04/28/2017z

This day the QSO went to Florida to Port St. Lucie.  I met Al N4OW.  Al was running QRP with his FT-950 at 4 watts.  The QSO was short, but appreciated.  Port St. Lucie is relatively new development on the eastern coast of FL.  It is the most populated city of the county.

Over the weekend I went to Xenia Ohio and road on their paved rail trails.  I took my SW+ but never did find the time to set up and operate.  However, the bicycling was fantastic.  I got twice a year with friends from work.  We eat at local shops and stay at a fantastic bed and breakfast.  So I have been absent from radio for a couple days, but I sure enjoyed another fun activity.

04/27/2017z

Tonight I got to visit with Francis/KG5DKG in Hattiesburg, MS.  Hattiesburg has a lot of history and culture.  It would seem it came into it's own as a railroad hub.  It has the University of Southern Mississippi and Willian Carey University.  They have a Zoo located in Kanpur Park.  In December they also have the Annual Victorian Candlelit Christmas and Holiday tour of homes.  They put candles in white bags and take visitors on carriage rides. I think if I make it to Hattiesburg I will also visit the Thirsty Hippo to enjoy an evening of live music.

04/26/2017z

Tonight is the SKS - Straight Key Century Club Sprint-.  I fell into it not knowing why so many stations were on making QSO's.  I had to look it up to see what the exchange was.  I made a couple QSO's. AJ4SB/Rob in TN & WA4GQG/Kevin in NC. The SKCC group has become a huge success.  

My RF travels took me to Wheaton, MN.  I met Ray/NO0V there.  The conditions on the band were poor so the QSO didn't last long.  Wheaton is supported mostly by agriculture.  This geographic location is found where Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota meet.  At Wheaton you can experience the Red River Valley, Continental Divide, and Lake Agassiz.  Wheaton would be a nice place to spend the morning at the Country Corner Cafe and enjoy breakfast at this unique geographical area.

04/24/2017

The Zulu day has just begun but I got a QSO in early.  I got to discover "The Villages", FL.  I talked to Bob/K3ZGA.  This is the first time I have heard of The Villages.  It is a retirement community that is golf cart accessible.  This community began by Harold Schwartz and tracts were sold via mail order in the 1960's.  It seems golf is a primary focus for recreational activity at The Village.  It looks like a nice place to visit, but as of this writing unless I lived with an older person, not a place I could live in.  Bob was using a IC-7300.  I have heard many operators using IC-7300 radios lately.  They seem to be very solid performers and well liked by their owners.

04/23/207z

Weaverville, NC is where I landed today.  I talked to Rick/KC4NN.  He was using his FT-DX3000 radio and sounded fine.  Unfortunately the QSO didn't last a long time due to band conditions.  However, I was sitting outside under the tree.  The sun is shining and the temperature is 70 degrees.  It sure turned out to be a wonderful day to enjoy a Sunday afternoon.  Weaverville is a small town but is the home of the A-B Emblem company which is one of the world's largest producers of embroidered patches.  It would be super cool to pick up a patch right from the factory.  They have some nice bed and breakfasts to stay the night and to be entertained you can get some fantastic pizza at the Blue Mountain Pizza.  They are recognized as one of the top 10 pizza places in Western NC.  It is family friendly.  They have good beer and live music nightly.  It doesn't sound like a bad place to spend a night or two.

04/22/2017z

Today 1.5 watts from the SW+ got me to Wellfleet, MA.  I worked KM1CC the Marconi Cape Cod Radio Club celebrating International Marconi Day.  Guglielmo Marconi built the first transatlantic radio transmitter station on the coast of Wellfleet in 1901.  The first transmission from America to England was sent January 18, 1903.  A wonderful book I read that follows Marconi's advancement in wireless communication is "Thunderstruck" by Erik Larson.  Another thing Wellfleet is known for is it's oyster fest!  Add another interesting place I would like to go someday and experience for myself.

