11/29/2004 | KA2IVS Thanks to a VERY understanding XYL, I got a chance to not-so-seriously play with the SS this year. I say not seriously because I run a barefoot FT857 into a 20 meter doublet that's only up 10 feet, and we live down in an RF hole, with a hillside obscuring half of the horizon. The doublet loads up (through a tuner) on 80-6 meters. Like many participants, I found 15 to be the best band, staying open well after dark. Didn't hear much on 10 at all. I guess the MUF never made it that high for my location.

Despite the antenna, I still came away with 72 sections, and missed WAS by 2 states (yup, Hawaii and Alaska). Oddly, Virginia was the last state I worked. All hunt and pounce, I didn't call CQ once. -- KA2IVS