W2LJ's Blog - QRP - Do More With Less.

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NAQCC MilliWatt Sprint tonight

Posted: 16 Dec 2015 07:57 AM PST
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Tonight is a special NAQCC MilliWatt Sprint. "Special" in that this Sprint
is in addition to the regular "full gallon" QRP Sprint, which is held each
month. I am going to try and get some time in on this one. It's held from
8:30 to 10:30 PM local time, here on the East coast. I have a South
Plainfield Amateur Radio Club meeting that starts at 7:00 PM, so I should
be home somewhere before 9:00 PM at the latest. I don't know how long this
meeting is going to last, as there's a special topic on the agenda. SPARC
has become an official ARRL affiliated club and I'm bringing the beautiful
certificate that the League sent us.

I like the milliWatt Sprints, because as a dedicated event unto themselves,
they are rare and a challenge. This one will also give me a chance to give
a workout to that McElroy straight key that I recently acquired. Last
night, band conditions were beautiful for the 40 Meter QRP Foxhunt. I had
an ambient noise level of about an S1. The signals from both Foxes, Jim
N0UR in WI and Drew K9CW in IL jumped right out at me. I believe that last
night was one of the fastest "2-fers" that I have ever had in over a decade
of Fox hunting. I am hoping that those beautiful conditions will be present
tonight, as well.

It's just as well that I won't be present for the entire Sprint, anyway.
Two full hours behind a straight key is hard on my hands. I think I've
mentioned this before, but I have pretty bad arthritis in both my hands,
which I attribute to my Dad. (Sorry, Dad!) My father and uncle owned a
small butcher shop / grocery store that they opened after returning from
WWII. I worked there just about every summer since I was about seven years
old, until I was eighteen. As I grew older, I went from stocking shelves to
doing actual butchering. Handling cold meat for a living does a number on
your hands. After he retired, my Dad's hands were a mess. He didn't have
many fingers that weren't gnarled. My hands are nowhere near as badly off
as his were, but if I work a straight key too long, I get a painful "tooth
ache" feeling in my hand. The same thing happens if I don't wear gloves in
cold weather.

I could use my Vibroplex bug, but I haven't been on it in a while now, and
I don't want to inflict any unnecessary pain on my fellow NAQCC members!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!