[Elecraft] Elecraft CW Net Report for February 18th & 19th, 2007

[Kevin Rock]

Good Evening,
    It took me until W0NTA's check in to realize what was going on with my  
hands.  I had spent a couple hours yesterday with a chainsaw, a sledge  
hammer, and a wedge.  There is something about fine motor control and  
using the major muscle groups which don't agree with one another!  My hand  
kept locking into certain positions while I was sending so my characters  
would not always complete.  My mind was sending one thing and my hand was  
sending something else.  It took me a long time to realize the pain in my  
hand had something to do with yesterday's work.  During the first net I  
was chilly since the room temperature was 60 degrees.  I thought I was  
just cold.  But during the second net, after making dinner had warmed the  
house, I was just as stiff.  I guess I better split more wood so I am not  
so strongly effected by a few hours of effort.  Good thing I have pleny of  
wood lying down ready for the wood pile ;)
    There was a smidge of room on 20 meters so I squeezed in and worked a  
few of you.  I could not work the weaker stations since there were some  
QRO bruisers right nearby causing loud clicks in my phones.  Forty meters  
was much nicer.  QSB was strong but I could at least hear the folks out  
east.  During both nets there were a couple ops running a little power.   
Nothing massive but it sure did cut right through the clutter.  One of  
these days ...  Well I had better get up a tower first if I have any  
intention of running a linear to a beam ;)  First things first.  However,  
working on the house has priority for this dry season.  Maybe next year ...

    On to the lists =>

On 14049.50 kHz at 2245z:
W3MC - Mike - MD - K2 - 5568
AB9V - Mike - IN - K2 - 3993
W0RSR - Mike - CO - K2 - 5767    QNI #5!
W0CZ - Ken - ND - K2 - 1031
VE3XL - Ric - ON - Ten Tec Omni
K1EV - Bill - CT - K2 - 2152
KT5E - Jay - CO - K2 - 5037
NE5DL - Dave - TX - K2 - 2887

On 7045 at 0157z:
N0SS - Tom - MO - K2 - 008
WD4LST - Pete - FL - K2 - 5813
K9ZTV - Kent - MO - KX1 - 1354
W3MC - Mike - MD - K2 - 5568
AK2B - Tom - NY - K2 - 4482      QNI #25!!
K2HYD - Ray - NC - KX1 - 608     QNI #85!!!!
W0RSR - Mike - CO - K2 - 5767
W0CZ - Ken - ND - K2 - 1031
N0AR - Scott - MN - K2 - 4866    QNI #40!!!
KL7CW - Rick - AK - KX1 - 798    QNI #65!!!
N5BZ - BZ - LA - K2 - 5884
VE3XL - Ric - ON - Ten Tec Omni
VE6ITA - John - AB - K2 - 5384
W3MC - Mike - MD - K2 - 5568
AB9V - Mike - IN - K2 - 3993
W6ZH - Pete - CA - K1 - 553      QNI #35!!!
W0NTA - Dick - CO - K2 - 3900

    Now I am going to soak my hands for a while.  Tomorrow I either get to  
bang at a keyboard or bang on some rounds of wood.  Either way my fingers  
and hands will get a work out.  Then, of course, there is the obligatory  
one hour sked at how ever fast I can send in the morning.  Good thing I  
have a very patient mentor ;)  Seems like my ears can do much better than  
my fingers while running CW.  I am hoping for a few more years before I  
have to go to a keyboard :(  CW is just too much fun; I should have stuck  
with it in 1965 even though I did shatter my wrist.  What do they say in  
those sports commercials?  "No pain, no gain".  Another thirty some odd  
years of CW would be worth it.  Maybe left handed ...
    I hope you folks can find your vehicles buried under the mound of  
snow.  I remember in Wisconsin hoping I was digging out the right  
vehicle!  When the cold and wind combine with that amount of snow it  
becomes quite a task to get cars and trucks running.  Square tires in the  
morning surely do wake you up.  So does the bone chilling cold when you  
first start up.  I wonder if I could handle it after all these years out  
west?  It never gets cold in Oregon and it was much the same in  
Albuquerque.  Pat and I had planned on buying a winter house in  
Wisconsin.  Maybe I'll do that just for fun :)
    Take care and I will see you on the air next week,
        73,
           Kevin.  KD5ONS  (Net Control Operator 5th Class)