[ADXA] DX and the Lazy Days of Summer

[w5zn at w5zn.org]

What are your preferred activities in summer?

Several come to mind although is it quite obvious that our interests 
vary and most likely other activities take priority over amateur radio. 
They certainly do for me. Radio is still a big part of my life as that 
is the ONLY activity I have interest in outside of work and family 
commitments.

The Dayton Hamvention is always an annual event for me as well as the 
ARRL June VHF Contest however once those events are finished I tend to 
float off into lala land once the work week is done. Our summer time 
weather usually halts or strictly limits outside activities including 
antenna work so I usually wind up taking it easy inside. This summer has 
been no different and is common place with many of us, thus the lack of 
chatter here on our reflector or in the DX world in general. It does, 
however, provide a good time to take care of some needed improvements 
with the station inside the shack! Waiting until this fall when 
DXpeditions begin to fire up or the contest season begins is too late to 
start making those improvements.

My summer radio activities have been somewhat minimal this summer. I 
completed an invited feature article for the upcoming September/October 
issue of NCJ, The National Contest Journal, and also was invited to 
submit a paper and presentation at the Central States VHF Society 
Conference this year in Wichita, KS. Kim and I had a nice trip up and 
enjoyed visiting with a number of our friends in that arena. That's 
pretty much been the extent of my "outside the shack" activities since 
our meeting in June.

Even though summer usually present a lull in our on-the-air activity 
there is DX to be worked that some of you need. Right now, ADXA member 
Bill, W5SJ and team are on from Austral Islands, TX5T. Now, its not the 
rarest DXCC entity around though it ranks # 71 world wide and I know 
some of you need it, either for an all time new one or a new one of some 
bands. GET ON AND WORK THESE GUYS.

So, with Labor Day weekend just two short weeks away what's forthcoming? 
For me it is a good bit of general antenna maintenance once the hot wx 
breaks and then get all of the low band RX antennas out for the upcoming 
low band and contest season because before we know it, Labor Day will be 
gone, Daylight Savings Time will end and the available daylight time 
will diminish significantly.

ADXA will hold our 3rd quarterly meeting on Saturday, September 15 in 
North Little Rock at U.S. Pizza from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Then on Friday 
November 30 and Saturday December 1 we will once again hold our annual 
meeting in North Little Rock with Frank Donovan, W3LPL, as our very 
special guest.

I look forward to seeing everyone at one of our upcoming events.

73 Joel W5ZN