04/21/2017z

Well it finally happened.  I didn't make a QSO today.  That ends the over 2 month streak of making a QSO every day with the SW+.  What happened???  Well, life happened.  At 0000z the Zulu day started off and I was gone from the house.  I went to a ham radio testing session where people were taking tests to get or upgrade their amateur radio license.  Then I met Mike/W9ODX and Gary/KA9ZYL at McDonalds.  Mike needed a paddle for the 9040 radio.  I didn't get home until late but it was well worth spending time with friends. Making local friends is really one of the best parts of the hobby.  I have friends in which our paths would never have crossed had it not been for the mutual interest in amateur radio communications.  When I got home there was hardly anyone on 40 meters and making a QSO wasn't good timing.  

On this day, my sister is visiting from Alabama.  This was a planned visit and I don't get to see her and her family all that often so early she text me letting me know they were at their motel and ready to start our day.  I wanted to have breakfast with them, so I practiced a little cello which is how I like to start every day and then got ready and left.  We had a great time!  We went out to Flapjacks for breakfast, and then our mom met us and we all went to the Indianapolis Children's museum.  That is the largest children's museum in the world.  We had a lot of fun!  We had supper afterward and relaxed together back at their motel.  By the time I left it was past 0000z and I was not home to catch a QSO.  Maybe I should have worked harder when I got home from McDonald's that evening.  Maybe I could have made a QSO instead of practicing the cello when I woke up.  Maybe I should just celebrate a great run of QSO's a day and move on.....  I have learned that daily QSO's with 1.5 watts IS possible.  It takes some time and you have to be very flexible to do it.  Not all QSO's are ragchew quality at 1.5 watts, so in that regard it isn't for everyone's taste.  Anyway, I will keep making QSO's, working for WAS with the SW+, and blogging.  But who knows, maybe I'll use a different radio for awhile or try things a little different.  Variety is the spice of life.

04/20/17z

Today the SW+ QSO came quickly.  I got to talk with K3MD/John in Winfield, PA.  John is a avid contester.  He just got a new IC-7300 in November and that was the radio he was using.  The QSO was clipping along nicely.  I enjoy a faster CW speed QSO.  When I'm at just 1.5 watts most of the time I have to send slower to be heard.  That is because the receiving station is trying to listen to me though atmospheric noise and maybe manmade noise.  I learned this especially when working with CW traffic nets.  If a station is having trouble copying you can get the message passed if you slow down a little.  It is more efficient and far less confusing for the receiving station then sending fast and trying to fill in the missing information.   However, a nice faster pace is fun and John was receiving well.  Winfield, PA is in the center of the state.  It looks like the best thing to do in Winfield as a guest is to stay at the Little Mexico campground next to Winfield creek.  It gets great reviews! About 900 people live in Winfield and a nice little place to stop.  

Today I also went outside and operated with my Elecraft KX1.  It was windy and became a rainy stormy afternoon with hail.  I made one QSO out there on 20 meters and really enjoyed using a different radio after focusing on just the SW+ for over 2 months.

04/19/2017z

What a Zulu day!  First I found it amazing that after yesterday's QSO in the final hour at 0141z I heard K0RKH calling and found myself in a very nice QSO in LeClaire, IA.  We talked for 45 minutes.  That was a complete opposite from just an hour earlier when I couldn't get a QSO at all.  Bob was using a Ten Tec Omni VI plus.  He was 599 and he gave me a report of 579.  He couldn't believe how good my QRP signal was.  We talked about the weather, radios, telegraph keys, and where we work. It was a very fun chat. 

LeClaire, IA is a very interesting place.  Bob told me it is in the Mississippi Valley.  There are many things to do there.  You can take a riverboat twilight tour, visit the Mississippi River Distilling company, and tour the Buffalo Bill Museum.  LeClaire is also the home site of the television show "American Picker's". Lastly in early August they have "Tugfest"!  They streak has a rope across the Mississippi River from LeClaire to Port Byron, IL.  Then teams of 20 men and a event of 25 women than tug agains each other.  The team that pulls the most rope wins.  It is followed up with fireworks, live bands, and great food on both sides of the river.  Sign me up for another great road trip!!!

