Retired the DX

One of the toughest decisions I've had to make was what to do with my callsign when I relocated. I knew that when I ventured back into contesting, my current callsign would just not work down here. So, with my 10 year license issuance of KL8DX soon to expire, I knew my Vanity Callsign fee would come due when I renewed it. I decided that it was probably better to pay the fee once, so I needed to decide what my new callsign would be.

My original Novice callsign (KB8DVT) was issued by the FCC as the next in line. My Ohio Advanced callsign was the same, issued by the FCC as next in line. I liked KE8RO as it kinda reminded me of W6RO, or the Queen Mary. It flowed well on the key and it was easy to recognize on CW. When I upgraded to Extra class, I decided to hang onto my Advanced callsign.

When I moved to Alaska, being an avid DX'er with over 300 countries (entities) confirmed and approved, and being from 8land, it was simple in my callsign selection. KL8DX just seemed to work so I applied and received it. The 8 caught many off guard when I first got on and up until my last day of operating in Alaska, it continued to be a topic of coversation. It was sure nice to have in WPX contests being one of the most active KL8 stations.

A Vanity callsign is personal and normally has some sort of meaning. People like their initials in their callsign or it represents something to them. I've worked many "neat" callsigns over the years, some almost as long as my arm.

Anyhow, after giving it some thought and running it past my ham spouse and my close friends KL1SF and N1TX, I decided to apply for my new callsign. Ii submitted my application on September 18th, 2013. With the government shutdown, things were delayed a bit but as of today, I found my callsign of KL8DX had been cancelled. I searched my new callsign and there it was, brand spanking new! 

So, now the real work begins. Changing my callsign with all the clubs and organizations I belong to. Heck, I just changed my address in the last month, too. But, it's all part of the transition. Now my new life in ham radio begins with a new callsign to memorize and get used to sending on the key. In the end, I'm sure all will understand why I chose the callsign that I did. It's representative of the next level in the winding road of my ham radio career. With that, I will say my last 73 with the callsign of KL8DX and I hope to catch you on the bands with my new callsign.

73!
Phil
AK2MA
 





May 25th, 2013. Unplugged...

WPX CW 2013

This past weekend was extremely beautiful here in Alaska! The weather was outstanding for a holiday weekend here in the US. We saw temps in the 60's and 70's, which caused extreme melting of the snow and ice resulting in lots of flooding. Rivers are still running crazy as the snow melt continues. We were in the upper 70's yesterday so if ever there was a doubt that summer has arrived, well no more! 

This was a morning view of our QTH on Saturday morning, May 25th, 2013. I had hoped to make a few hundred contacts in the CQ World Wide WPX Contest but the solar conditions decided otherwise. Another weekend of turning on the radio and hearing none, or very few stations. I managed a handful before I officially pulled the plug Saturday morning.

Split Ends

With the bad band conditions, it was not hard to unplug from the rest of the world. It was time to begin the dismantling of our station. Fourteen QSO's was not my goal for the weekend but it was what it was. My first HF QSO when moving here was with Ed, K8QWY on November 28th, 2003. I had a 2 meter SSB QSO, which was officially my very first QSO, with long time friend Sean, KL1SF on November 27th, 2003. And here it was, May 25th, 2013 and 52,937 + QSO's later, my Mosley once again finds itself being packed up, awaiting another installation at another location. Closer inspection of the beam found it still in wonderful shape. Penetrox continued to keep the elements looking new. I only found a small amount of moisture in one location, and oddly enough, it was in one half of the boom. Penetrox had the water beading like wax but still, there was no sign of oxidation. Good stuff for sure. The beam and tower have taken an arctic beating here and have withstood all that was thrown at it. I'm sold on Mosley for that very reason. 

Laying Down the Tower

Once the beam was off the tower, I removed the mast and rotor from the Hazer and then lowered the Hazer to just above the crank. It was time to lower the Rohn 25 for disassembly. The tower made it safely horizontal (thanks to Polaris) and the scene around the house took on a more non-ham profile. It felt extremely...well, ham naked! Once the Hazer was off the tower, we worked at removing the top section. That was the toughest section of all and understandably so. The top section was where the Hazer and beam were mostly parked and it took the worst beating when the weather turned bad especially if I had not lowered the antenna to a weather safe height. Once the top section was removed, the remaining sections nearly pulled apart with ease.

