Good news and bad news

 The results for Field Day 2025 are out in the December issue if QST. 

The South Plainfield Amateur Radio Club got some good news and some bad news. The good news? We placed 3rd in our category, 3A Battery.

The bad news? There were only three entries in that category this year, There's usually 5, 6 or even 7 - but this year only three. And to boot, we came in a distant third.

Not our best effort and Marv K2VHW and I have been thinking about ways to improve our QSO count. For the past few years, we've had a CW station, a SSB station and a Digital station. The CW station operated primarily on 40 Meters, while the SSB'ers operated primarily on 20 Meters. In 2026 we want to mix that up some - perhaps scheduled 2 hour time block where we switch bands.

Marv's goal is to get us up to 500 CW QSOs in the log. That's a lofty goal as he and I are the two primary CW Ops and we're no longer spring chickens. When you're not a contester as a favorite part of the hobby, keeping your seat in a chair that long for an undertaking like that is a tall task.

Now, if we could get both of us working 20 and 40 Meters at the same time, it might be easier - but that would go over like a lead balloon with the SSB guys.

Anyway, it's things to think about for next June.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Tally Ho!

 The 2025 - 2026 QRP Fox Hunt Season has begun! If you've never tried this before, I highly recommend it, It's a lot of fun and after one ro to hunts, you're bound to become hooked.

The particulars, rules, regulations, results and all that kind of stuff can be found here - https://www.qrpfoxhunt.org

Personally, i will not be participating this year, as either a Fox or Hound.  The main reason being that the Hunts start here at 9:00 PM EST and run for an hour and a half. That being said, when I do participate as either a Fox or Hound, there's an adrenaline rush. I get all wired up from the thrill of the hunt and generally cannot fall asleep until somewhere close to Midnight.  When you have to wake up at 5:00 AM for the next workday, it spells "being fuzzy all day".  If I was still in my 20s or 30s, that wouldn't be a big deal. As I get closer and closer to 70, it is a big deal.

As a Fox, it seems everyone wants to see their results super fast. To that end there's a "live QSO map" where the Foxes can enter the calls of the Hounds they work as they work them and a little green dot will pop up on a ,ap of North America. This is actually a great tool for preventing duplicate contacts - but it involves keyboard entry in real time.

I'm a fossil. I log with paper and pen and transfer to my computer afterward. I'm also not the most proficient Fox in the herd, either. Great Hams like John K4BAI or Rick NK9G can easily work somewhere around 70 or so Hounds per Hunt. I'm usually lucky to get near 50. If I were to try and type and operate at the same time, that would most likely go down to 30 or 40 per Hunt. I'm not that talented.

But my issues aside, the QRP Fox Hunts are a grand old time. You should try it at least once - but I'll warn you that they're like Lays potato chips. You most likely won't be able to stop at one.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!