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.