In the early afternoon I had a visitor at the house.  It was W9ODX/Mike.    Mike is working hard at learning CW and has a big interest in QRP.  So we took a look at some of my QRP radios.  This SW+, Elecraft K2, Elecraft KX1, and the MFJ 9040.  We set some up outside  in the back yard.  Mike wanted to see a QSO made with the 9040 and so I did that.  Then came for Mike's turn.  Mike called CQ several times and then a slow station came back.  It was a magic moment.  I remember my first QSO.  The amazement that someone heard you sending.   At first the confidence of calling CQ sets in and then the "OH CRAP" moments hits when you realize you have to copy someone answering you.  It is FANTASTIC!  Mike did a very nice job!!!  We had some things written down as a script.  I used something I made up when I started getting on the air.  It really helps to follow something like that when learning.  Mike got through the QSO successfully and we were both very excited.  I sent him home with the 9040 and I think we have a new CW QRP operator in Indiana.  Congratulations Mike!!!! 

04/18/2017z

Today was a super frustrating QRP day!  I am on vacation this week!  That is the great news.  So Monday nights I have orchestra rehearsal and got home about 9:30pm EDT.  That is 01:30z time.  I couldn't get a QSO.  I wasn't worried. I had all day.  The sun rises and I am looking for a QSO in the morning.  I hear stations, but nothing for me.  No one can hear me.  Noon comes and fewer stations as expected, but I have made QRP QSO's at lunch time on 40 many many times.  Again, nothing.  Then I had an appointment with the eye dr.  I got the news.... yep, bifocals but barely so i opted for not.  She said it's optional but the time is near.  *sigh*.  Then I got home and took a nap... Did I say I am on vacation?  OK.  Well then supper and back to the radio.  Nothing, Nothing, and then at 23:18 I logged K4NAX in Carmel, IN.  I need Indiana for WAS!  I'm at 33 states.

I know Carmel.  Carmel is just on the north side of Indianapolis.  Carmel has been known as a more expensive part of the Indianapolis area.  Many of the local affluent people live there including the owner of the Indianapolis Colts.  However, it has a lot of housing for upper middle income living as well and I am sure a wide range of incomes live there.  It has a nice smaller town feel and is super clean. It's nice with everything you need for shopping and activities.  There is a palladium concert hall which I have not yet ever attended but Yo Yo Ma played there.  I really would have liked to have seen him.  Anyway, Carmel is also so close to Indianapolis that you really don't know you left one and went into the other and what you don't find in Carmel you will in Indianapolis.  Museums, the zoo, Lucas oil stadium where the Colts play, Banker's life field house where the Pacers play, and on the west side of Indianapolis is the Indianapolis 500 race track.  

Back to ham radio, the frustrating part is that I tried a lot.  Hours!  To get a QSO and finally I got one.  Don did ask if I was going to be in the upcoming IN QSO Party.  Yes of course I am.  But Don said the noise level was so high that I was hardly there but he did hear I was running 1.5 watts.  Don was using a KX3 at 100 watts and a loop antenna.  Days like this is why not everyone loves QRP.  If I were not looking for the daily QSO I would not have pushed on which is the smart thing to do.  Some times it's good to know when to turn off the radio and find something else to do.

04/17/2017z

Tonight's SW+ first QSO was with K4JJW/Dick in New Bern, NC.  New Bern is a very interesting place.  It is the birth place of Pepsi Cola.  It is also very historical.  It happens to be the first permanent capitol of NC.  Tyron Palace and garden center is an attraction.  This is the first governor mansion of NC.  It was built in 1770 and George Washington is said to have visited.  Unfortunately it burned in 1798 and was rebuilt in 1959.  I think New Bern would be a super place to visit.  My QSO was very short.  Dick said the band conditions were poor and politely said his good bye's.  

