Thanksgiving 2020

 Once again, here in the States United, it is Thanksgiving Day, a day set aside to do as the name implies - give thanks. It's been a crazy, insane year. If one wanted to, one could just concentrate on all of that and end up being quite discontent. That would just be a continuation of the insanity.

Instead, I choose to concentrate on the good stuff, the stuff I am most grateful for.

Family - my awesome wife Marianne, my wonderful kids Joseph and Cara. I have a fantastic sister, two rockin' brothers-in-law, a great sister-in-law, and a top notch nephew. There are more cousins than I can count and there are so many friends. Friends I see all the time and so many friends I have never seen face to face but still hold their friendship close to my heart. And of course, there are you dear readers, who I am so grateful for and also hold closely. Thank you for being here - and joining me in these Amateur Radio adventures.

We have a warm home, food to eat, cars to get us where we need to be. None of it is fancy or exorbitant by any stretch of the imagination, but we are quite fortunate to have what we have. Marianne and I are still both working - and even though our jobs often exceed our Daily Recommended Allowance for stress - we are thankful for them.

Our health is relatively good - we have the every day aches and pains of growing older, and that's okay.

In all, God has blessed us with so much and He has been more generous and gracious to me than I rightly deserve. Thank You, Lord ....... for everything!

So let me take this opportunity to wish all of you - no matter where you live on this blue marble that we call home a Very Happy Thanksgiving Day. May the Lord be with all of you always and continue to shower His blessings upon you.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Windy!

Sunday night we had a cold front come through. We had a severe thunderstorm watch in effect until 8:45 PM but none materialized. We did get some, brief heavy rain. The major effect was gusty winds. It was windy all night and you could hear it howling past the second floor windows of our house. When I awoke in the morning, my weather station informed me that we had some gusts between 25 and 30 MPH.

Good test for new mast for the W3EDP.  It did not come down - the mast or the antenna.

BUT ......... there's always a "but", isn't there?

When I let Harold out of the house Monday morning to do what dogs do, I noticed the wire was lower than where I had left it Sunday afternoon. In anticipation of putting another mast section up next weekend, I did not attach the anchor end of the antenna rope to the fence on the opposite side of the lawn securely enough. Well, actually I did as the wire didn't come totally loose to the point of laying down on the ground. A hastily tied secondary knot intended to take up some anchor rope slack slipped and the wire is now drooping. In fact, the wind blew the wire downward onto the roof of the addition at the back of the house where it snagged on a shingle edge. Drat!

This happened once before when the antenna was up in Ol' Mapley and a limb snapped causing the wire to "free up" from a meandering route amongst twigs and branches a bit.  I will do what I did last time (quite successfully). I will use the Jackite as my extended hand and I will gently move the wire away from the shingle, up over a small vent pipe and back up into free space - all without my feet leaving good Ol' Mom Earth.

Did I ever mention how deathly phobic I am of ladders?  Great for being a Ham, huh?  I fell off the top of a 6 foot ladder back when I was in 2nd Grade. That experience left me avoiding ladders like the plague if at all possible. My palms get sweaty just thinking about them. I will climb one if it's absolutely necessary. It's not something that's near and dear to my heart, though.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Back in business!

 

The rain held off! The day started off sunny in the very early morning, but by lunchtime it had become very overcast. Fortunately there was no rain. It was a bit breezy, but that didn't interfere with getting the W3EDP resurrected.

I ended up using 5 mast sections and the apex is up at about 25 feet right now. I may add another section next weekend, which would bring the apex up to about 30 feet, I haven't definitely decided on that.

As you can see, the mast is secured to a chain link fence post. I don't want my neighbors (who are really super people) getting upset as the antenna is no longer really stealthy. So I'm going to go at this slowly for now.

After hooking the W3EDP back up to the KX3, it was like old times, The KX3 was still able to match it on all bands within seconds. It is very enjoyable and very reassuring to have my wire antenna back.

I was going to give it a re-inaugural workout in the Flying Pigs Run For The Bacon tonight, but I am sitting in front of the TV which is tuned to NASA TV.  The launch of the Falcon 9 space vehicle has my full attention.  Well almost _ I am writing this as I watch.

I did have a nice rag chew with WB9ICH on 30 Meters this afternoon. It was a "Larry to Larry" QSO, which is always neat. I guess those of you out there with more common names run into that a lot more than I do.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

This is all that left of Ol' Mapley

 

Just a stump of its former self.

