This year, our club ran 2A from a grassy field that is owned 
by our local Bass Pro shop.

Since it is located in the middle of a highly populated 
retail area, I expected radio reception to be very noisy. 
But the location turned out to be one of the most quiet 
receiving sites I have encountered in a long time.

Yesterday, using my TS570, I made 120 CW contacts, mostly on 
15 and 20 meters. The antenna was a loaded vertical antenna 
that uses a base loading coil, a telescoping whip, and some 
counterpoise radials. This antenna played surprisingly well, 
but I missed the convenience of changing bands on the fly. 
To change bands, someone had to go to the antenna itself and 
configure it for the new band.

When I went back out this morning, I appropriated the 
Carolina Windom from the other station that was not being 
used. With that antenna, I cleaned house on 10 meter CW, 
working every station I heard.

My wife then worked some 10 meter SSB, and we both worked 
some 6 meters. We only made 8 or 10 6 meter contacts, but 
again, we caught everything we could hear.

My total CW count for the weekend was 150, plus about 30 
phone contacts.

 The weather was wonderful yesterday, excluding a sudden 
wind gust that blew down the food tent.

Today, however, it was as if somebody had set the oven to 
self cleaning mode ... no breeze, no clouds, and enough hot 
sun to melt the polar icecap,, or fry an egg on the 
sidewalk.

Overall, band conditions were much better than they were 
last year.

Plus, all who participated said they had fun.

Mike Duke, K5XU
American Council of Blind Radio Amateurs