Next was the Flying Pig's Run For The Bacon sprint!  I made 6 QSO's!  Last month I only made 4 so I'm on the upswing!  The SW+ got OH, MN, NH, PA, & VA.  It looked pretty strong on the Reverse Beacon net.

04/16/2017z

Today's start has taken off with QSO's already.  There are several contests going on the Easter weekend.  I made a couple QSO's in the Manchester Mineira contest.  To NY & MN.  Both are states already in my log.  I also made just one QSO in the MI QSO party.  Now MI I need!!!  That makes 32 states.  It was with the Secret Beach Radio Club in Glenn Arbor, MI.  Now this is a true vacation place.  The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is there.  It is also home to Art's Tavern.  Art's gets good reviews and looks like a super fun place to visit if you find yourself in Glenn Arbor.  They also have Art galleries and Music festivals.  This is one of those places I need to keep in mind for a vacation destination.  I am no vacation right now, but I have no travel plans so I will have to continue to travel via RF and start planning my next vacation destination.  

Later I listened on 20 meters with my Elecraft K2.  I turned the power down to 1.5 watts and answered MM0LID/Scotland & VA2WA/QC Canada.  It sure felt great to hop the pond at 1.5 watts even with it being a contest.  MM0LID must have a terrific station!!

 04/15/2017z

Today my first QSO is made while sitting outside having breakfast.  I got my portable antenna put in a tree and enjoyed a cup of coffee while looking for a QSO.  It was a repeat with KI4XH in Woodbridge, VA.  

Some QSL cards came in the mail!  I must admit I enjoy QSLing very much.  I love opening the mail box and seeing something of value inside.  I love the cards, the envelope and stamp.  Speaking of stamps, WOW!  NM3B made me a big winner today with the envelope he sent me!  I don't think I have ever seen so many cool stamps squeezed onto a regular envelope.  THANKS!!!

04/14/2017z

This has been a great start of the "Zulu" day.  After work I met up at a local McDonald's with a new general class licensed ham, Mike Andrus/W9ODX.  Mike follows Brian KB9BVN's and my blog along with some other QRPers.  I am not sure I have ever met a ham so focused on getting into the CW/QRP part of the hobby so quickly.  We talked for almost 3 hours about QRP activities, radios, antennas and other hobbies we are interested in.  So Mike, welcome to the world of QRP.  You are in good company and I am looking forward to spending more time with you on your new adventure.  

Where did W9ILF's RF travel to tonight you ask?  None other than Felton, PA.  I talked to Craig/KB3AII.  Craig said the sky's are clear and the temp is 48 deg.  We are partly cloudy and 64 deg in central IN.  What is in Felton you ask?  Well.... it is a small community with a post office and a fire company.  Wow... I thought Eminence was small town.  I can relate to a place like Felton.  I seem to live 30 minutes from everywhere We also have a post office and volunteer fire department.  We also have a small school (one of the smallest in the state) a gas station and a bank.  However, there isn't much and to make a living you either farm if your family is able or you drive to Indianapolis or close larger town to work.  Very few can support a family in small town U.S.A.  We live here but can't work here.  So if I make it to Felton, PA it will probably be passing through but hopefully I will stop and take a picture.  Thanks for the chat Craig!

04/13/2017z

I made another QSO today.  This time to Maplewood, MN.  Bruce/N0CV.  Maplewood is near St. Paul.  It is the home to the corporate headquarter and main campus of 3M Corporation.  

On a personal note, I got a new endpin and tail cord for my cello and had time to adjust things and enjoy the change it made to my instrument.  The new endpin is a Bowed Acoustics brand.  The tail cord is a New Harmony brand.  Now, if you think telegraph keys are a small niche market, try cello endpin manufacturers.  My last endpin was made from carbon fiber.  The steel endpin I now have of course has less flex and feels more connection from the floor to the instrument in my opinion.  The new tailcord allowed the tailpiece to be closer to normal distance to the bridge.  This allows less tension on the strings and changed some things like where the wolf tone is found. 