Once Section Left (Non Multiplier)

I'm letting the sun warm the ground around the last section of our second tower before digging it up. The smaller tower was the home to my 6 meter beam and 2m/440 vertical for several years. I had dropped the 6 meter beam and had intentions of putting my Hex Beam up on that tower, but it never made it from assembly to elevation. It is now disassembled with my other antenna's and looking forward to being used at our next location. My vertical (Hustler 5BTV) was unburied from the snow bank and it too was disassembled and packed up ready to operate another day. All the antenna's and tower are now in one organized pile awaiting the day the moving van arrives.

As camping season is upon us, I'm looking forward to operating KL8DX/P, as I've done in previous years. The camper is nearly ready and my portable equipment is once again out of mothballs and ready for use. But for now, the Mosley has once again entered into hibernation at 1930z, on the 25th of May, and getting a well deserved break. I have many of what I call, "Mosley Memories" to keep me smiling for many months to come. 

The Meltdown

Our Cartoon Shack

Could it finally be? A sound I've not heard for many months! Nope, not DX but the sound of running water! We do have indoor plumbing but the water I'm referring to is outdoors. The sound of water dripping into our gutters as the snow melts off the roof. We saw a high temperature on the 19th of 37.9° followed by  a high of 46.2° on the 20th! And if that was not enough, we saw a high of 44.7° on the 21st! I think (as I knock on wood) that spring has sprung! The meltdown is here! Our driveway is already beginning to look like a lake during the day and an ice rink during the night. We are in that thaw and freeze cycle now. Our weather station is showing some dramatic temperature changes though out the day. And believe me, I'm a happy camper!

More Sunshine than DX this past weekend!

And speaking of a happy camper, with such balmy temperatures, I moved our travel trailer batteries from our garage back to the trailer. It's plugged in and the batteries are once again fully charged ready to go. As the bands continue to be a bit of a struggle up here, it's easy for me to be distracted and head outdoors to catch some arctic rays, especially now that we have over 17 hours of daylight! The photo shows the view from our front deck and sunglasses are once again a requirement with all this sunshine and reflective snow giving us a double dose of solar emission. 

Our cluttered shack KL8DX / KL8SU

This was a busy weekend for radio. Several QSO Parties and a few HF contests. I managed a few CQMM European QSO's and even fewer Michigan QSO Party QSO's. I also wanted to make an appearance in the Feld Hell Sprint and the poor conditions only yielded a few Hell QSO's as well. I think the highlight for me was working Dan, W8CAR and Jim, K8MR who were mobile in the Michigan QSO Party. Dan lives only a stones throw from where I used to live in Ohio. I won't be able to make Dayton this year but you can sure bet it will be on my agenda for next year! Since we officially received our EOD date (Enter On Duty) to our next assignment in 1'land, I'm now focusing my efforts on getting ready for our move. We have LOTS to accomplish between now and then but I still have some time to enjoy radio. I need several inches of snow to melt yet before I even think about dropping my antennas and towers. That will probably be one of the final projects but in the mean time, I have plenty indoors to keep me busy. 

My logbook is fast approaching 53,000 QSO's since moving to Alaska in 2003. I used a vertical antenna for the first few years and I can still remember how the world opened up when I got my Mosley TA-34-XL in the air!  It has operated from two QTH's (locations) and has served me well, proving itself in this very harsh arctic environment. So until we make our way back to Alaska, it will once again be packaged up and taking a long rest. I don't expect to have much of a station back east as we are looking to rent. I'm also looking to hook up with a local contest club or stations to operate with. I've very much enjoyed the experiences I've had at KL2R with the multi crowd and I'd like to continue that fun. But we need to find a place to get settled and survive this move first before I begin thinking of operating. Once the station is deconstructed here, it will be portable operating for me only but I love that, too! My favorite portable operating is when we are boondocking many miles away from any available internet or cell service! Introduced to me by our bestest of friends, Sean KL1SF & Mindy KL1MF, out on the Denali Highway. I've been bitten by the bug ever since. 

Susitna River Bridge by KL8DX

One of my favorite places on the Denali Highway is out along the Susitna River. Lots of fond memories for sure. The photo to the right is one that I took from a previous excursion on the Denali Highway. Some of the bridges up here make you hold your breath when you're crossing them. This one however is my favorite. I love walking out onto the bridge. Like in may other places, not a sign is safe in the Alaskan backcountry. Trying to find one without a bullet hole can be a challenge in this neck of the woods. Me, I've personally never felt threatened by a sign so I never felt the need to shoot one. Those who shoot signs rank as low as the few I've heard who hang out on 14.313. Or at least, I'm sure they are related somehow. 

