11/28/2006 | W3VR Things started off badly in 2006, my first solo SS after many years of club multi op participation and the first under my new call sign. Murphy paid me an early visit...

The night before, I decided to check everything so that I would be ready and could take it easy the next day. So after checking the rig, the audio levels and tuner settings, I did a reboot of my contest computer to make sure the OS was clean. I usually leave it on all the time, but sometimes some software leave bits of themselves and mucks up the memory. So, to make sure I had no memory leak issues, I rebooted.

The computer disk drive crashed upon the reboot! I could not recover it! It was dead! Glad it happened then and not in the middle of the game!

Put a new drive in and reinstalled the OS, all the software and N1MMlogger Saturday morning. I lost all my voice keyer messages and foot switch S&P countdown clock timer system, so I had to go 100% "live voice" and timing unassisted for my S&P time budget.

Things got better, though... 15 and 20 were hot. 10 was a no show, heard just one signal there from SCV, and couldnt work him. I held my own on 80 and 40, but 100w to a wire doesnt go far there... Missed 3 sections, BC, NL and NWT. HI, PR and VI amazingly easy on 15. HI called *ME* during a run! Hellacious pileup for AK on 20, where I worked NL7V, who spent literally HOURS on 14.277... I know, I checked the pileup often!

I had a wonderful time! My "unintended classic station" consisting of a 1985 TS430S, a 1979 TH3JR, a dual band dipole with 1978 traps all held up by a 1967 EZ-Way tower exceeded my expectations! I am thrilled at my score for the 18 hours invested, best I have ever personally done. I was able to hold frequencies on 20 for over 45 minutes multiple times with a 3-4 Qs per minute rate with this rig! Must be the LMR400 coax! Its the only new thing in the system!

Cool things: Short Callsigns!!! Being able to hold a frequency and run multiple stations. Materva and Plantain Chips, which sure beat Coke and Potato Chips for mellow alertness (Its a Hispanic thing)! My new audio mixer which allows me to EQ my microphone and do pseudo stereo on receive.

Uncool things: Wide, mushy, bassy audio... Misadjusted amps that splatter... The "Pig Farmer" on 14.275 running multiple kilowatts to talk across the street, who fired up and told me that he didnt care if I was there and wanted to finish my QSO before I relinquished the frequency. His quote: "Too bad, this frequency is mine every Sunday at 2, contester, now go away!". This gentleman has fun by recording contest station exchanges and playing them back to unsuspecting stations.

But the best thing was the courtesy displayed by several operators (you know who you are!) in letting me work mults on THEIR run frequency! This happened at least three times. This was classy and is in the best spirit of the Amateur Radio "fraternity". There is hope yet!

I found out that my stamina is not what it used to be, age really does make a difference! Looking forward to the next one! -lu- -- W3VR