WAKE THE KIDS!! NEW STATE!!

So I m on call all weekend, all holiday weekend, and I was sitting at my home office desk and had the K2 turned on and was listening to the QSB when I heard a CW CQ from WA4LJJ on 7042 Khz at abotu 18:41Z.  

I thought it was probably another GA or NC or SC station calling, and he was pretty loud,  so I answered him with the straight key.  Doug WA4LJJ is a Air Force retiree and is 77 years old, he is a good CW operator, and we probably could have chewed the rag for an hour but the QSB was becoming a problem. 

Doug lives way down yonder in Eastern Kentucky in Pikeville.  Pikeville is in Pike County and the population there is about 7000.  If you enjoy bluegrass music, and I do, this is the place to be.  Pikeville is also home to singer Patty Loveless, singer Dwight Yoakam, and aviator John Paul Riddle (he founded the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University). 

Doug is a higher speed operator and is a member of the CFO (Chicken Fat Operators #386) and belongs to the SKCC as #16280.  He is also part of the CWOPS group.  Check him out on QRZ.COM as he has a very interesting biography. 

73 de KB9BVN

Indy to New York

Well my station has been off the air for about the last two weeks.  We've been having the entire house painted inside and out, and I was finally able to get some of my junque put back in the shack and connected to the Mojo enriched attic dipole antenna. 

So I tuned up to 7118 and listened for a couple hours, and did not hear much.  I had been watching a movie and keeping an ear to the radio when I heard Lou KD2ITZ from Yorktown Heights NY calling CQ, I was on the K2 set to about 10 watts output, the band was not in real bad shape and I had Lou a solid 579 here.  He was using a TS-590 at 50 watts into his dipole.  So not a bad signal at all.  If you have ever worked Lou before you know he has a great fist and makes for easy copy.  He remembered that we had worked each other in the past.  It's been raining at his QTH for a solid week like it has been raining here.  According to Wikipedia, Dave Matthews of "Dave Matthews Band" fame hails from Yorktown Heights NY as well as Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.  

KD2ITZ QSL Card I snagged from QRZ

I have been searching through all the boxes of my treasure and I am slowly getting things back together in the radio room.  Still can't find my K1.  Maybe tomorrow!

May the 4th be with you!

de KB9BVN