From K3Y to NAQP & One Week Antenna

ARS KL8DX

This turned out being a short weekend for me but some radio fun was had anyways. Once again, we have been experiencing winds from one weather system after another coming up from the Gulf of Alaska. If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you will know the wind is our biggest challenge next to our deep bitter cold temperatures. South wind gusts just down the road from us peaked on January 10th, at over 80 mph. I'm thankful for our QTH being shadowed somewhat from Mount Healy. This keeps the wind gusts we experience here a bit more manageable. We will see 65 to 70 mph wind gusts here but it's not the 90+ that is experienced at Antler Creek and the area we call the "Windy Bridge" a few miles to our south. Needless to say, the weekend weather once again effected my operating. We only had gusts in the mid 50 mph range, so I did not crank down the beam. Thankfully the Mosley once again showed me why I personally feel it's the best built beam I've ever owned. 

My operating this short weekend was going to focus on the North America QSO Party (NAQP) CW contest and the Straight Key Century Club's Weekend Sprintathon.  I had also signed up to operate as K3Y/KL7 for SKCC's annual January celebration in which they (club members) operate with the callsign K3Y for the month of January. SKCC is what really got me started with my love of using the straight key. My first CW contacts 25 years ago were with a straight key but I did not grow back into using a straight key until about 6 years or so ago. I have four straight keys at my finger tips and they out number my iambic keys of which, I have three. 

My operating in the NAQP was short lived and I was on and off the air as I've been working on a home project and a few other things. My effort is outlined 
to the right. Not really anything to write home about but the Alaska Contest Group was out so not many should have missed Alaska, which was a state in this contest and NOT DX by the way!

My minimal NAQP effort

My main challenge was dealing with the gusting winds and the QRN (Interference) that it was creating. With several wind related systems over the last few weeks, it's pretty obvious that some power lines have been effected and are arching. The noise was enough to effect my effort in hearing weaker stations. It also made it a bit tough to manage with strong stations along side as I had to use my Noise Blanker. So it lead to many repeats asked for and just made the weekend contesting experience much less enjoyable. Probably not a bad thing as I had several other things going on this weekend. Either way, I did make a handful of QSO's and encountered many a friend. I was asked to QSY to the other bands and most were successful. You can tell by the numbers reflected above on where I spent the majority of my time.

Recognize that Spectrum Scope Signature?

I enjoyed chasing SKCC WES stations as well, both during and after the NAQP. I also signed up to operate four hours as K3Y/KL7. The first few hours went well but the solar wind increased and knocked the bands someplace else. With only being able to hear strong stations which had the usual flutter associated with them, my noise made it nearly impossible to work or hear any stations at all. The last two hours of my scheduled effort was pretty uneventful. I had high hopes of working at least 100 stations but I only ended up working a 3rd of that by the time it was all said and done. Once again, the effects of living in a northern latitude made radio'n nearly impossible. But like the NAQP, I'm glad of the contacts I was able to make and hopefully I was able to send a multiplier to a few folks. 

You're probably wondering about my apparent miss use of "Week" in my subject line. Actually, I meant to use "Week" rather than "Weak" but either one would probably work. Just a bit over a week ago I pulled a new antenna from our chilly travel trailer that I had purchased last year. The antenna was one I purchased for portable use while camping. It was a purchased G5RV Jr from W8AMZ. My 80 meter wire antenna began to give me problems after a few years of arctic abuse so I threw this antenna up to use temporarily. I also threw up a second portable antenna, a Par EndFedz 17 meter wire. It took just two storms blowing at over 50 mph to end the life of the G5RV. The end fed is still hanging strong. The G5RV lost an element when the wire broke near the apex! Yes, I can fix it and I plan to. I'm not here to bash this antenna but like a few others I purchased that were made commercially or by someone else, it failed to stand up to one of our typical weather events. It heard pretty well and tuned easily, so it will be worth fixing after "beefing" up a bit. I will be honest, I did not expect it to fail so quickly, especially being brand new and used for the very first time. I'm thinking of a few more Par EndFedz when I can afford them. So far, I'm pretty impressed with em. I gifted a Par EndFedz to my close and personal friend KL1SF, and he has reported it being a successful antenna as well.

