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MY PERMIT WAS THAT I WAS NOT TO LEAVE ANYTHING UNATTENDED OVERNIGHT.  I
HAULED EVERYTHING BACK TO BASE CAMP AND COLLAPSED ONTO THE AIR MATTRESS FOR
THE NIGHT.  DAY 2, JUNE 15 IT HAD BEEN TOO HOT TO SLEEP COMFORTABLY.  I WAS
AWAKE AT 630 AM AND MANAGED TO NAP UNTIL 9.  AT 11 I WAS GLAD TO GET ON THE
FERRY AND HAVE LUNCH IN THE AIR CONDITIONED CABIN.  SEMI REFRESHED, I
HAULED MY GEAR BACK TO THE NORTH COALING DOCKS AND OPERATED.  DAY 3, JUNE
16 I WENT SNORKELING IN THE MORNING, AND

AT WWW. RSGBIOTA. ORG. ED., AND OTHER SUCH THINGS THAT I HAD NO KNOWLEDGE
OF, I REALIZED THAT I NEEDED TO STUDY UP AND THAT ID NEED TO POSTPONE AND
RETHINK MY GUERRILLA PORTABLE TRIP.  GRID CHASERS, ISLAND CHASERS MY STUDY
BEGAN WITH THE FRED FISH MEMORIAL AWARD, OR FFMA.  FRED FISH, W5FF SK, WAS
THE FIRST AMATEUR TO WORK AND CONFIRM 6 METER CONTACTS TO ALL 488
MAIDENHEAD GRID SQUARES SEE THE SIDEBAR, THE MAIDENHEAD LOCATOR SYSTEM IN
THE 48 CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES.  THE FFMA IS GIVEN TO HAMS WHO ACCOMPLISH
THE SAME THING.  I COULDNT SEE MYSELF CHASING GRIDS, BUT THE IDEA OF
PROVIDING A RARE GRID TO OTHER HAMS WAS ENTICING.  CLEARLY, IT WOULD BE A
WASTE TO GO ALL THE WAY TO DRY TORTUGAS WITH A RANDOM BAND PLAN AND AN
AVERAGE ANTENNA, SO I BEGAN RESEARCH FOR AN OFF GRID STATION FOR 6 METERS
AND OTHER HAM BANDS.  CHOOSING COMPACT GEAR THATS RIGHT, OFF GRID.  THERES
NOTHING AT GARDEN KEY.  YOU EVEN HAVE TO BRING YOUR OWN WATER.  PACKING IT
ALL IN WOULD BE A CHALLENGE.  BECAUSE OF THAT, I KNEW MY ANTENNA WOULD HAVE
TO BE LIGHTWEIGHT AND BREAK DOWN TO LESS THAN 48 INCHES A NUMBER I DECIDED
ON AS SIMPLY BEING EASY TO HANDLE, GIVEN THAT I HAD TO BRING A NUMBER OF

SINGLE OPERATOR PORTABLE IN THE DRY TORTUGAS  A 3 DAY HOLIDAY STYLE
OPERATION IN RARE GRID EL84, GARDEN KEY, FLORIDA.  DAN PASSARO, AK4PX  IN
SPRING 2014, I GOT THE IDEA OF OPERATING GUERRILLA PORTABLE ON A DESERTED
ISLAND.  I WANTED TO BRING A BATTERY AND SOLAR ARRAY, SET UP A STEALTH
ANTENNA, SLEEP UNDER THE STARS, AND CATCH FISH WITH MY BARE HANDS.  DRY
TORTUGAS, A NATIONAL PARK 67 MILES WEST OF KEY WEST, FLORIDA, WITH A LIVE
IN STAFF OF RANGERS AND DAILY FERRY SERVICE, SEEMED LIKE A NATURAL
DESTINATION, GIVEN THAT I LIVED IN MIAMI, FLORIDA ONLY 3 1/2 HOURS FROM KEY
WEST.  HOWEVER, JUST ONE MENTION OF THE TRIP ON AN ONLINE FORUM GENERATED A
RESPONSE THAT RUINED MY DREAM OF JUST SITTING ON THE BEACH WITH A COLD
DRINK IN ONE HAND AND A MICROPHONE IN THE OTHER.  UPON HEARING THAT I WAS
PLANNING TO GO TO DRY TORTUGAS, HANK ELLIS, K5HDE, WROTE YOULL BE IN GRID
EL84, WHICH IS ONE OF THE MOST WANTED GRIDS FOR THOSE CHASING THE FRED FISH
MEMORIAL AWARD FFMA AND VUCC.  PEOPLE WILL BE CHAMPING AT THE BIT TO ADD
THAT GRID TO THEIR LIST.  IM A RATHER NEW HAM, HAVING GOTTEN MY CALL IN
JANUARY 2012, SO WHEN PEOPLE STARTED RESPONDING TO THE POST, TALKING ABOUT
FFMA, IOTA THE ISLANDS ON THE AIR IOTA PROGRAM, ADMINISTERED BY THE RADIO
SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN RSGB, IS WHERE HAMS CAN EARN AWARDS BY OPERATING
FROM, OR CONTACTING, CERTAIN APPROVED ISLANDS AROUND THE WORLD.  LEARN MORE
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