Back in the Saddle Again

 

	de	date	band	mode	grid		Country	op
	CT9/UR9IDX	2023-09-23	3cm	CW			Madeira Island
	K1ESE	2023-09-23	20m	CW	FN44pe		United States	JOHN C HUFFMAN
	KA0PQW	2023-09-23	20m	CW	EN33iu		United States	Matthew D Arthur
	W1KX	2023-09-23	20m	CW	FN44xf		United States	WILLIAM C MANN
	NA9M	2023-09-23	20m	CW	EN53hd		United States	Paul D Kinas
	AF4OD	2023-09-23	20m	CW	EM72gn		United States	William B Capps
	VE2TH	2023-09-23	20m	CW	FN46hu		Canada	Michel Boissonnault
	K5KV	2023-09-22	20m	CW	EM01tm		United States	BENSON J OWENS
	V31XX	2023-09-20	15m	CW	EK58uk		Belize	Bill Kollenbaum

I'm having a blast making CW contacts in a variety of states and countries. Yes, I'm a bit rusty but I'm doing fine considering that I've been off the air around 4 years. I'm still reading my instruction manual of the Icom 703 to relearn the finer points of making DX contacts but I never seem to tire of the process.... 

Several of my contacts are Parks on the air (POTA) which are my favorites. I feel a special excitement working those QRP stations.  

My Rig Now- Still 100% QRP

                  I've made a change or two and looking forward to soon getting on the air. 

It's been so long that I need to read my instruction manual again and check all my wring. It's important to get everything grounded. Many years ago, a lightening bolt struck my neighbors home and destroyed about 100 ceramic roof tiles and it melted all the wring in the house and destroyed the transmit portion of my Icom 703.  

I've missed using Morse code the last 4 years with my iambic paddle. I know my speed has diminished greatly but it like riding a bicycle...you really never forget. 

 

Health Problems

 Since my last posting, I've had Titanium spacers placed in the lower left side of  my back. The surgery was a simple with a quick recovery time, and it relieved my intense agonizing pain.  I had scheduled another surgery on my lower right side, which would have placed a small slender cadaver bone in my right hip but there were other problems which I was unaware of at that time. 

Our home in Charleston has a small yard which I  have always cut with a "push mower" and cutting the grass has always made me feel great, although I was always dripping wet with sweat and very tired afterwards. Alarmingly, I developed a pain down my left arm one hot summer day. I knew what that meant....

I had triple by-pass open heart surgery soon afterwards with a hospital stay of 13 days and an extra 10 days in a rehab unit. I don't remember very much of the hospital other than several PTSD attacks. Apparently, that's not unusual considering the trauma of open heart surgery but I had not anticipated this in my wildest dreams. Needless to say, I should never have visited Vietnam recently because I saw little difference in the South Vietnam of 1968 and 2022. It was depressing to me. 

I had a bout with Covid a few weeks ago but thankfully, it was a mild case. 

I have a pacemaker scheduled to be installed on March 22 now. Hopefully, I should feel more normal afterwards.