What does this all have to do with ham radio?  Well...  resonance and harmonics.  That is what.   It is very interesting how we take advantage of harmonics when playing the cello and it is very interesting how harmonics and resonance plays a part in successful antenna designs.

04/12/2017

It's an anniversary!  This day marks two months of making daily QSO's with the SW+.  I celebrated by participating in the 150th NAQCC sprint.  These sprints are a lot of fun.  The NAQCC has a large following.  They have monthly challenges for example, spelling words out of letters in call signs you QSO with .  Then once a month they have a sprint and encourage using simple wire antennas and straight keys.  That slows the pace of the sprint for new CW operators and I have enjoyed participating throughout the years.  My one QSO in the sprint was with N2CN in CT.  

Two months trying to make a QSO each day for me is enough in my opinion.  My work schedule and interests outside of work and ham radio make it very difficult to dedicate time for daily QSO's  It can be done easily and be sustained at 1.5 watts.  The hard part, like all high achieving radio activity, is staying on the air.  I play music outside my house.  I drive 2 hours a day just for work and I enjoy visiting with friends face to face.  This causes me to try making QSO's late into the night or use morning time looking for a QSO instead of practicing my instrument (a cello).  To me the cost of being on the air every single day is too high right now. So, I'm glad to achieve making it two months every day which is a record for me and not to mention with the SW+!  I might try again and maybe soon to go for stretch.  I will keep blogging, making QSO's and search for WAS.  I might make a QSO tonight if I find time and want to talk to someone far away, but then again, I could talk to the other person in the house, play the cello, walk the dog, eat some popcorn and watch a movie, or continue reading the book I started.  Ham radio is only one interest that I continue to love but not the only one.

04/11/2017

I'm back on my travels surfing the propagation wave.  This landed me in Cherry Hill, NJ.  I talked to Tony/N2ATB.  I have talked to Tony many times so it was like finding an old friend.  Tony gave me an RST of 419.  That is so very weak I am surprised he copied anything.  Yet, Tony copied enough of what I told him.  He confirmed the radio I was using and shared he was using a FTDX3000 radio and a window up 50 feet.  Cherry Hill is an edge city of Philadelphia.  

In the movie "The Freshman" Cherry Hill is the location Matthew Broderick is supposed to deliver a Komodo dragon.  This is a super funny movie if you have never seen it.  That is it for this day.  Tomorrow is a big day for the SW+.

04/10/2017z

After such a great weekend of activity I think everyone that really wanted to be on the bands had worn out.  There were not many signals when I got home after 8pm.  I got home I think after 9pm.  I was getting worried because I would not have any other time to be on the airwaves later.  I heard DX at the bottom of my SW+ VFO.  It is PV8ADI in Brazil.  I have gotten him in my log many times.  He has such a strong signal and is around a lot.  It was not easy but he finally got my call and Brazil is great DX for my power output.  PV8ADI has an amazing station so if anyone could pull me out of the noise it would be him.  The daily QSO streak continues.

04/09/2017z

There continues to be lots of activity on 40 meters today with the GA QSO party, Straight Key Century Club's "WES" contest, and NM QSO Party.  I did get a NM station in my log which is great.  I need that state for Worked All States so that makes 31 states total at this point.  

I spent the last part of the Zulu day in the woods hiking with the SW+  It is like a field trip.   I went to the Morgan Monroe State Forest.  It is still in Morgan County and what I consider my home base for backpacking.  This is were I go to try out my equipment.  It is close to home so I can leave if things aren't working out and I am pretty comfortable there.   I know where water is and my favorite spot to spend the night.  It is up on a hill.  Less mosquitoes on a hill and better RF take off.  I made two QSO's and enjoyed a cup of tea.  One QSO was to the GA QSO party and the other to another GA station AI4UN for the WES contest.

