learnhamradio

 12/26/2022 This activation was impromptu. I had a gap in my schedule and a new paddle begging to play! Gear: Rig: Elecraft KX2 @ 5W Key: Begali Adventure Mono Antenna: end-fed half wave inverted vee 49:1 transformer 2x14 FT140-43  65' main element 8' counterpoise Ground-fed 25' RG-174 coax Jackite 31' telescoping pole I bungied the Jackite pole to a convenient signpost and got on the air pretty quickly. It was a bit cold (21 f) so I was motivated to get back in the car.  I spotted myself at 14.059 and began calling at 20:12. There were only a few others activating CW, and the calls began two minutes later. After a brief lull, the pileup started. It was super busy with lots of repeats due to doubling. By 20:35 things started to let up, affording me the opportunity to QSY to 40M (7.056). By 20:39 the calls started coming, again fast and furious. I stayed on the frequency until the next lull, signing QRT at 21:01 with 46 contacts in 47 minutes.  Everything performed well.