program on your desktop. If you do not want an icon installed then uncheck the appropriate box.
To manually get an icon on the desktop you will have to go to the C:\Magnolia Net\Version X.X directory and right click on the file msn.exe and while holding the left mouse button down drag the file to the desktop and unclick. Then choose create a shortcut here from the menu.
Using the program is simple but the instruction sheet may be helpful, it is found within the program under HELP at top of screen. If you are not pleased with the font size or colors they are selectable, also at top of screen.
For new netcontrols downloading the full version of the current program may get an old database so it would be wise to also download the current database and any program updates.The date the program was put on the webpage is listed so if it has been some time the database is outdated.
Anything else I forgot to mention just ask, I can probably help. Stuart N5LBZ. n5lbz@arrl.net 228 234-1443