Contests
One biggie - especially as we're at the peak of Cycle 25:
ARRL 10-Meter Contest - http://www.arrl.org/10-meter
And some smaller ones:
SKCC Weekend Sprintathon - https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/
Run for the Bacon QRP Contest - http://www.k1usn.com/sst.html
K1USN Slow Speed Test - http://www.k1usn.com/sst.html
Special Events:
12/14/2024 | Big Bend ARC 50th Anniversary
Dec 14, 1500Z-2300Z, K5O, Alpine, TX. Big Bend ARC. 7.240 14.320 21.350 28.400. QSL. Big Bend ARC, 1402 N 5tn Street, Alpine, TX 79830. www.bigbendarc.org
12/14/2024 | Ike's UN Atoms for Peace Speech (1953)
Dec 14, 1400Z-2200Z, K3S, Baltimore, MD. Nuclear Ship Savannah ARC. 7.1 14.1 21.1 28.1. QSL. K3LU, 980 PATUXENT ROAD, Odenton, MD 21113. Single transmitter SSB and CW aboard N/S Savannah. Please check spotting networks for frequencies. Info on QRZ.com www.qrz.com/db/k3s
12/14/2024 | Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Special Event
Dec 14, 1700Z-2359Z, NI6IW, San Diego, CA. USS Midway Museum Ship. 7.250 14.320 14.070 PSK31 DSTAR on Papa system repeaters. QSL. USS Midway Museum Ship COMEDTRA, 910 N Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101. www.qrz.com/db/ni6iw
Getting back to the pipeline business. I'm going to bore you with more QRP Fox Hunt stuff, but lately, it's about the only time I've been managing to get on the air. Last night was the 80 Meter hunt, and I (mistakenly) thought it was going to be a quick and easy night, as we had two super good Foxes running - Dave N1IX in NH and Rick NK9G in WI.
It started out that way! I found Dave right off the bat and worked him at about two or three minutes into the Hunt. I had to be his second or third Hound worked.
Rick NK9G, on the other hand, took a bit of doing, and that was a surprise. Normally it seems I have a pipeline to Minnesota and Wisconsin, with fast and easy QSOs. Last night, the pipeline was either broken or had a serious kink in it. Rick was loud enough, a legit 559 or better, but he was having problems. I eventually worked him at around 03:12 UTC (I don't have my log with me), but it took much longer and a lot more effort than I had anticipated.
All evening long, Rick was asking for repeats and was sending a lot of "?"s and "QRZ"s. It seemed to me at least, that he must have had either a high ambient noise level or all our signals were down in the mud. I'm so used to him working stations in rapid fire succession in Sprints, almost effortlessly it seems. He's such a superb op! Last night, though, the band seemed to be biting him on the butt.
He didn't post his log yet, but he did send an e-mail saying how everyone's signals were exceptionally weak at his end. He wrote that he still managed to hand out about 50 pelts, which is a goodly amount! And that is truly the mark of a top notch op, to endure and achieve success despite the conditions that prevail.
One other thing that became apparent last night - winter shack conditions. When I got down to the shack about 10 minutes before the start of the Hunt, my little Radio Shack wall thermometer was reading 59F (15C). From here on out, if I'm going to participate, I'm going to have to go down to the shack about an hour ahead of time and plug in and turn on the DuraFlame space heater that I purchased at the end of last winter. I wasn't too uncomfortable during the Hunt, but when I got up out of my chair, my knee and hip joints were telling me that they were NOT happy with the chill.
72 de Larry W2LLJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
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