From what I understand, the tree was infested with ants, carpenter and other kinds. The arborist said it was only a matter of time before the tree either died, or succumbed to a wind storm. You can see the HF9V coax in the photo. It was kind of like a "belt" around the trunk. Now I'll have to coil it up and hang it from the fence.

I did not get the chance to re-install the W3EDP due to some frustrating reasons that I'd rather not go into here. Suffice it to say, a good part of my day got eaten up by doing something I hate doing - waiting in line. When I got home, I had to run some garden fencing across the gap left by the missing trunk, so Harold, our Beagle, won't be able wander into the neighbor's yard. After that, I bagged seven bags of leaves in the front yard that fell during a two day rain storm, Thursday and Friday.

Tomorrow WAS supposed to be sunny, but now the forecast has changed to rain. Maybe, just maybe I can get something done with the W3EDP before the rain starts in the afternoon. We'll see. I did attach the bottom mast piece to one of the chain link fence posts with about a bajillion cable ties. I manhandled it to see if it would move or shift around. That bottom section is going NOWHERE.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Fox hunting

 The 2020 - 2021 QRP Fox Hunt season began this week. Tuesday evening was the 40 Meter Hunt, and I was not able to hear either Fox. I'm not sure if it was because of bad propagation; or that my noise level on 40 Meters seemed to be through the roof, for some reason.

I fared much better last night during the 80 Meter Hunt. I worked Jim N0UR in Minnesota only 8 minutes into the game. Steve WX2S was another matter. Being only some 20 miles from me, one might think he'd be a cinch via groundwave, right? It ended up that I didn't work him until about the "twenty minute to go" mark, when he switched from split to simplex operating. It was only then that I was able to catch his attention - most likely because the other Hounds didn't notice the change and were still calling 1 kHz up.

In all, I was pleased with the performance of the HF9V on 80 Meters. I'm still waiting for my neighbor's cousin's tree service to come and take down Ol' Mapley.  What was that commercial from the 70s? "Any day now .... any day now." I think I'll be putting my W3EDP back up in the snow.

This weekend is the SKCC Weekend Sprint. I'll try and get on and work a few more as I make my way towards Tribune status. 

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Election night 2020

 I guess just everybody around the globe knows that the US Presidential Election is today. I feel really strongly about this and want to share this - because I feel it's important.

No matter what happens today - no matter who wins this election - the sun will rise tomorrow, the earth will keep spinning. There's more to life than politics. Take time to smell the flowers, enjoy sunrises and sunsets, talk with friends, share time with family. Pet your dog or cat. Get on the radio! Live again ........ and the best part of all? NO MORE POLITICAL COMMERCIALS! (At least for now).

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Going back to basics - and purer QRP operating.

 I noticed something Friday night during the Zombie Shuffle.

I decided to unhook the HF9V from the KXPA100 and connect it directly to the KX3. After all, it was a QRP event and anything over 5 Watts wasn't kosher - so what did I need the amp for? Signals were noticeably louder and again, there was noticeably less background  noise on 40 Meters. This, even though the KXPA100 was being totally bypassed.

I am not getting rid of the KXPA100 by any stretch of the imagination - so any of you who might be out there and are hot for one - don't start salivating. But I am going to take it out of line for the time being and will use it only if I need to work an ATNO DX entity or a special Special Event Station - where QRP just doesn't seem to be getting through. I mean, that's the only reason I got it, anyway. It's easy enough to put back in line in less than a minute, if need be. Just move both the computer cable back and antenna connections back to the amp - that's it ..... easy peasy.

Moving the USB cable from the back of the KXPA100 directly to the KX3, allows my logging program to still recognizes what frequency I am on.  Isn't that something? I guess I've gotten so lazy that I prefer the radio telling the computer what band and frequency I'm on rather than typing it in! LOL! And I remember the days when there was ONLY paper logging. How spoiled I've become!

I plan to purchase a DAIWA antenna switch so that I can still choose between the HF9V and the W3EDP (whenever I get THAT back up). I have an MFJ switch ..... but it leaves a lot to be desired. Strangely, it's the only MFJ product I've ever purchased that I was not satisfied with, 

Unfortunately, ANT1 and ANT2 function on the KX3 doesn't work without the amp, but that's a convenience I can learn to live without. I guess the extra relays and antenna jumper connections do make a difference, especially when you're dealing with receiving less than 20 over 9 signals. The purer the connection, the better.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP  - When you care to send the very least!

