East Coast Reflector Newsletter - November 29, 2021

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MORNING BREW Q&A - By Michael K2SHF

Many thanks to all who checked in to the Morning Brew.  

Below are just some of the questions and answers from last week.  Here is a breakdown:

Will you be on the road for Thanksgiving or staying home?
     Staying Home 28 -- On The Road 15

How do you cook your Thanksgiving turkey?
     Oven/Roasted 16 -- I Don't Cook Turkey 5 -- Deep Fried 3 -- Smoker 2

What do you do with your excess turkey?
     Turkey Sandwiches 28 -- Leftover Turkey 8 -- Turkey Soup 6 -- Lots of Things 2

What is your favorite Thanksgiving dinner side dish?
     Stuffing 11 -- Mashed Potatoes 5 -- Gravy 2 -- Sweet Potatoes 2

During Black Friday's Morning Brew, was anyone in your family out shopping?
     No 40 --- Yes 5

Only answers with a count of 2 or more have been listed.  As always, thanks to Derby Dan, KD2VNU, for tallying
all of the answers from the past week.

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THIS WEEK'S BIRTHDAYS

If you would like your birthday to be recognized on the air and in the newsletter, please send your name,
callsign, and birthdate to mikeshf(at)yahoo(dot)com.

     AH2AZ, Lonie of New Mexico - November 30th
     K2IZ, John of Copiague, NY - November 30th
     KO4EJV, Dave of Knoxville TN - November 30th
     N8ISS, Brian of Oregon, OH - December 4th

Happy Birthday to you all!

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MY QUIRKS - By Bob KB3SNM

Listening to amateur radio sometimes brings on a chuckle. One of the things cropping up a lot lately is the
word handle. There are handles on  a lot of things around my home from hammers to shovels, but nowhere do I
find my name on a handle or a handle on my name. Yesterday I heard a great reply to the question of what’s
your handle; the other amateur responded “HANDLE?”  I find it much easier when people just use plain old
ordinary everyday language, handle has five letters name as four. Save your breath ask what’s your name?

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UPCOMING ZOOM ROOM PRESENTATIONS 

          Thu Dec 2nd 8PM - History of Amateur Radio Newsline, presented by Paul Braun, WD9GCO
          Mon Dec 6th 8PM - The K3LR Story, presented by Tim Duffy

Join us on both of these nights for some interesting presentations followed by Q&A sessions.  Please visit
http://bit.ly/ecrdaily to access our Zoom Room.

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NICK, KO4PPD UPGRADES HIS LICENSE TO GENERAL - By Michael K2SHF

After many months of studying and acquiring HF equipment, Nick has passed his exam and upgraded his license to
General class.

After passing his test Nick told me, "I felt excited, relieved, and happy."  I asked Nick if this license
upgrade was a difficult endeavor for him.  Nick responded, "Yes, with Rick N3RRB passing away it was
difficult to continue.  But I pressed on and succeeded in getting my General license."  

Dave, Nick's father, told me he is very proud of his son.  Let us all congratulate this young lad on his
achievement.  

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Activity Breeds Activity - By Luke M3NMW

One thing that really annoys me is when I hear operators put their callsign and then say listening, then 2
seconds later another operator puts their callsign out and says listening but these stations don’t talk to
each other. Even worse, the second station doesn’t come back to the first station.

There are many calls like this on the ECR per day and it is sad to hear. 

If you’ve had your license for many years then you will put this down to poor operating like I do. I’m not
saying everyone is a poor operator but there are many out there that could easily improve by taking advice
from hams of many years. 

At the end of the day the reflector is there to be used and it’s all good putting your callsign out 2 seconds
after someone else and then not bother talking to them because guess what “activity breeds activity” and
there are many times where I have put calls out and had contacts within seconds and then had a group and just
passed it round.

If I can give you one piece of advice here it's this: don't ignore someone, chat to them (it’s what the hobby
is about) and make more friends. Also take on the advice and don’t just dismiss it. 

I look forward to working the quieter operators among us.

73's Luke M3NMW

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HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FRONT DOOR DELIVERIES

Don’t let those pesky porch pirates take your deliveries. Prevent package theft and improve your outdoor
security with these tech gadgets and services.

By Jason Cohen from pcmag.com - November 22, 2021

Online shopping has made it so convenient to buy any number of things that many of us place our orders and
forget about them until the boxes show up at our doorstep. Oh yeah, it's that thing I needed!

As nice as it is to get something delivered to your door in a matter of days—if not hours—there will come a
time when you won't be around to receive a package. And a package sitting in front of a house, or in an
apartment lobby, is an easy target for theft.