So that's my short weekend in a nutshell. I hate to brag (and I actually don't care for this weather) but our temperatures peaked at 44 degrees above zero this weekend! As I write this, it's still 38 degrees above zero! These wind events from the south (Chinook) bring the warm air with them and our temperatures can increase dramatically in just a matter of hours. Much of our snow is melting and areas around the state have experienced flooding from rain and roads have been ice in many of areas south of here. Crazy to think locations in the lower 48 are colder than Alaska in January! 

January is lining up to be a pretty busy month so my operating will occur during small windows of opportunity. That's the beauty of this great hobby, it's always here when I have time, patiently awaiting my return. 

      

Yes Sean, It Was Well Worth The Wait!

Christmas comes a few days early

The ARRL Santa has been delivering these certificates all over Alaska over the last couple of days. My mailbox was no exception. It is always a very nice surprise to see a certificate in ones mailbox. When I opened the envelope, I was smiling with joy! Now, THIS is a contest certificate! What a beautiful job on the new design. I enjoy each and every certificate I receive obviously, but this new design by the ARRL is top notch in my opinion. So, even though these arrived a bit later than expected, it was well worth the wait! It will look very nice framed on the wall of my shack, for one an all a visitor to enjoy but I'll get the most enjoyment out of it. Not that I get that many visitors here in remote Alaska.

Sean, KX9X explains

In looking back at this contest, I remember it as being a challenging weekend. Of course, I never know what weather or propagation conditions are going to be like this time of year. Weather can put a damper on my operating and that was the case last year at this time. If it's a deep cold spell, I won't want to turn my beam to much. My rotor operates well below zero due to the fact of having it rebuilt and "greased" for arctic temperatures. It's my aging feedline that normally has me worried once the mercury (aging myself) heads well below zero. Or, as in the case of that weekend, we may have a Chinook blow through that increases my noise or forces me to lower my antenna to a height that is not optimum for 10 meters. With that said, I'm pleased with my effort last year (as mentioned in a previous post, I should have beat that this year) and just having any propagation on 10 meters is exciting! I've blogged about my love of that band and I'm glad I've been able to experience openings while living here.

My 3830 post from last year is listed. Once the log was washed and cleaned, my final score is reflected on my certificate above. I appreciate all the contacts that made this certificate possible. I also have to say a big "Thanks" to the ARRL for sponsoring the contest, for the certificate, and I think the new design is awesome! A sure winner in my book, Sean!

 ARRL 10-Meter Contest

Call: KL8DX
Operator(s): KL8DX
Station: KL8DX

Class: SO CW LP
QTH: Alaska
Operating Time (hrs): 15h12m

Summary:
Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  CW:  883    63
  SSB:    0    0
-------------------
Total:  883    63  Total Score = 279,028

Club: North Coast Contesters

Comments:

My long time friend and old neighbor Sean, KL1SF made a return
trip to Alaska on a work related mission. I was hoping to get
him in the shack but his schedule never allowed it. He headed back
to AZ on Friday night, so I did not operate a few hours so I 
could see him off. 

We were forecasted to receive strong winds yet again from another
of our famous winter Chinooks. I had to crank down my beam from 
the 42-43 foot level where it normally sits, to about 20 foot. All of
my operation on Saturday was with my beam at 22 foot! We had wind
gusts here at my QTH to 60 Mph over the weekend so needless to say,
the lower noise was horrible and it was directly in my lower 48 
path. 

I was able to send the beam back up Sunday once the winds dropped to
a normal speed. For me, I think the propagation on Saturday seemed a
bit better than Sunday but of course, my beam was 20+ foot higher
too! 

I will post a full overview on my blog in the next few days. I want
to extend the very best of holiday wishes to everyone! Thanks for all
the patience as I continue to learn the ropes to this contesting
stuff. May 2012 bring you a wealth of DX to your logbook. I'm sure
hoping it will bring me DXCC on 10 meters!

CQ World-Wide DX CW Contest - The Morning After

Comparing CQ WW CW 2011 / 2012

This past weekend was the annual CQ World-Wide DX CW contest and from the perspective of many, is the biggest contest of the year. From Multi-Operators to Single, many plan for this past weekend months in advance. Many operators in the US,  still feeling the effects of large amounts of good food on Thanksgiving followed by breaking their bank on Black Friday, hit the airwaves in anticipation of logging many contest QSO's. I for one, wish my holiday calorie to QSO count were much closer to one another. Sadly, it never fails that I consume many more calories on Thanksgiving Day and the days following, than I can put QSO's in my contest log. On the positive side, Thanksgiving leftovers work wonderfully at keeping the body fueled for countless hours of VFO turning and the keyboard pounding fun of this contest. 