Guest operator

I had a guest in the shack last night for the Zombie Shuffle

Bonesy and I had a good time last night. I had a bit of trepidation of having only the vertical as my antenna weapon of choice, but it turned out to be less of a hindrance than I thought. In all, I worked 11 stations, three of which were bonus stations. 

80 Meters turned out to be the money band. I had a few QSOs on 40 Meters, but most were accomplished on 80 Meters. I listened on 20 Meters for a few minutes, only to hear a few ESP signals. I quickly decided to not waste any time there. Where signals were good, QSB was BAD last night. Several signals that started out at close to 599 would disappear in seconds. It made for quite the challenging, but fun evening.

I had planned to stay on longer than I did, but around 8:30 PM local time, somebody in the neighborhood turned something "on" and my noise level rose to over S9. So I shut it down for the night and headed upstairs to catch a bit of TV before bed.

Not my best outing by any means, but as hideous as band conditions have been for the longest while, I was pleasantly surprised. Kudos and thanks to Paul NA5N and his wife Jan N0QT for another SPOOKtacular event - it was a ton of fun and is one of the hallmarks of the QRP year.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Zombie Shuffle is tonight!

 

And here are some updates from Paul, NA5N:

The 2020 23rd annual QRP Zombie Shuffle is almost upon us.

Friday, October 30, 2020, 1600-midnight your local time

Rules: http://www.zianet.com/qrp/ZOMBIE/pg.htm

The Zombie Shuffle past 3 years has been met with awful bands, solar flux  only 62-65 and Kp 3-4 noise.  Yuck.

GOOD NEWS

The sun is slowly waking up for our next solar cycle with some improvements seen on the bands.  Today, and tomorrow for the Shuffle, the solar flux will be 88 and the Kp index only 1-2 for hopefully better bands and propagation than the past few years.  So, get on the air.

BONUS STATIONS

Quite a few stations volunteered to be Bonus Stations, and a few were invited.  Thanks to all.  I tried to distribute the Bonus Stations in different areas across the country, including "out west," for better variety and to help improve your SPC count.  A bonus station will send "2020" for their Zombie number, which in itself is like bonus points, plus their bonus station multiplier.  Most Bonus stations will also send some goofy or scary name of their choice for an extra measure of Zombie fun.   Some of the names chosen are quite interesting and unique, so copy the OP name carefully.

Below is a list of the Bonus stations and the SPC to help you find them:

AR      WA5BDU

CA      KE1B

GA      K4BAI

IA      WØPWE

ID      KU7Y

ID      K7TQ

IN      AB9CA

MA      KE1L

MD      W3KC

NE      N5SEZ

NM      NA5N

NM      K8TE   (Note 1)

ONT     VE3MGY (Note 2)

PA      K3SWZ

PA      W3BQC  (Note 3)

TN      AC6ZM

TX      WB6BKL

WA      WU7H

WA      NB5M

Note 1: K8TE is the New Mexico ARRL Section Manager, who requested a Zombie number to participate.  He will be QRP.

Note 2: Last year's top scorer and official "MGY" (Titanic) station

Note 3: Club station, WA3WSJ OP, Boschveldt, PA QRP Club

If you've been QRT during the solar minimum, or a bit rusty or new to CW, the QRP Zombie Shuffle is for you.  Code speeds are modest around 18wpm, but Zombies will slow to your speed (QRS) if needed.  Very informal to make some QSOs regardless of your operating skills and to have some on-the-air fun.  Notice the scoring, the sum of all the Zombie numbers you work, is based more on serendipity than skill.

Hope to work many of you. Don't forget to snap a photo or selfie to submit.

72, Paul NA5N

Socorro, NM

Zombie name: "Kilroy" as in "Kilroy was here"

              https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilroy_was_here

Rig: Ten Tec Argo at 5W

Ant: 5BTV vertical, 36 radials, or 130 ft. long terminated folded dipole

Key: 1938 McElroy bug, weighted to 16 wpm.

Thanks for organizing this for yet another year, Paul! I hope to hear a lot of you on the air tonight as well. I am down to just the HF9V for the evening. Ol' Mapley is still not down, it's been quite the wet week here in Central New Jersey.

72 de Larry W2LJ - Zombie # 858

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Eureka!

