Totally disconnected as of 3:00 p.m. — first of multiple waves of T-storms has just arrived from the NW. At least they’re bringing much-needed rain.
At the halfway point for 13 Colonies 2024, I’ve managed 720 CW QSOs in 9.5 hours’ operating time. Most of that is from CQing on 20 meters, with brief forays to 15 and 40 in yesterday’s 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. CWTs, plus 30 minutes on 15, just before shutting down for the storms.
Unfortunately, there are 29 “dupes” in my QSO totals. Not sure why the dupe count is so high in this event but maybe those are “insurance contacts”. Band conditions have not been particularly great, and I’ve had to ask for callsign repeats numerous times despite enjoying a generally quiet receiving location.
It’s been gratifying to see near-continuous DX Cluster spotting of K2B CW operation from nodes all around the globe. And at one point on the first or second day I saw eight K2x CW stations spotted at one time on 20 CW.
If it looks like this QTH is not going to be clear of T-storms in time for my scheduled 10 p.m. 20-meter CW hour, I’ll erase my call — probably some time after 9:30 or so.
Bud, W2RU
