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.