 While cleaning out the shack on Sunday, I found some treasure buried in a corner. I had forgotten that I still have about eight of these (just like in the photo):

The photo is from eBay, mine were purchased at the Sussex Hamfest years ago.  I still have these safely tucked away in the basement and they will provide the solution to raising the W3EDP again, once the Ol' Mapley is gone.

I have aluminum ones holding up my weather station and the VHF-UHF J-Pole as well as serving as the mast for the FAR end of the W3EDP. I have no doubt that the remaining sections that I have will also do a great job supporting a wire that weighs next to nothing. I'll strap one to one of the chain link fence posts with a gazillion cable ties and that will in turn support its brethren and the W3EDP. 

Actually, this is not so much a support as much as it is a pivot point. The wire leaves the house, goes to the mid support (which is a dog bone insulator tied in place on one end with dacron rope - the wire goes through the other hole) and routes the wire to the right roughly about  70 - 80 degrees to the end support mast. I should only lose a few feet in height from where the W3EDP was at in the tree.

Money saved ....... a good thing!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

I am officially W3EDP-less.

 The W3EDP came down this morning. It was a little more difficult than I had thought it would be. It was really up there! Unless the entire tree came down that wire wasn't coning down on its own.

I began by undoing where the balun was hanging by the house. That was easy enough. Then I loosened the anchor point at the other end. Lastly, I untied the center support that was holding the wire in the tree. I thought once I loosened that, it would just fall to the earth. 

That didn't happen.

The dacron rope must be wrapped around some limb pretty well. It came down some, but not nearly enough. I ended up pulling the wire through that dogbone insulator that was up there and got it down that way. The center insulator and rope that are still up there are disposable as far as I'm concerned

Now I'm looking at masts to take  the place of the tree once it's down. Perhaps something from DX Engineering or perhaps the MFJ-1904. It doesn't have to be super heavy duty - it just needs to hold an insulator so I can "right angle" the wire to the other side of the back yard.

After that was done,  I straightened out the shack, which is something I've been meaning to do for a while.  I got rid of the large garbage bags of "crap", and got things organized and stowed away. 

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP = When you care to send the very least!

Saying goodbye to an old friend

 

It's time to say goodbye to the maple tree in the back yard - my trusty antenna support over the last 22 years. My neighbor came by today to tell me that his cousin, who has a tree service business will be by sometime this week to take it down.

Unfortunately, it's time. The trunk has carpenter ant damage and the tree is not the most healthy. The trunk is hollow in places and were we to get another Sandy type of storm, it would most definitely go horizontal. So tomorrow, the W3EDP will come down as well as the VHF/UHF J-pole, so that will not get damaged when the crane is moved into my neighbor's driveway.

Once the tree is down, some sort of mast will go up in that corner of the back yard to take place of Ol' Mapley.  For the foreseeable future, I will have only the Butternut HF9V and perhaps the AlexLoop for the time being.

Good bye, ol' friend - thanks for holding up my wire antennas!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

This is the stuff I dream of

 A good Amateur Radio friend, Marc W4MPS recently activated a POTA site. Here's a video he published:

Wow! What a beautiful setting! And beside the superb radio operating by Marc, how about that dronesmanship? Eh? Don't those aerial views just add to the beauty of it all?

I would love to travel out West and activate parks like this. Being able to take in the natural beauty of God's creation AND have fun on the radio at the same time - what could possibly be better than that!

This reminds me of another time and another place in a totally different circumstance. Marc helped the South Plainfield Amateur Radio Club activate our local Spring Lake Park back in 2015 for Field Day. Marc was in New Jersey visiting his daughter and he stopped by to give our  CW effort some much needed assistance. The view was nowhere as spectacular and the weather left a lot to be desired.

You can see by the jackets and ponchos being worn that the weather was less than deluxe for that Field Day. Actually, after it was over, we all wondered how it was that none of us came down with pneumonia. It was chilly for late June, and very damp and wet. The funny thing was, that after Field Day weekend, that year we did not get another wet weekend until well into Autumn!

Thanks, Marc, for sharing your video. Make sure to take us along on any further adventures!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Making a comeback?

 The "Run for the Bacon" Sprints, a monthly event held on the 3rd Sunday of the month, and sponsored by the Flying Pigs Amateur Radio Club Inc, have been on the contest scene for years. But like a lot of things over the years, participation has dwindled.

In an effort to correct that course, the Sprint time has changed to a little bit earlier start as a means to increase participation. For example, on the East Coast, the old time was from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM local time. For someone who has to get up early to go to work the next day, that's a big hurdle.

