Now, had I have known (or even realized the importance of this) that this weekend was a big contest, I would have requested the whole weekend off and probably Monday also (to recover and submit logs). Yes, it is that big.
What is it that I am talking about? The ARRL November Sweepstakes, of course. This contest is second only to Field Day in the severity of it. Rest assured that it is WOW big and important.
Because I had to work and had other husbandly duties (like take the XYL to see the new Harry Potter movie), I was really limited as to the amount of time I was able to devote to the contest. I was fortunate enough to make 19 QSO's though, so I am grateful for that. At least I got my feet wet and had some fun at it.
Another limiting factor is that I am still new at working with this radio and antenna combination. I guess you can say that I am still in the learning curve of it, but I am working at it.
There was one major hurdle that I had to overcome and actually took all of my time Sunday. The alternator in the truck went out and so here I was, in rural Iowa with no way to start the truck, a dead battery and dead alternator. Thank God, I still had a cell phone. The repairs were just over $300.00 and I was back on the road. Too bad it had to happen this weekend.
73's to the QSO's I did make and to all the stations out there that participated. Hope to see you next year.
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