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09-07-2023 - In preparation for the arrival of my QCX-Mini QRP (5 watts) CW (Morse code) transceiver, I'll need to find a good mini antenna tuner. I have everything else I need - power cord, dipole antenna, coax jumpers, and a small case to hold it all. There's no big hurry as I've just moved up to #492 on the list to receive the QCX-Mini. I'm thinking I might get it in January when it'll be too cold to hit the parks and make contacts. Anyone can make contacts from the shack. I want hot dogs on the grill!
09-07-2023 - I haven't heard a catfight on the CB Radio at our local Flying J truck stop in a long time. I guess no one has blocked a pump while inside taking a shower, or committed some other trucking social felony lately. This is good.
09-07-2023 - I read myself to sleep last night with "The Compete DX'er" by Bob Locher. When I bought the book years ago, I had no idea it would be about CW contacts instead of phone. That was a good thing. For me, the CW aspect made it a lot more interesting.
09-07-2023 - An Amateur Radio Special Event Station, sponsored by the Collins Amateur Radio Club, will be activated tomorrow celebrating Arthur Collins' birthday. The station will be active Sep 9-Sep 10, 1400Z-0200Z. The callsign is W0CXX. Frequencies are 7.180 MHz 14.263 MHz 21.380 MHz 28.380 MHz. QSL via Brice AntonJensen, 1110 Lyndhurst Dr, Hiawatha, IA 52233.
IF YOU ENJOY MY POSTS, please make your next AMAZON purchase using THIS LINK, or any other affiliate link on this site. If you do, I will earn a small commission but it won't cost you extra. You can buy radio stuff or any stuff but, for me to earn a commission, you have to purchase within 24 hours of adding the item(s) to your shopping cart. I'm thanking you in advance because AMAZON, correctly, doesn't identify you to me.
09-07-2023 - Amateur Radio has "Worked All States", "Worked All Continents, DXCC (100 countries), and similar awards. Will the CB Radio world come up with similar awards since the 155.3-mile restriction was lifted several years ago? Maybe QSL cards could become a thing again. I'm not sure some of the high-powered CB'ers really want to give out their actual location.
09-07-2023 - Whenever I see Chinook helicopters fly over, I wonder what their cargo might be. I've had a few flights on Chinooks, and they all involved me sitting next to a nuclear warhead being moved from one location to another. You never know what's crisscrossing the USA on land or in the air.
09-07-2023 - The year was 1982 and I was sitting in the exam room of the FCC Field Office in Dallas. The occasion was my first attempt at becoming a licensed Amateur Radio Operator. My plan was to take the Technician written exam and the 5 word-per-minute Morse code test. I had been practicing my code diligently in the weeks leading up to the exam, and I thought that I might as well try the 13 words-per-minute test first. Why not? My headphones were on, and the code test began. I was stunned! Shocked! It sounded like machine gun fire! I sat there, motionless, unable to jot down a single character. The examiner came over, lifted one side of my headphones, gave a listen, and said "It's there, I hear it". Smart ass! I shook off that defeat and went on to pass the 5 words-per-minute code test and the Technician Class written exam. Two months later I passed the 13 words-per-minute code test and the Advanced Class written exam. Two months after that, I passed the 20 words-per-minute code test and the Amateur Extra written exam. That was 40 years ago and I'm glad I got all the testing out of the way in short order.
09-07-2023 - The CB Radio is quiet this morning, with just the usual local trucker chatter. The DX channels are coming alive. I hear the "big guns" in Jamaica on Channel 6 - the superbowl of CB Radio - and some weak signals on Channel 38. It's early. Things are sure to improve.
IF YOU ENJOY MY POSTS, please make your next AMAZON purchase using THIS LINK, or any other affiliate link on this site. If you do, I will earn a small commission but it won't cost you extra. You can buy radio stuff or any stuff but, for me to earn a commission, you have to purchase within 24 hours of adding the item(s) to your shopping cart. I'm thanking you in advance because AMAZON, correctly, doesn't identify you to me.
09-07-2023 - It was 1976, and I was sitting in the barracks at the Presidio of San Francisco and tuning across the band on an AM-FM radio with extended VHF range. This range would include frequencies used by the early car phones. I heard a well-known actor talking to someone about a current TV series he was starring in. It was interesting. The old car phones were for businesses and the more well-to-do crowd back then. Now it's cell phones. Everyone has one, and you can't eavesdrop on them.