Chapter 10

There's a reason why I'm blogging instead of playing on the radio. It's because every damned frequency I have the equipment to use is utterly devoid of use.

I got up at about 0730 and immediately headed to the shack. Flipping the Tempo onto 75m, I gave the knob a twirl, hoping to hear at least one "CQ MAQP". Instead, all I heard was old men rambling on and on about things which I suppose were very important to them.

As an aside, I cannot even remember what they were droning about; it probably had something to do with how quickly or slowly they were dying. I mean, I'm all for ragchewing - I do it all the time on the Marconi Net on 3872 kHz - but this gives new meaning to the idea that amateur radio is a dying hobby! Sheesh!

Anyway, I made two contacts in four hours, both on 20m, neither in the Mid-Atlantic (one in FL, the other in GA). Conditions are absolutely terrible; a few Europeans were heard about 1000 EST, but no one else. I wanted to work 40m, but the Tempo is still inop on that band.

I am terribly disappointed. I wanted like nothing else to get on the air and make contacts. 75m was full of blahblahblah, and 20m was dead. I wish I had 40m, but I can't figure out the problem. I'll try again this afternoon, I guess.