We don't need no steenking sunspots!

OK, so it wasn't a QSO to Gambia using 100 mW and a wet string for an antenna. But for the supposed sunspot low, the QSO I had at lunchtime today wasn't so bad, either. 5 Watts to the Hamstick on top of the car yielded a solid QSO between W2LJ in Edison, NJ and K6TLL in Tule Lake, California.

Jim was very strong - 589 into NJ. He was using 100 Watts on his end. My 5 Watts garnered me a 569. Certainly respectable enough. And considering that we're approaching the low spot of the sunspot cycle, I consider it to be pretty darn good. I can only imagine how good things will get once the sun develops a few freckles on its face.

As colder weather approaches, my lunchtime QRP sessions will be coming to a close in another month or two, probably. As I've stated elsewhere, I hate the cold. Once standing behind my Ford Explorer becomes uncomfortable, that will mark the end of another lunchtime QRP season until it warms up again next year. Going through my log on my Palm m130 today, I see I did pretty well for Summer 2006. Since June, I have netted about 70 lunchtime QSOs.

It was a fun season - now all I have to do is send everyone I communicated with one of my commemorative Edison QSL cards.

73 de Larry W2LJ