Ugh. Conditions tonight were as bad as I have seen them so far this fox season. I never heard Wayne, no surprise since he's only 200 miles from me. I could hear the pack after Bill, W7KXB, but could not hear him at all.
But at 9:00 he rose from the noise like a phoenix and I was able to work him easily.
So now I'm down two, but judging from some of the calling I heard, I wasn't alone.
This: Mike Walters Nokia - Google Search showed up in my logs today. Apparently there is a Mike Walters at Nokia (scroll down to April 12th), he is (was?) the 3G marketing manager for North America.
Was he also bootlegging my callsign as a member of the Nokia radio club? Inquiring minds want to know.
If so, not nice, Mike.
The plot thickens: go here and read the bio:
Uh, uh, oh no you aren't. According to the FCC license database, I am the only Mike Walters Extra class in Texas. There is another ham with the same name and middle initial, but he's a tech in New Mexico. As a matter of fact, as of today I am the only Michael/Mike Walters holding an Extra class license in the U.S. Do the search, if you like: http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/searchAmateur.jsp. (Slight correction: Gary Walters, W8ZY, who goes by "Mike", is an extra class licensee.) Admittedly, the database only goes back two years, but when tickets are issued for ten years, if the other Mike held one in the 2001-2004 timeframe it is likely it would still be valid.
So what's the deal, Mike? Did you bootleg my call back in the day? Did you write the bio that claims you are an Extra class licensee? Were you at one time in the past an Extra class licensee, and if so what was your call?
I have no information that suggests that anyone has ever used my callsign on the air besides myself, but all this is kind of perplexing. I have held this call for 43 years, excepting the 5 year hiatus from 69-74, and I am a little protective of it.
12-27-2007
Important update: I have had an email from W8ZY, Gary "Mike" Walters, and he is in fact the Nokia marketing manger mentioned in the bio, and he did live in Texas at that time, and he was and is an extra class licensee. So he is in no way the person who may have been bootlegging my call, and I apologize for suggesting that may have been the case.
Snagged both foxes tonight in under 20 minutes, then went down band to try to work V47/AB2RF in Nevis.
After 40 minutes I managed to get him, but he garbled my call to the point that it isn't a confirmable QSO.
I'll try again tomorrow night.
I've sent out a bunch of QSL cards. Where are my response cards?
Big thanks out to KC0IDJ, who did send one back right away.
Tried again but couldn't work Kan, V47/AB2RF in Nevis. Too many in the pileup and I couldn't get a handle on his operating rhythm, to know when to sneak in a call. One odd thing was when I was trying to call him, he was being QRMed (sort of) by 4X4MU, arguably a better DX catch, I think.
Kan was working split frequency, which is a difficult proposition with the MFJ. The RIT really only moves the receiver about 800 Hz, so you have to make up the difference by tweaking the dial, making the station you're trying to work more difficult to hear.
Maybe next year I will have better luck.
New cards! See column at right. (I know, I still have all those card images up.) Thanks to Ann, Lor, and Frantz for the nice DX QSL cards.
Just got back from a drive/fly trip to Florida to take my daughter to Disney World where she will be working in the college program, so here's the update on the foxhunt:
Didn't get either one last week. Went out with a fizzle, could not hear either one, or even the pack, except occaisionally. So the final number is 16 for 20. Still, not bad for my first full season attempt.
Next summer, though ...