Pages

Tuesday, July 05, 2016

I told myself

"You're not gonna do this, this year. You have the certificate and QSLs from last year. You don't need to do this again!"

So much for listening to myself!

Maybe because it's the weekend after Field Day and the pileup juices are still flowing?  I don't know - but experimenting with my newly built magnetic loop on Sunday ....... I worked one. And after that, it was just all downhill. I found it to be just like that old Lay's Potato Chip commercial from the 1960s - "Bet you can't eat just one!"

After the first, I was committed. Probably my OCD, kicking in. Soon there was another in the log, then another and then another. Last night I was hunting for K2D for the last of the Colonies. I found him working LSB on 40 Meters.  I must have shouted into that darn microphone for over an hour. I was shaking my head thinking, "Oh Lord, what have I done to myself?"

Then the Cluster showed K2D on 80 Meter CW.  I figured that having been spotted there would be a gigantic pile up, but to my delight, there was only a medium sized pileup.  Being in "home turf'" felt oh, so good!  I threw out my call once - and I was answered with " W2LJ 599 CT".

Cool beans!

So I have all 13 Colonies and WM3PEN in the log. I suppose if I want a true "Clean Sweep" that I will have to work GB13COL in Britain.  Trouble is, I've only heard them 2 or 3 times on 20 Meters and each time they were so weak, I doubted that I'd hear my call were it to come back to me.

I believe the Special Event runs until Midnight Wednesday into Thursday, so I will listen.  But if I don't work them, my OCD will have to be satisfied with what we've gotten already.

And yes, "In for a penny, in for a pound." I will send away for the 2016 certificate, but I don't think I'm going to pop for postage for 14 individual QSL cards.

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

1 comment:

  1. Larry - FWIW, your QRP signal from the East Coast is probably about the same as my 1 kW from San Diego. I could barely hear GB13COL, and with the pileups, there was no way I was going to work them.

    73 de NC6K

    ReplyDelete