ARS KL8DX Claimed Score & Summary

In my previous post, I mentioned working the November Sweepstakes as part of the Multi-Operator effort at KL2R. In looking at how Larry, N1TX had Win-test set up, the previous years effort in the Targets Tracking Window was a great motivator (photo above). I know, I'm one of those operators who is not using my complex software to full advantage and I had never used this function before. It did help me keep focused. I spent a little extra time setting up Win-test the night before (I know, the night before, really? When will I learn?) but I still need to get into using ESM (Enter Sends Message) mode with this software. But, I'm getting there. I'm still an F-Key abuser and it would save time and I'm sure would increase my rate. 

My score breakout summary is listed directly above and it just so happened that I beat my last years effort although, not by much! My claimed score last year was 792,396 and logging 1,852 QSO's. The main difference last year was that 10 meters was my money band but this year, that turned out being 15 meters. Had 10 meters come to life, my numbers would have looked very different. The CME that impacted Earth must have sent 10 meters packing (see graph below from HAARP's Magnetometer). I'm not a propagation guru but I do know 10 meters did not provide a fraction of the contacts it did for me last year. Last year, I worked 971 QSO's on 10 meters alone!

Magnetometer from HAARP

In speaking of the CME that shook up the Ionosphere overhead, it made for a bittersweet weekend. It obviously effected the propagation and it made the polar path on Friday night extremely tough and Saturday night was no picnic either. I'm running low power these days as I have yet to afford getting my AL-1500 repaired. Shipping to and from the lower 48 alone would be costly and that does not include the repair. It just means I have to pass up more multipliers or try harder and longer to get them, or wait until Sunday. Regardless, it was memorable working European stations on Friday night while gazing out my shack window and watching the auroral display dancing overhead! Now mind you, I've experienced the aurora overhead for several years but I still get excited and enjoy photographing it. Friday night was no exception, I had to stop what I was doing in the contest, costing me valuable 3 point QSO's with Europe (surprising we had a path with aurora being so active) to head outdoors at -17F to snap some photographs! I was outdoors for well over an hour just enjoying the light show overhead. I'm easily distracted and I needed Bonnie and Fannie here from team KL2R to keep me focused. 

Auroral display CQ World-Wide DX weekend © KL8DX

Like many hams, I have more than one hobby. My second favorite is photographing our adventures here in Alaska. I love sharing it with friends and family in the lower 48, many of which have never been to Alaska. We arrived in Healy at our friends house (KL1SF & KL1MF) on the 25th of November, 2003. We moved into park housing during December of 2003, and a few months later, we purchased our current home. Now mind you, I did experience the aurora from Northern Ohio and even photographed it a few times but such events were rare. Here, the "Northern Lights" are viewed nearly all winter long. This alone helps ease the pain of winter however, it's normally very cold outdoors during the prime viewing times. 

Auroral display CQ World-Wide DX weekend ©KL8DX

If you dress warm and have an understanding camera and tri-pod, it's not hard to capture these breathtaking events. The photo above and to the left, are those I took on Friday night showing the auroral display over our QTH. Now mind you, this is after it had subsided a bit. Our shack window (shown illuminated in blue on both photos) is the best viewing window for the aurora as I keep the shack mostly dark. I'm not one for enjoying copious amounts of light both at home or at the office. My office for years has been nicknamed, "The Cave." My wife made a rare appearance in the shack over the contest weekend to enjoy the light show to the north while I was chasing European stations on 15 and 20 meters. If only I could get her to upgrade and be interested in a Multi-Single effort. Nah, more fun for me! All kidding aside, her support and supplying necessary nutritional needs goes without saying, these contest weekends would not be successful without her support and understanding. Like many a ham, I'm lucky to have an understanding spouse. 

Now getting back on track with the contest, my goal was to log over 2,000 QSO's and beat my previous year score. I did beat my score (claimed) however, I did not break the 2,000 QSO mark. As I had mentioned before, had 10 meters been great, I would have easily manged that goal. As it was, attempts to get a run going on 10 meters was in vain and it worked out best for Search & Pounce only (S&P). The 3 point contacts were nice but I wanted more. But like with any contest, there were highlights and low lights. Me complaining about 10 meters was a low light but I'm thankful for my 199 QSO's on that band. Lots of radio friends encountered along with so many familiar callsigns. My low band antenna's stink and to those who pulled my signal out on 40 and 80 meters, hats off to you and your station! I took some notes during the weekend contest and here are a few unedited I had listed -

