06/27/2004 | N8XMS This was my first attempt at an individual field day effort and I only had four hours - including setup and takedown. I used a little Wilderness Radio SST-40 and an inverted-v dipole fed with TV type ribbon line through a NorCal BLT tuner. A mini keyer/paddle and earbuds completed the equipment list. Power was provided by eight AA batteries and produced about one watt of output. I sure didn't set any records but QSO's came at a fairly steady rate and I had a lot of fun. My most exciting moment actually came from my first contact. It was with W0MA, the Boeing Employee's ARS, and that's the call that my grandfather held before he became a silent key several years ago! -- N8XMS