Much going on lately that has kept me away from this site: a trip to Florida to visit my daughter (no radios along, I didn't want a repeat of last time), a trip to Houston on business, a relocation of the home pc that has disrupted everything pc-related (including getting QSL cards out, sorry to those affected).
One thing that has always seemed like a major challenge in my lazy quest to finally get WAS has been Alaska. There just don't seem to be enough active hams in that state to give good odds of working one any time soon.
A few days ago, before the temperatures went to triple digits, I was in my truck at lunch and answered a CQ on 20 by NS8V, Paul in Menominee, MI. We had a pleasant chat for a few and exchanged FISTS numbers and he signed off. I was about to reach for the switch when I heard someone calling me: WL7CDC, Doug in Anchorage. He gave me a pretty good report for my hamstick/parking lot operation, and we also exchanged FISTS numbers.
So my Alaska dilemma solved itself. Thanks, Doug, for the call and the QSL. As soon as I can get my PC back together enough, I will get a card out to you.
I am about to order the next upgrade to my station: this. I have had lots of fun with the hamsticks, but I really want an antenna I don't have to change to change bands (or, on 40 meters, frequency. I use two antennas for 40 CW and 40 SSB).
So, as soon as my expense check for my trip last week gets here, I am placing the order.
I should get a couple of S-units gain, too.
I got a laptop. A Dell Vostro 1500 with Windows XP (no Vista, no way). I tried it out with Ham Radio Deluxe, using the Radio Shack interface, and it works awesomely great. Just be sure the radio is turned on before you issue the connect command.
My Hi-Q antenna arrived today. They call them "Stealth" antennas. I think this has to be Charlie's idea of a joke. That is one impressive looking piece of equipment. I just hope I am up to the task of getting it mounted and wired on the truck.
That was a quick turnaround, by the way. I placed the order on the 17th, and it arrived on the 22nd (no one home to sign for it, so I had to pick it up at the post office today). That's pretty good service.
One minor complaint about the Hi-Q website: the products are getting ahead of the product descriptions. As one example, that page on the 3/80 mentions using an external reed switch to count coil rotations, but the reed switch is included and mounted internally now. There are several places where the descriptions no longer exactly match the products. Hi-Q needs to take a day or two to edit their pages to match what they are selling now.