• Getting to hate Saturday and Sunday mornings. I can't seem to get the attention of anyone on the East Coast as they are still pointed to Europe.
• My morning strategy, chasing "Bleeps" on the Spectrum Scope while consuming copious amounts of decaf coffee. Yea I know, I get more out of the bleeps than I do the coffee. 
• Saturday morning, 10 meters opened up briefly but then closed back down. 
• Gray Line propagation working well and added some much needed multipliers.
• Seriously PY3DX, I've been on this frequency for well over an hour! If you want it that bad, go ahead and take it! I'm working PY's right and left so I know you can hear me! Ugh!
• Full break-in is a bit tough to get used to but necessary with as quickly as some stations call when I'm CQ'n.
• Sunday, the return of propagation (somewhat), thank you!!!!!!
• Is it me or does it seem like CW ops increase their speed by 50% on Sunday? Tryptophan must be wearing off, goodness!
• EL2A, on 15 meters and logged?!! What just happened? That did!
• Aurora is beautiful and I'm still able to work Europe? I must be dreaming!
• Trying to understand why DX stations don't ID more frequently. If you work more than 5 stations and don't ID, I'm gone! If I was Assisted, I might know who you are but for now I don't, and really don't care.
• Well, here come the DUPES so someone must have spotted me as something other than my callsign. Probably as KL7DX again. Surprising how many click on the band map and pull the trigger!
• EF8M, you want me in your contest log but just don't know it.
• Seriously Sunday? Normally I can work these multipliers today and they are no easier than Saturday! WTH?
• Enjoying Twitter and the #WATwitter Hashtag spearheaded by Connie, NR4CB. She is the Bionic Nerd!  
• 10 meters, where are you??
• Pile-up's...I'm trying everyone, please have patience! I'm drinking decaf, remember?
• It's 1655z and I'm at 1,355 QSO's and 554,222 points! I think I can, I think I can...
• Damn, there are some strong stations out there! Size does matter!
• I wish my score could count towards NCC!
• Contest is over, I need Motrin!!!!!!!!!!!!
• LOTW will probably need life support after this weekend...and next...and the weekend after that...LOTW might need Motrin!

That is my 2012 summary of the CQ World-Wide DX CW Contest as I experienced it. It was tough but enjoyable. My fellow Alaskan's were out in force and from the preliminary posts on 3830, not many should be missing Zone 1. I on the other hand, missed Zone 1 on 40 meters. I could not break the KL7RA pile-up. A huge thanks to all those that make this contest (and all of them) possible. I would write more but the 5 day deadline for log submission is here and I gotta get to my soapbox and log submission! Thanks for all the contacts, sorry to those I missed, and I appreciate everyone's patience as I still am learning pile-up management. Add many calling at the same time and the effects of the aurora washing out their signal, it can be extremely tough to just get a partial callsign, let alone a full one. I'm thankful for each and every contact and if I'm running and you don't get me the first time, please come back! Like my paycheck, my pileups are normally short lived.  

Six & 10

I could not let July slip by without some sort of post!  Yes, it has been a very busy summer but I do get to turn on the radio from time to time. I have Ham Radio Deluxe (HRD) filter to send me text messages when any Alaskan station is spotted on 10 & 6 meters. Now mind you, I had no idea how many Alaskan callsigns were in the lower 48 but I have found out recently when those stations were active on those two bands, not to mention a beacon (I won't get on my rant about that one again) with an Alaskan callsign over on the East Coast.

July 21st yielded some 6 and 10 meter activity for me. It was short lived but a brief opening on those bands are better than no opening any day. My 6 meter antenna is still very low profile and hopefully by winter I can correct that. I did purchase the feedline I need to move that antenna higher so my excuses are getting smaller and smaller as to why I have not yet moved my 6 meter beam. Either way, I made ten contacts on 6 meters and three contacts on 10 meters with the highlight being able to work my long time friend Sean, KL1SF who is now at the Grand Canyon. Sean and his family were here for a week visit prior to me working Sean on 10 meters. It was a memorable week for sure and spending time with friends who are more like family is always great!

With the sun moving south, it won't be long before we see the colors changing to a fall scheme and I will be doing my typical mad rush to get my outdoor antenna work completed before the snow arrives, which normally catches me by surprise. I do procrastinate but only during the summer months as I suffer from acute midnight sun fever and there is only one cure, being outdoors doing fun stuff!