An eventful week. We escaped the Midwest for a few days to enjoy some sun, heat, and sand. Naturally it was quite warm in Indianapolis a couple of the days we were gone, and in the 40s when we returned. Such is life in the Midwest in March… While we were away I at long last received a new callsign. For various reasons, I moved the call I applied for back in January down to the third spot on my latest application.
It is quiet in my shack. I had hoped to do some antenna repairs Sunday, but more high winds made that impossible. The wind storm continued into Monday and we’ve had off-and-on snow the last three days. Now kids are rolling in for their spring breaks and another relative will be staying with us briefly. My radio activities will be likely shut down for another week or so. That’s a shame because there is a new rig in the shack.
The antenna feed line is disconnected as the final round of storms moves through our area today. Fortunately we just had lots of rain and wind and a little thunder. A couple limbs down in the yard, some mulch washed away by a downspout that is clogged, but nothing close to the damage done to our northwest last night. Because there is no connection to the antenna, I can’t take the new addition to my shack for a spin.
Another contest weekend in the books. I had to dodge thunderstorms Saturday morning, basketball Saturday afternoon, and some yard work Sunday. When I was in front of the rig, I rarely spent more than an hour at a time there, and I primarily chased the loudest signals. A hardcore contester I am not. Conditions seemed goodish Saturday? The best the bands have sounded in a few weeks to my ears. Maybe it was just that so many stations were on that made them seem that way.
I made contact with J51A on 15 today. Notable not just because it was an ATNO, but also because it had been exactly one month since my last ATNO on phone. A lot of that is due to my discovery of FT8. Band conditions have also stunk more often than not over the past 30 days. Bad enough that almost daily I peek out the window to make sure my antenna is still in the air and not lying on the ground.