Day 2 Download

Day 2 of Hamvention started late. The lack of sleep for the trip in left me way too tired to start early this AM. I arrived a little after 10 AM an the sun, hidden above the clouds, had already heated the sauna that is the Hara Arena parking lot. But, in spite of the heat I dragged on. It didn't take long to find something I couldn't pass up.

The Radio Shack DSP (21-543) was hidden behind a pile of boxes on a small table under a tent behind another booth tucked behind a camper...you get the idea. I saw it and asked the gentleman if if worked. "Like a charm." At $20, I didn't even blink and paid the man. It's a good thing I did too. Just as I left the tent, another ham passed me and I heard him ask the man if the DSP was still there. Sorry buddy, the time to buy a gem is when you find it.

I've never had the opportunity to try one of these units, but I've read a bit about them and I needed an external speaker for my PFR-3 project anyway. So I was happy to begin with. Tonight, back at the hotel, I dialed in some CW on 40m. It was, like expected, full of noise, but I engaged the DSP and the audio popped out. I'm very happy with the initial experiment and I really can't wait to try it out at home.

My next find took me a while. I cruised the flea market baking (more like steaming) in the overcast air/water/sweat. Them I spotted someone selling a complete Hendrics QRP rig. As u stopped to admire it, I noticed a You Kits HB-1a, after haggling a bit, we made a deal. Score!

A Presley and a lemonade later, I was back to "work." Next on the list were a few cables, connectors, odds, and ends. Along the way, I ran into some friends of friends and shot the breeze before remembering that the DX Forum was about to start.

I arrived just in time to secure a seat (the room fills FAST) and only had to wait a few minutes for the first speaker. The presentations were all excellent, but AA7JV hit it out of the park speaking about the PT0S DXpedition. He said something that will stick with me, "Male your expedition relevant or you're just a tourist playing with your radio." I need to remember that as I start heading out to operate QRP remotely. Relevance is an important part of keeping people listening for that little 5w signal.

Well I'm wiped and heading to bed. 73 WE2F