Hi there, I meant to write this right after Field Day! Whoops! Been busy, Geritol wore out, senility, your choice.
So, June and July are here and we have had heat, rain, humidity, I guess that means we had Field Day. Yep, another toasty, wet event. Good news is we survived! Yours truly did take the tour and visited all the sites. All in all, it was pretty successful. My visit to HCRA site was met with one nasty storm and spent the visit under an easy-up on top of a picnic table. I would of rather see the bear!
A special shout out is to the Mt Tom ARA site. It is surprising what a few people and a new Field Day site will do. Two years ago, they were struggling even with their hamfest. They have found new life! Membership is growing and their field day is a very active one at the Blandford Fairgrounds. They have a great arrangement there. Hat’s off to you! Well done! This is what you get with members participating and getting it done. Clubs take notice!
The ARRL has been feeling a great deal of pain with the cyberattack they got on May 17 and is still not completely resolved. The Learning Center, phones, etc are back and only now LOTW is back online. Needless to say, the number of nay-sayers has been having their own field day by taking their half-truths, gossip, rumors and splattering it on social media. This is NOT how we should be acting as hams! This organization has far many more benefits to offer and should get our support. Think about what this attack has cost the league in restoral services, lost revenue, etc. That price increase is small to what they are going through right now. The FBI are working on investigating this and not sure if the other attacks we have heard about are related. Please be patient as we ride out the storm. By the way, my arrl.org email has not been working as a result. Email me at ray.aa1se@gmail.com if you need to reach me.
I just completed my first effort in participating in the 13 Colonies special event. Thanks Larry W1AST for the invite. (I think 😊) I actually worked all days and racked up 1067 contacts. The best day was the last one where I was on FT8 on 15 meters and hit the mother-load of DX! Multiple AK, even got China, a ton of JA, and more! I know, it’s old hat for some of you but it was a treat for me. (One of the reasons I’m late for getting this out sooner) I used this opportunity to use a different station setup and learn new things. (One is laptops can be finiky!)
Clubs this time are enjoying a break from meeting. Do plan on some summertime activities and operate. POTA has been booming lately, and as I indicated I have been working on different setups to see how it does. Good practice for the mad scientist skills. Good thing to do indoors or out. Remember, heat can make things wonky including yourself so be safe out there.
Till next time, 73
Ray AA1SE