was spent with the PFR3A transceiver tonight during the ARS Spartan Sprint. I did not get on the air to try and win the Sprint or even operate the entire time. I just wanted to see what I could hear and work on 20 and 40 Meters.
20 Meters yielded John K4BAI and Dave AB9CA. 40 Meters yielded an additional half dozen or so contacts before I shut it down for the night. Tomorrow is back to work; so I am going to hit the hay right after finishing this post.
I got good practice using the built in "Balanced Line" tuner, which does an excellent job tuning up the Butternut HF9V for whatever little mismatch is present there. I find that when trying to use the tuner, it is way easier to look at the LED from a side angle than straight on. This makes it easier for me to figure out when the LED has achieved "maximum dimness" or has gone out altogether. I also have it down to the point that I know what note pitch to tune for so that when I answer a CQ, I am zero beat with the calling station. Little things; but important things.
I also got in some practice time with the AA0ZZ keyer, which is also a breeze to use. The combination of the PFR3A and the AA0ZZ keyer is hard to beat.
BTW, it was blistering hot here today. If my backyard thermometer is to be believed, and I think it is, it reached 103F here (39C). The thermometer is located in the backyard in a shady and somewhat sheltered spot, so it's not like it is getting heat reflected towards it from asphalt or concrete. Tomorrow promises to be as hot with some relief possibly for Thursday.
72 de Larry W2LJ
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