     This was my first trip into the woods with the SW+.  It performed very well.  As expected I should say.  Last summer I bought a used Elecraft KX1.  It has 4 bands and displays a lot of information.  The KX1 really is hard to beat for the investment.  Low power consumption and the information it shows helps me feel more comfortable.  For expample SWR.  SWR is Standing Wave Ratio.  A high level of SWR is feedback of your signal into the radio due to a non-resonant antenna.  This is hard on a radio if the SWR is very high, and it is very inefficient both for receiving and sending.  At 1.5 watts you want to be as efficient as possible.  So the SW+ feels like going out there blind.  I didn't take a tuner.  My antenna is pretty resonant as long as it is deployed correctly.  I also don't have a good key set up yet for the SW+, so I just took a straight key.  I can't complain though.   The SW+ does not have a contest grade receiver, but it worked pretty well in the conditions I found myself this weekend.  I continue to be impressed with this little... well.... wonder.

04/08/2017z

I didn't get home until very late.  About 11:30pm eastern time.  I have recently been in contact with my college roommate.  He is from Japan and we did FaceTime to talk when I got home.  He was eating lunch.  It was midnight here.  It was so nice to see him and catch up with what is going on in our lives.  He showed me around his apartment and I showed him our house by walking around.  His apartment is two bedroom but really not so different than a small apartment here. He did say he has to take public transportation to work each day.  It takes an hour.  I must drive to work. No public transportation here.  I sure wish there were, but I got the impression he would like to drive.

So no ham radio until morning.  SKCC and QSO parties were going on.  I logged TX, PA, and the MS QSO party.  Nothing new for WAS and contests sure do not feel like I am traveling like I do when I make a random QSO.  Because of that I don't have any new town to talk about today.

What I did get today is a digital certificate for the IN QSO Party in 2016.  It is interesting where  we are going with digital things.  Some prefer paper QSL cards, some want digital confirmation of QSO's.  Paper certificates or PDF file of a certificate.  It makes me wonder what value should we put on a piece of paper?  I bet a framed picture will be looked at for many more years than pictures on a USB drive.  How would you feel if you got your college diploma a symbol of much work and financial investment emailed to you as a PDF?  If something was important to the giver or receiver then is a physical item appropriate?  When was the last time you sent a letter to a friend instead of an email?  What should I do with my PDF award?  Here it is. 

04/07/2017z

Today I'm out of the South and landed at Aurora, OH.  I met Jack/K8HGX.  Aurora seems like just a nice clean town.  Sea World had a location nearby.  There is a great golf course and Tinkers Creek State Park.  

I thought today about the daily QSO's.  I am interested in my WAS challenge but I can't make my signal move an any particular direction without a different antenna so I need to be patient.  I could try making a more directional antenna.  Right now I have a dipole and a vertical.  So I'm pretty much at the mercy of where propagation takes me.  I'm sure I follow grey line west and that is why I have gotten some of the western states I have gotten.  However, my thoughts are about how to keep the daily QSO going.  Each day having the ability to have the antenna and radio set up for a QSO seems difficult.  Most days it is just setting a little time aside.  However, to do things away from home for the weekend would mean always taking the radio with me and a effective antenna.  I have a weekend trip planned in May in Ohio to ride bicycles.  When will I take time to set up and operate a little?  What location will work?  I will be on vacation in a couple weeks.  Backpacking makes it easy to set up.  I'm in the woods alone.  However, what if I want to spend more than 24 hours in a urban place and stay in a motel or something.  Then how will I do it?  One day at a time.  I find it interesting how guys can go years making daily QSO's. How did life never get in the way?

04/06/2017z

Tonight was very late night getting home.  Almost 2330 was the local time.  I went to listen to a cello recital.  This recital was special because it was performed by my cello instructor.  This was his Doctorate recital at Ball State University in Muncie, IN.  I have been taking lessons from him for about 3 years.  The music was fantastic!  Three hours in the car though was a bit much.

