2002 ARRL Field Day
06/29/2002 |
K3FT
Entered 2002 as K3FT/3, 1A-commercial from New Windsor, MD (Carroll County, MD)
After having done FD since 1966 (66-67 as helper/observer/unlicensed) and 68 onward
as licensed ham) I've always been with a group. After all these years
decided to do a sole-op, low power, low-stress, low-hassle, low-key, easy-up/easy-down
effort.
Found a small outbuilding in Carroll County, set up my TS440SAT, a trapped
vertical, an old DOS computer running CT, and me. Basic food/drink consisted of
Cheez-its - a standard contest (err... operating event ) food and
some drinks.
In summary - FD was a blast. Most fun I've had in years! Managed to
pull off 1109 Q's as a 1A commercial using CW and low power.
Weather was great - a tad warm (but when isn't it warm in June in Maryland!)
No Murphy.. no critter attacks.. no rain or wetstuff! (Made me wonder just WHERE
Murphy was!! He ALWAYS shows up.. but this year.. he was invisible!
NOT COMPLAINING! Just curious! Hi!
Highlights? Being able to hold a busy low end 40M CW frequency for hours between
Saturday evening and Sunday AM even against the high power ops from the Northeast and
Midwest.
Working some of my 'FT' suffix counterparts - W3FT and W8FT.
Humourus thing was (once again as it is every year!)
Having FD 'SEX' FD without 'SEX' is like DXpeditions without pileups!
Early Saturday worked W2SEX and that was followed by W4SEX. However, an expected
QSO with VE2SEX did not appear. Anyone know if they were on this year?
Weirdest thing about FD? A 'ZEN-LIKE' occurence. I had heard...
from other CW ops.. that there were times that CW ops could copy people,
log em, handle traffic, and transmit info back without having any concious
awareness of it happening to them. I had never had it happen to me until
2002!
I had been awake since 0500 Saturday with only about 3 hours of sleep
since 0600 Friday. About 0300 Sunday morning I was running stations hot and heavy on 40. My mind began to 'lose lock' and 'zone
out' from concious copying and the like. I felt as if I was
asleep, yet somehow I knew I was awake. (Recall came later after I had
about 1 hour of rest and the clarity and accuracy of the recall is
amazing!)
I recall being actually 'off-line' in so far as conciously operating. Yet.. I
worked people, I logged 'em.. I responded back to them.. I called CQ and made
QSO'S! Very very weird!
Anyone else ever experience this kind of phenomenon? I guess it
proves that I am truly and forever a CW op.
vy 73
Chuck K3FT
C U 2003!
-- K3FT
After having done FD since 1966 (66-67 as helper/observer/unlicensed) and 68 onward
as licensed ham) I've always been with a group. After all these years
decided to do a sole-op, low power, low-stress, low-hassle, low-key, easy-up/easy-down
effort.
Found a small outbuilding in Carroll County, set up my TS440SAT, a trapped
vertical, an old DOS computer running CT, and me. Basic food/drink consisted of
Cheez-its - a standard contest (err... operating event ) food and
some drinks.
In summary - FD was a blast. Most fun I've had in years! Managed to
pull off 1109 Q's as a 1A commercial using CW and low power.
Weather was great - a tad warm (but when isn't it warm in June in Maryland!)
No Murphy.. no critter attacks.. no rain or wetstuff! (Made me wonder just WHERE
Murphy was!! He ALWAYS shows up.. but this year.. he was invisible!
NOT COMPLAINING! Just curious! Hi!
Highlights? Being able to hold a busy low end 40M CW frequency for hours between
Saturday evening and Sunday AM even against the high power ops from the Northeast and
Midwest.
Working some of my 'FT' suffix counterparts - W3FT and W8FT.
Humourus thing was (once again as it is every year!)
Having FD 'SEX' FD without 'SEX' is like DXpeditions without pileups!
Early Saturday worked W2SEX and that was followed by W4SEX. However, an expected
QSO with VE2SEX did not appear. Anyone know if they were on this year?
Weirdest thing about FD? A 'ZEN-LIKE' occurence. I had heard...
from other CW ops.. that there were times that CW ops could copy people,
log em, handle traffic, and transmit info back without having any concious
awareness of it happening to them. I had never had it happen to me until
2002!
I had been awake since 0500 Saturday with only about 3 hours of sleep
since 0600 Friday. About 0300 Sunday morning I was running stations hot and heavy on 40. My mind began to 'lose lock' and 'zone
out' from concious copying and the like. I felt as if I was
asleep, yet somehow I knew I was awake. (Recall came later after I had
about 1 hour of rest and the clarity and accuracy of the recall is
amazing!)
I recall being actually 'off-line' in so far as conciously operating. Yet.. I
worked people, I logged 'em.. I responded back to them.. I called CQ and made
QSO'S! Very very weird!
Anyone else ever experience this kind of phenomenon? I guess it
proves that I am truly and forever a CW op.
vy 73
Chuck K3FT
C U 2003!
-- K3FT
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