The time has been changed - to a start a couple hours earlier. In my case, it's now from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM, much more appealing. In fact, the RFTB is occurring tonight and I just may jump into the fray. It's getting darker earlier so contacts on 80 Meters should be a real possibility.

For the details, please visit - http://qrpcontest.com/pigrun/

Hope to hear you on the air tonight!

73 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

This is how Autumn should be!

 http://www.w1pid.com/20/knox/knox.html

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

A good friend - now an SK.

I found out from my good friend Bob W3BBO that a mutual friend of ours, Rich Alderiso AA2KS had become a Silent Key this past July.

I first met Rich when I became a member of the Piscataway Amateur Radio Club. His call sign was AA2KS, he lived in North Edison and he ran (with his brother) a wholesale produce business out of Newark.

The love of his life was his wife Patty. When our group of friends decided to make the trip to Dayton in 1994, we concocted our plans over an amazing Italian dinner at Richie's house. Patty was an awesome cook and we enjoyed our planning sessions as much as we enjoyed the trip to Dayton itself.

Through PARC, we embarked on several special events together. Rich was a participant in trips to the Edison Memorial, the Twin Lighthouses at the Atlantic Highlands and to Long Valley, NJ to activate a special Halloween event for "The Ghost of Long Valley".

Our trip to Dayton in 1994 was taken in Richie's brand new Cadillac; and we'll never forget how he made us wipe our shoes off with a towel before we were allowed to get in.

Field Days were not complete without Richie' presence. He always arrived early with something from his business in his trunk. Whether it was a load of fresh peaches, or fresh watermelons, he always helped to make PARC Field Days extra special.

Richie was multi-talented and Amateur Radio was not his only hobby. He was also a builder of musical instruments (cellos) and he was also into clock making. Eventually, Richie and Pat moved from Edison down to the Jersey Shore to be closer to his daughters - and that's where we lost touch.

It saddens me that another Ham Radio acquaintance has passed on. I'll always remember Richie for his quick smile, the way he could crack a joke, for his friendship and his hospitality.

God bless you, Richard - may you have nothing but good propagation up there in the Big Ham Shack in the sky. You will be missed - it was a pleasure and honor to have known you.

72 de Larry W2LLJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Propagation is a fickle thing.

Yesterday, and again this morning, I have been trying to work my friend Bob W3BBO in the Pennsylvania QSO Party. You would think that between Erie, PA and Central NJ, either 40 Meters or 80 Meters would be a sure thing, right?

Nope.

I keep Bob's call listed in HamAlert so I know that when he's on. He was spotted multiple times on 40 Meters yesterday and 80 Meters AND 40 Meters this morning. Every time I run downstairs when I get notice of a spot, I tune on or close to the frequency that he's been spotted on - nothing. Can't hear a peep. I'll betcha a dollar to a donut that were he to switch to 20 Meters, somehow I'd be able to hear him - which goes against all logic as far as I'm concerned.

While listening for Bob, I was hearing a lot of SKCC stations on the air. I am guessing that this week is the SKCC Weekend Sprint. I'll have to dust off the ol' bug and practice with it, off the air, and maybe join in and work a few next month. I would try today, but straight key sending is holy terror on my wrist and my bug sending would send folks running for the hills swearing to "Never work that W2LJ guy again!"

Speaking of upcoming events, this made it to QRP-L this past week. Notice of the 2020 Zombie Shuffle:

Zombies and Zombettes:

That time of the year again.  The 23rd Annual Zombie Shuffle QRP whatever-it-is will be held Friday, October 30, 2020 from 1600 to midnight YOUR LOCAL TIME.  This should allow for a little 20M at the beginning before forced to 40 or 80M.

Rules are here: http://www.zianet.com/qrp/ZOMBIE/pg.htm

Pretty much the same ole malarky QRP fun that is senseless and pointless with ridiculous scoring for getting on the air and working a few fellow QRP Zombies.

Bonus stations this year will be sending "2020" as their Zombie Number for an even bigger score and additional multipliers.  We'd like to see Bonus Stations in the East, Midwest, West and VE.  So, if you're planning on operating for an hour or two and want to be one of the coveted Bonus Stations, please let me know (na5n@zianet.com).

If you've never participated in the Zombie Shuffle, give it a try.  Just some silly Halloween fun to work some fellow QRP stations.  Not a high speed QRQ contest; stations will match your speed if you're a bit rusty or new to CW.