A 2020 PCMag survey of 1,000 US respondents who were planning to purchase tech products on Prime Day last year
found that 17% of shoppers had experienced package theft, meaning nearly one in six respondents had an Amazon
package stolen from their doorstep. Another 16% weren't sure, so perhaps they're shopping so much online they
don't notice when a purchase goes missing!

Schedule Delivery Days

Chance are you'll be getting a few deliveries from Amazon this year. After all, the company delivered a
record-breaking 1.5 billion packages last Christmas. Before you try anything drastic, you may want to adjust
a few settings inside your Amazon account to adjust when you get deliveries sent to your door.

If deliveries tend to arrive when you're not home—or in multiple boxes throughout the week—you may want to set
up an Amazon Day to ensure your orders always come on the days you know you'll be around. Click Accounts &
Lists in the top-right corner of the Amazon website, then select Your Amazon Day to set this up. (On mobile,
tap the hamburger menu and select Account > Your Amazon Day.)

Amazon Day Delivery allows you to pick one day of the week that is most convenient to have everything
delivered at once. So the next time you are ready to check out, instead of selecting the soonest shipping
option, you can instead choose your Amazon Day Delivery date. If you pick Saturdays, for example, all the
items you ordered during a given week will arrive on Saturday.

Send to Remote Pick-Up Locations

If you can't be sure you'll be home to receive a package, you can have it delivered to a separate pick-up
location, such as a secure locker. Amazon Hub Lockers are in more than 900 cities and towns across the US
—many inside convenience stores, gyms, or supermarkets—and you can ship items to them at no extra cost. To do
so, choose the Prime pickup option before checkout and choose the most convenient location. When your package
arrives, Amazon will email you a six-digit code you'll use to unlock the locker.

Similar services are offered by major parcel delivery services, including UPS, FedEx, and the USPS. There are
also premium locker systems from GoLocker, Luxer One, PackagePad, and Parcel Pending that can be installed
within apartment complexes, college campuses, and offices.

And lockers aren't your only option here. Services like Bounce and Amazon Hub allow local businesses to serve
as drop-off points for your packages, in case you aren't around. You will be notified when the package has
been delivered and can then pick it up at your convenience.

Schedule In-Garage and In-Gate Deliveries

If you're comfortable with a delivery person coming into your garage or opening your electronic gate and
leaving your delivery near your door while you're away, check out Key by Amazon. Set up the service and
schedule deliveries in the Amazon Key app, then use compatible Ring video doorbells and cameras to watch the
delivery person leave your package. Amazon also offered an in-home delivery option, but that has been
suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Garage deliveries are available in select areas and for certain garage door brands; you can check eligibility
on Amazon's website. A Key by Amazon Smart Garage Kit is required to use the service. For gate deliveries,
Amazon can gain access to your electronic gate as long as you have the Ring Access Controller Pro installed.

Provide a Smart Delivery Box

A delivery box is a good way to secure packages, especially if it has a smart lock attached to it that can let
delivery drivers in and keep everyone else out. DeliverySafe is a $499 lockable delivery box that can protect
your packages from the elements while providing access through the built-in keypad. Program the code for
those who need it, then change it whenever you want.

Another option is the Yale Smart Delivery Box, which offers Wi-Fi connectivity and a keypad option. The box
remains open until a delivery is made, which tells the box to lock and notify you through the app. You can
then unlock the box and retrieve your package whenever you're home next.

Instead of investing in a separate delivery box, you can simply upgrade your normal mailbox with Ring's $30
Mailbox Sensor. You can also replace it with a Smart Mailbox from Danby Parcel Guard that includes a motion
sensor, camera, and alarm. These options allow you to receive notifications to your phone whenever activity
is detected around the delivery box.

Set Up Outdoor Security

Another way to deter thieves, or catch them in the act, is to install a security device on your property. Your
best bet is to get an outdoor security camera and set it up around where the packages are typically
delivered. Our top pick is the Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight Camera, though the Wyze Cam V3 is also good if you prefer
something more affordable. For tips on setting up your camera, check out our guide [pcmag.com].

If a security camera isn't your style, consider a video doorbell instead. While it may not be as imposing as
an outdoor camera, it has more function than just security. We recommend the Ezviz DB1C Wi-Fi Video Doorbell
or RemoBell S, which are both reasonably priced and should allow you to watch your front door for both
visitors and porch pirates.

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ECR FACILITATORS
Dick  WB2JPQ
Henry  WB4IVB
Emil  WA2UPK
Bob  KB3SNM
Tony  W2KJV
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Kevin  KE7K
Joe  KO4FRR
Mike  K2CMT
Michael  K2SHF
Steven  K2EJ
Keynon  KB5GLC

ECR ACCESS
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