[Qcwa] Fw: Reflector

[John Paul Keon]

BlankWell,

I waited about 10 years after I had been a ham to join this group.
That is 10 years after I had my 25 years. total 35 years.
I am enjoying it for the most part.  I have read most of the posts
(or I should say yes I did read all of them) and it has gotten the
point of where are we?

(I'll ask the question again.  Has anyone built anything lately?
Has anyone worked any new DX?
Has anyone even been off the keyboard and on the air this week?
This month?  This year?  I don't care weather it was CW or SSB or PSK31
or just touching 2 wires together.  Have you made any contacts?

An even better question is when was the last time you sent a
QSL card to someone you worked?  I hope the reason you don't
QSL anymore is not because you don't ever work any new
stations but only work people on the same old nets week after week)

I would like to hear more of this also.  I don't really care whether we keep
code or not.  That is up to the user.

I like to build rigs.  Just got a new Sierra finished and put together a new
link for a logging program as a beta tester and am enjoying playing with
that.  Can you imagine, someone must have read this reflector, and
decided he needed to send CW so he made up a program, logging and all,
and then put in a new program to send the cw for you.
yes it has been done before, but I am trying it anyway.
Have to put my "Mercury" paddle aside for a while.
next to the old Vibroplex.

I recently found some old log books and several boxes or QSL cards I had
not sent out. wow.  I thought they were lost forever, and then found them
in a box that was improperly marked in the attic.  Wow, what a treasure
find.
I felt like a little kid.  I am really, just old body and a kid at heart.  I
don't want
to grow up and become bitter.  I decided that it was time to fill in the
cards I had not sent out.
and put in a letter about how I forgot to send them.
Now I am getting back cards from years ago, that I did not send out
originally and getting back letters from old buddies on the air, in the new
age.  They have things to say that make the day brighter, and more
interesting and wow what a lot of time has flown by.  Seems like my mentor
told me in the early 60's that the last part of a QSO is a QSL and you send
that out to confirm it for each of you.  Sure is nice to read about
what they have done and accomplished.  Even got a letter from an old buddy
in the Coast Guard who was a RM with me on one of my ships.  We are going
to get together for a reunion after 30 years and chat.  can't wait.

I built several new antennas.  One a May QST 15 meter beam from scratch
and then tried it during FD.  It worked great with my new QRP rig from the
woods.  I had a good time, used a new antenna I built myself for my hobby
and was real pleased with myself.  I let others use it too and they even
mentioned how nice it was.

I got on SSB and plugged my microphone into the rig for a first in a while,
and operated voice on the radio.....  wow it was different, and I remembered
why I liked CW after a while listening to all the noise I could hear with
the voices.   but I still got in there and did it.

So like Dan/N�DT said, get in there and try something else, or do something
else, and get rid of the frustration.  If you don't want to listen to
something
else hit the power button and go watch TV or something.  In the end,
remember
the one important statement.  This is a hobby, not a JOB.
And I still enjoy reading all this mess too.

I still like this group, and like to read the statements made on here; but,
in the end
it is like my old job.  People sure do whine a lot, and cry and complain,
and well
I don't miss that old job any more either.   I don't have to listen to the
whiners
and complainers any more.  well not too much anyway.    I laugh at them now!

Happily retired State Trooper, who still loves CW and doesn't care, use it
or not!
But, remember it is your choice. enjoy it.

finally got in my $.02  lets get back to what we loved about this group and
don't worry
about whether we have it 20 40 or 100 years from now.  The kids of today
that we help
and show the right way to do things will learn it, use it and like it like
we did if we show
it to them with a positive attitude.

72's/ 73's
de AB4PP
John Paul, Raleigh, NC [AB4PP]//NNN�UTV
ab4pp@nc.rr.com  // jpkeon@nc.rr.com

http://www.knightlites.org
"We all take different paths in life, but no matter where
we go, we take a little of each other everywhere."