I figured when I got home I would see if I could get my QSO in.  There were lots of signals calling CWT.  A contest?  Sure enough it is a contest.  So I called a couple stations with no luck.  One was a 6 call.  CA would be great for WAS!  Nope, but then I easily found the town of Burnet, TX.  N5AW/Marv.  The exchange was his name and CWT number.(CW Operators Club).  I don't have a CWT number so my exchange was my name and state.  here I am in Burnet, TX.  According to Wikipedia Burnet was established because of a company of Texas Rangers establishing a station there in the year 1847 to protect frontier settlers from Native American raids.  The town took off from there and the Austin and Northwestern Railroad went though in 1882.  Not much else to say, but the Highland Lakes are found there along with an air museum  and Longhorn Cavern.  

04/05/2017z

"Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death!"  -Patrick Henry 1775-.  Tonight I return to the South, landing in the capitol of the Confederacy.  However, before Jefferson Davis resided in the Confederate White House, Patrick Henry uttered these famous words leading to the Revolutionary War at St. John's Church.  I have been interested in Civil War history for a long time.  Richmond has been on my list of cities to visit for a long time.  The interesting thing is how close the Confederate capitol was to the United States capitol.  Some of the largest battles were fought during our Civil War geographically between these two capitols.  Fredericksburg comes to mind.  Toward the end of the Civil War The Davis family along with all of the Confederate government packed what they could and fled.  It is an interesting story. 

This is where I met Ed/KM4LT.  I tried answering other calls tonight but no one seemed to hear me except Ed.  He was calling CQ fairly slowly.  I answered him with a straight key and he seemed to hear me just fine.  You never know where your signal is landing.  Ed's radio is a FT-840 and was running 10 watts.  That is about all I know about Ed.  At about 5 to 10 wpm it takes some time to converse and so we didn't get a lot of information exchanged during the QSO.  Still I thank Ed for catching my call and talking to me.  I wonder if I will stay in the South tomorrow or if I will get to a different part of the United States.  I hope we find out and the daily QSO's continue.

04/04/2017    

Newnan, GA.  That is where I got to go today.  (Well, my RF at least).  I met Bob AK4JA there.  Newnan is an interesting place because of it's architecture. During the Civil War it was a hospital city and as a result was left untouched by damage from war.  It still features the antebellum architecture.  It also has the largest slave cemetery in the South called the Farmer Street Cemetery.  I am curious what this cemetery looks like. 

Now Bob is a avid QRPer according to his QRZ page and blog, ak4ja.wordpress.com.  

Bob was a 579 here in Indiana.  He told me he was running a homebrew transmitter at 1 watt.  I could hardly believe I heard it correctly.  There are also storms moving in and static crashes were competing for my attention through the SW+ receiver.  I asked him again his output power.  I never heard Bob again.  I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to talk more.  It isn't often I meet a QRPer that gets it as much as Bob does.  Brian KB9BVN has said to me recently that he thinks QRP is not about the power level but about just operating simply.  When someone tells you they are using a TX (transmitter) that means there is another box sitting there being used as the RX (receiver). Normally that means there is a switch to desensitize the RX when the TX is sending so you don't damage your receiver.  I have operated at QRP levels using my Hallicrafters as a receiver and didn't have to use a switch.  The TX didn't overload the RX enough to matter.  This switching is probably what happened to our QSO.  The RX or TX can drift off from each other and you can easily loose the station you are talking to.  I think that is especially true when receiving a QRP signal at 559 (which was my RST in this conversation). Now I would love to get to Newnan, GA and visit the cemetery and pay respect to the people who never got a chance to live free in this world.  I'd also love to talk again to Bob and listen to him tell me his passion for QRP.

