Three Projects

I always seem to do things backwards.

Winter is supposed to be the season for building things and Summer is supposed to be the season for operating, right?  Not for me !!!

I have two projects in the wings - no actually three.  Two I want to get done rather quickly, the third can take the rest of the Summer.  The third, in fact, I want done for next Fall / Winter.

First project is to construct a pair of Baby Black Widow paddles for the PFR3A.  I want to take them with me when we go on vacation next month up to Lake George, so time is of the essence here.  I got them through the mail today and hopefully, I can start on them this weekend.

I have a set of the original Black Widows (which I still have to build, sigh!) and I wanted these for a while now.  Jerry W5JH, who kits these, mentioned on several of the QRP e-mail reflectors that due to diminishing sales that there is the possibility of these paddle kits being discontinued.  I wanted to get a set before that happens.  So tomorrow, I'll have to get over to Home Depot at some point for some 200 and 400 grit sandpaper and some brass polish so I can begin finishing the metal pieces.

Second project - the Hamcan transceiver.  This has been sitting around in its padded envelope for way too long!  I inventoried the parts tonight.  Seriously, this kit should take all of about an hour to build.  I should be ashamed of myself for not getting this done and on the air by now.

Last project for the Summer is getting that 160 Meter vertical built that I saw in the August 2010 edition of QST.  I think while I'm at Home Depot this weekend, I'll buy some of the parts I need for that, too.  The main construction of that won't occur until after vacation, however - most likely this will be an August project.

Field Day is tomorrow and other than the Metuchen, NJ Club K2YNT, which is gathering at Rutgers, and the RCA David Sarnoff Group, which is gathering at Princeton, there are no other groups that I know of in the immediate vicinity that is putting forth an effort.  The two clubs that I belong to, ETS of NJ and RVRC, which are primarily repeater clubs are not doing anything this year.  Marianne, my wife, is working tomorrow anyway, so that will preclude me from going to any Field Day sites until she gets home from work around Midnight tomorrow night.  I will probably set up the PFR3A and the Buddistick in the backyard tomorrow afternoon to just give out points for a couple of hours.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!