New year, New shack, SKCC Centurion, WES and K3Y

Hello again. Well some good news! The room for my shack is done and somewhat operational. I still do not have any outside antennas, but at least I have a 15 meter dipole setup in the storage room next to my shack. This helps because the fan dipole was not actually cut for 15, I was using the fact that 40 meter section could be used for 15. But with a fan dipole, that might not be the best.

Do you remember I had a cable with a bad connection on the PL-259 plug on one end? Well it turns out the other end had the same problem. Of course that was the cable I used to connect my fan dipole to my TS-520S when I moved into my new shack and had to change the cable I was using (too short) to this other cable. It wasn't difficult to figure out it was bad. As I was plugging in the cable I heard activity on the radio. However, as soon as I connected the shield, the signal died... I knew something was not right and sure enough when I checked the cable with a meter. it was open. Oh well live and learn.

I worked the K3Y special event this year and got 19 unique spots. Wasn't able to get any /3 or /6. Didn't seem like there were any on the bands I am able to use. I was limited to 40 and 15 on QRO and 80 and 20 with my HW-8 QRP. I am still having RFI issues with the fresh air exchanger so I can only operate 20 on my QRP rig. Hope when I get some out side antennas this will change, but you never know!! Interesting thing, I am right over my garage and do not have any issues with the garage door openers.

I also worked the January and February WES. First time I worked two back to back. I worked enough stations to earn my Centurion suffix on my SKCC number. So what does this mean? It means now on to get my Tribune!!

I have also been doing some more JT65. I have got New Zealand in the book now on 10 meters. Which is new for me. I have about 125 confirmed JT65 QSOs on eQSL.cc sine October. Mostly 10 and 15 meters.

I have bought a HD monitor for my radio computer. Really nice but seems to have slowed the computer some what.

Next time I will have a surprise!!.....

New shack operating position

HW-8 station.