04/03/2017

Today I landed in St. Mary's, PA. It was a very short QSO with NM3B/Wayne.  He said the signals were weak and I received a 559 RST.  (Probably generous). I am not feeling 100% due to allergies or something so I didn't feel like talking much anyway.  Still, Saint Mary's, PA is interesting.  It was the home of the oldest Benedictine women's religious order in the United States.  In 2013 the Sisters dissolved the community but the building is still there.  St. Mary's is also the home of Straub Brewery, founded in 1831!  They offer tours and if I ever physically get to St. Mary's I must have a pint! 

04/02/2017z

Today my signal traveled east. It landed in Wilmington, DE.  A new state for the WAS challenge.  WA3I/Chet was using his Elecraft K3.  Chet said he tried to ride his bicycle today.  He is a little behind us in spring weather and said they will be mowing most likely next week.  As I looked up Wilmington I see DuPont has had a large impact on the city.  There is a very large building and family house in the city.  Chet mentioned he is retired from DuPont.  I would love to visit the east coast someday.  DE is not the easiest state to get in the log and I am happy to have the chance to look up an interesting city in that state.  Thanks Chet!  As we finished I thought he was fading out due to band changing.  I was still copying him solid however I turned my AF gain up to hear him.  Then he said he turned his output power down to 1.5 watts.  He thought I would like to hear what 1.5 watts sounded like.  This happens sometimes to me as a QRPer.  Guys will want to turn their power down so I can hear what it sounds like to copy QRP.    The funny thing is that I forget when I am having such great conversations with people across America that I am really just riding the waves of propagation.  Am I very lucky to get a QSO at all?  I don't think it's luck.  I have been making a QSO a day since Feb 12.  Soon I will be at 2 months.  However, quality QSO's with meaningful conversations do not happen every day.  I have also made very few QSO's by calling CQ.  I have all but given up calling for a QSO.  I tune up and down the band looking for others calling and I answer them.

04/01/2017

I am going to try writing a little about the places my RF signal visits around the country.  

Today's radio waves traveled first to Woodbridge, VA.  The station of KI4XH.  Woodbridge is near the Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.  The refuge has interesting plants and home to bald eagles and ospreys.  Leesylvania State Park is also near Woodbridge which has a trail that leads to the ancestral home of Robert E. Lee.  

Next was QSO's to the state of MO and MS for their state QSO parties.  These events are held by each state yearly to encourage QSO's into and out of their state during the contest.  These are great ways to get the state and counties needed into an operators log.

04/01/2017z

My log entries have fallen behind again.  I am not sure why I am not finding the time to journal daily.  The QSO's are still going daily though.  Looking back through the log I have 3/28-K4IBZ, 3/29-KG5GGI, 3/30-K4IBZ, 3/31-W1GF.  

One of my problems right now it that I have the OHR 400 that is new to me.  My log is now mixed with SW+ and OHR QSO's.  I can never decide which radio to use.  I started tracking the OHR for WAS separate from the SW+ but the problem becomes if I worked a state with the OHR that I needed for the SW+ I will be disappointed especially if it is a rare state.  The comparison of the two are interesting. The OHR drifts more than the SW+ and it is much more power hungry.  I run the SW+ off a 1.2ah battery a lot.  I shared the power plug with the OHR so I didn't think about the power source.  I noticed the side tone of the OHR got very bad one morning.  I poured through the manual looking for an adjustment or what might be causing the problem.  Finally I had to leave for work and thought about it all the way there.  Then late morning while walking around it struck me that the voltage was probably too low and causing the side tone issue.  Sure enough!  When I got home I used my power supply and it was corrected.  The OHR has RIT, AGC, AF and RF gain control, internal keyer, and a little filtering and of course 4 bands.  All are nice tools at times.  The SW+ sips power, has a accurate frequency counter and AF gain control.  That's about it.  It doesn't cover as much of the band as the OHR but as I said does not drift as much.  Most important might be that I built it.  I think I will stick with the daily QSO's on my SW+ and WAS.