Upcoming stuff

After a short workweek, the weekend is once again upon us. Here is some stuff that will be going on:

Contests:

CQ 160-Meter Contest, SSB (has a QRP Category) - http://www.cq160.com/rules.htm

South Carolina QSO Party - http://scqso.com/

North American QSO Party, RTTY - https://www.ncjweb.com/NAQP-Rules.pdf - Probably why you'll be hearing digital encroaching way down into the CW sub-bands.

UBA DX Contest, CW - https://www.uba.be/en/hf/contest-rules/uba-dx-contest

High Speed Club CW Contest - https://sites.google.com/view/hsc-contest

North Carolina QSO Party - http://ncqsoparty.org/rules/

Special Event Stations:

02/17/2024 | 40th Anniversary for Mid State Amateur Radio Club

Feb 17-Feb 24, 0000Z-2100Z, W9MID, Franklin, IN. Mid State Amateur Radio Club. 14.265 7.227. QSL. Chris Frederick, 255 Hillendale Dr, Greenwood, IN 46142. https://midstatehams.org

02/18/2024 | Engineer’s Week at Collins Aerospace

Feb 18-Feb 24, 1700Z-1900Z, W0CXX, Cedar Rapids, IA. Collins Amateur Radio Club. 7.180 MHz 14.263 MHz 21.380 MHz 28.380 MHz. QSL. Engineer's Week at Collins Aerospace SES, 1110 Lyndhurst Dr, Hiawatha, IA 52233. Note: The times are during lunch break however there may be times outside of what is specified that club members may operate during these days especially Sunday (18th) and Saturday (24th). https://www.qrz.com/db/W0CXX

02/21/2024 | GEORGE WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY

Feb 21-Feb 24, 0001Z-2359Z, WS7G, Monitor, WA. COLUMBIA BASIN DX CLUB. 14.322/14.255 7.222/7.260. Certificate & QSL. BRIAN NIELSON, 11650 Road 1 SE, Monitor, WA 98836. https://cbn.homestead.com/ws7g.html

02/24/2024 | 20th Annual Freeze Your Keys winter operating event

Feb 24, 1400Z-2200Z, W0EBB, Leavenworth, KS. Kickapoo QRP ARC. 7.035 CW 7.240 SSB 14.058 CW 14.325 SSB. QSL. Gary Auchard - W0MNA, 34058 167th Street, Leavenworth, KS 66048. Please include SASE for a QSL card. w0mna74@gmail.com or www.qrz.com/db/W0EBB

On a personal note, my on-the-air time and blogging have been on the light side since the beginning of the year. That final hormone blocker shot that I received in December as part of my treatment for prostate cancer really kicked in and whipped my butt in January and the earlier part of this month.  I hope that none of my male Ham Radio friends ever have to deal with having their testosterone level suppressed. It may be fantastic for your PSA, but it leaves one feeling weak, tired and kind of depressed, as you can't do the things that were so normal to you for all of your life. Again, the closest analogy I can think of is from my childhood comic book days - Superman exposed to Kryptonite.

The good thing is that I can feel myself slowly returning back to some resemblance of normalcy.  I still haven't been participating in the QRP Fox Hunts, which I re-joined last Autumn and now miss so very badly.  I usually hit the sack by around 8:30 PM each day at the latest. There's no way I'm able to stay up to 10:30 PM these days, after a full day of work. But I think that's starting to change. I am going to make a concerted effort to rejoin the Hunts either this coming week or the week after, depending on how I feel. 

If any of you out there ever find yourself under the same circumstance - diagnosed with prostate cancer and in shock from hearing the "C word", and you feel the need to talk with someone who has gone through it and can help tell you what to expect next - please feel free to reach out to me at w2ljqrp@gmail.com. I'm not an authority and I'm certainly not a doctor, but I think I'm pretty much a "usual case". Of course, everyone's experience will be different, but I can tell you some of what to expect, and what I've learned from my journey.

On a different note, looking at the long range forecast for the end of February and into March, it looks like this part of the world will be experiencing temperatures a bit warmer than normal for this time of year. That will mean a warmer basement shack and a more comfortable operating environment. I am looking forward to getting more on the air time ASAP. 

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!