[Elecraft] K2 #7150 is born; and the third time's a charm

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

Congratulations Wayne! 

I still keep a log - a paper log that includes all contacts, band cdx notes,
station setup, etc. It's as much of a journal as anything. I always filled
the back side of the ARRL log book pages with those notes while the contacts
went on the front of each page. I now use loose pages (numbered as the are
used) that go into 3-ring binders. 

I tried an electronic log for a while, thinking it would be fun to surprise
someone with "Hi OM! Good to hear you again. Are you still running the
XXXX?" from a contact 5 years ago! And it worked. But I spend my days at a
keyboard and the only computer hardware in my shack is the notebook I used
to update firmware or run some tests. Ham time for me is not time staring at
a screen and flailing at the keyboard - it's for listening to sounds and
flailing on my bug, Hi! 

And it's funny, I can hear a call that sounds like I may have worked him
before and almost always flip to the last QSO very quickly, even if it's
many pages and many months back! But then I'm a rag-chewer, not someone who
enjoys quickie 5NN-5NN contacts. 

73, 

Ron AC7AC



-----Original Message-----
In nineteen seventy something, I passed a ham radio exam for the first 
time.  I never got a station put together, and so never got on the air.

In nineteen eighty something, I passed the test again.  But once again I 
didn't get a station and never got on the air.

This time, I built the station _first_, then got licensed.  About a 
month ago I finished K2 #7150, with the aid of great instructions, 
Elecraft's fine support, the archive of this mailing list, and all of 
your generous help.  Oh, and the Optivisor.  I spent weeks wearing the 
Optivisor.

Saturday, dad and I each passed both the technician and general exams. 
Our callsigns have just been assigned (they're even sequential).

I'm going to drop by the ham store on the way home and pick up a log 
book.  I know I'm not required to log my contacts, but having dad's 
callsign as my first log entry... how can I not do that?

This has been a long time coming.  Thanks for all of your help in making 
it happen.

73, Wayne Conrad KF7QGA