This is a fine example of the fellowship of Amateur Radio. I was tuning around on the HW-8 after a very busy day hanging out with some grand kids, and going grocery shopping with my most excellent wife. I was getting clobbered right and left by the ARRL DX contest and this was on 40m. Ugh. So I fired up the Slack Channel we use for the Indiana Elmer Network and started looking for Ivin W9ILF to see if he was around and on the air. The RBN showed he had not yet been on today.
Anyway I got his attention in chat and he was working a guy in New York, and I needed New York, but we were in a race...and Ivin asked KD2IZT to give a shout out for KB9BVN. How is that for just being a most excellent ham? Lou called me, and I answered and he did not hear me. I was frantic. He and Ivin went back to QSOing and I was listening to KD2IZT's every word...could not hear W9ILF. A few minutes later Lou called me again, and this time he heard me and gave me a 579 from Yorktown NY. He was 599 in my headphones and running a TS-590 at 75 watts. He was happy to work my HW-8 and we traded SKCC numbers and all was right with the world (apologies to Jean Shepherd K2ORS).
Ivin thinks he is a comedian, after the QSO he said he told Lou that I was mentally unstable, and he should act like he heard me even if he couldn't. Well I know Lou heard me, and yes, I may be a bit unstable but THAT'S HAM RADIO!
If you ever hear Ivin W9ILF on the air, work him, and you will have worked one of the nicest hams I have ever had the good fortune to meet and Elmer years ago, and he plays a mean Cello!
My posting here will slow down this coming week as I am on 24 hour call for work all week. It will give me some time to be on the air in the evenings but not much. So right now I stand at 5 states, a mere 45 more to go. Best 73
DE KB9BVN
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