Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Huh?

I saw a post on one of the QRP e-mail reflectors that started off with:

"It is time to part with the best rig I've ever owned."

Huh?

Then I had a "V8 moment" and realized the guy must be going through some hard financial times or something. I mean seriously, unless you HAD to ... who would sell the best rig they've ever owned? If you're a serious operator, your rig becomes an extension of you. Over the years you come to know the "ins and outs", the little idiosyncrasies and all the "neat little cool things" that made that piece of equipment your favorite. Another thought came to mind that maybe he's selling with the hopes of using the money for another rig that might be even better. I guess I'm just a "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" kind of guy. I'd be VERY hard pressed to sell or switch from what I considered to be "the best rig I've ever owned". It would have to be a lead pipe cinch, in my mind.

In another vein, has it been hot here the past few days! We've blown the heat records out of the books here in New Jersey! Ever since Saturday, it has felt more like July than April. What was really interesting was to watch Steve WGØAT's QRPTTF video on YouTube. I was one of the stations that he worked on Saturday. Well, let's put it this way, I didn't get enough of his exchange for me to count it as a valid QSO on my end; but obviously Steve heard enough of my exchange to count me. What floored me was that at the moment he worked me, he had ice coating the multiband coil of his Buddistick, while at the same time I was dying for a cold drink in that hot, sunny park! We blew past the heat record on Sunday by 10 degrees; and I think today was the hottest of the heat wave. Fortunately, the weather is supposed to change tonight with some rain and thnderstorms blowing in. Tomorrow is forecast to not get out of the 60s.

Oh, by the way, the North Dakota QSL card came today - thanks to WØBTW. I have all 50 now and will be assembling a package to send up to the League over this coming weekend; so I can finally have the WAS QRP CW certificate to frame and hang on the wall. I'll hang it next to my first WAS certificate that I earned (mixed) as N2ELW so may moons ago. You know, back then, if you told me that I'd do WAS again someday with only 5 Watts of power, I probably would have looked at you like you had two heads!

73 de Larry W2LJ

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous11:20 PM

    I subscribe to Steve's U-tube offerings. Possibly the most enjoyable ham radio videos on the net...though there are a lot from other hams that are also quite good. Had a QSO once with him. Not portable but from his home QTH. He was running 10 watts. Think it was the IC-703. I was 10 watts from my antique TS-130V. Sure wish he returned my card but he must get a zillion of them.

    73 N2UGB

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