We'll never have a more Zombie year than 2020!!! :-(

72, Paul NA5N

Grand Zombie #004/2020

AIN'T THAT THE TRUTH !!!!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least

Two biggies this weekend

 that mark the end of the outdoor QRP Sprint season for 2020.

Leaf Peepers Sprint - this Saturday, October 3rd

This is a relatively new one. hosted by Tim Carter W3ATB - click on the link for the details.If you don't have a Leaf Peeper number, there's still time to get one.

Peanut Power Sprint - this Sunday, October 4th

This is also relatively new, maybe a year or two older than the Leaf Peeper Sprint - this one hosted by my friends in the NoGA QRP group - one of the finest bunch of guys on this good ol' Earth. You can also click on the name for the details on this one. Same as with the Leaf Peepers, if you don't have a Peanut number, there's still time!

The Peanut Power Sprint is a tad different than other QRP Sprints as there is actually a QRO category, so ALL are welcome to participate in this one.

I have enjoyed operating in both of these fine Sprints in the past - and they are both tons of fun and are both a credit to the QRP Outdoor Operating Event Season. However, this weekend is my wedding anniversary weekend - so if I hope to continue to operate in Sprints in the future, I will most likely take a pass on these, this year. LOL!

I sincerely hope that wherever you find yourself this weekend, the weather will be good and that you'll get the chance to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine behind a key or mic before the cold weather comes around to hang with us for a while.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

So ..... what's next?

 Now that the Skeeter Hunt Soapbox is done - what's next?

Fortunately, lots of things!

Two more outdoor QRP events are on the horizon, Tim W3ATB's Leaf Peeper Sprint and NoGa QRP's Peanut Power sprint. Those two events will round out the 2020 "organized" QRP outdoor operating event season. Of course, if the weather is nice, there's nothing to stop just about anyone from organizing their own "Parkpedition" (terminology originated by K3WWP).

For W2LJ, the Skeeter Hunt certificates remain a chore to be dealt with. I think those will have to wait until the last lawn mow is done for the season. With "Darkness, my old friend" (sorry, Simon and Garfunkle) arriving earlier and earlier each day, I have to do the yardwork on weekend days now. That means the certificate printing, envelope stuffing and mailing will probably be done towards late October.

Also my QCX+ 20 Meter rig is sitting in the box waiting to be opened, inventoried and built. I am DETERMINED not to screw this one up! My confidence was shaken a bit with my failure on the QCX 40; but a little self pep talk seems to have taken care of that. Advancing age may be beginning to take its toll; but I do have 40+ years of experience as a Ham and 20+ years of experience of doing component level circuit board repairs under my belt. I can't let one SNAFU deter me.

Speaking of late October, the annual Zombie Shuffle is probably only a month or so away. That's always a popular event; and now that I'm no longer secretary of the ETS of NJ club, I will participate this year. Even though our meetings are now being held on the repeater due to social distancing requirements, they always seem to occur on the same Friday as the Shuffle.

I missed participating in QRP Afield this year and that was a personal bummer. I went for my annual physical on Saturday and at the same time received my annual flu shot. For some reason, the flu shot really kicked my butt this year - for the very first time, I might add. The arm in which I received the shot was sore all day, and it was almost like I was given a sedative. I ended up napping most of the afternoon away. That was really a shame as the weather was absolutely splendid and operating "portable" from the back yard would have been a real treat.

I also found out on Saturday that it was the day of the NJ QSO Party. Our ARRL Section Manager sent out an e-mail reminding us all, that day. IMHO, that needs to change. Better publicity and reminders, sent multiple times before the event will encourage and increase participation. The life of the average Ham is a busy one, with chores and family and other obligations to be considered. I have found that, not only for myself but also from others, that planning to be available for events like these needs to be taken care of well in advance of the event day.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

2020 NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Soapbox has been published!

 You can see all the comments of your fellow Skeeter Hunters!

You can go to the Official NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Webpage and scroll to the bottom for the links. Or ...

Soapbox Page 1 is here https://www.qsl.net/w2lj/index%20page%2016

Soapbox Page 2 is here https://www.qsl.net/w2lj/index%20page%2017

Soapbox Page 3 is here https://www.qsl.net/w2lj/index%20page%2018

Once again, thanks to all of you out there who participated and continue to participate from year to year. YOU make the NJQRP Skeeter Hunt the success that it is. Without you, it would be four hours of dead air.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!