Just heading down to the shack, Mike.  i'll keep an ear out for you.  Lou
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Duke, K5XU" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, November 20, 2010 4:44 PM
Subject: Finally Back on 40 Meters


> What began this morning as a simple re-hanging of my 40 meter inverted
> V, turned into the construction of a completely new antenna.
> Apparently the center insulator/connector had failed on the old
> antenna.
> 
> Since that antenna was quite old, we decided to just build a new one.
> 
> So, I now have a nice new 40 meter dipole in a more or less flat top
> configuration at 25 feet.
> 
> I'm not much of a contester, especially for the phone portion of the
> sweepstakes with that terribly awkward exchange.
> 
> Nevertheless, just playing hunt and pounce in the first 10 minutes of
> the contest, I bagged
> 
> TN, AL, VA, IL, IN, MO, PA, MD, NC, and NH, along with extra contacts
> in AL and TN for a total of 12 contacts with my TS570 and no
> amplifier.
> 
> New Hampshire from Mississippi at just after 3:00 PM local time  is a
> pretty good haul on 40 meters any day.
> 
> I'll probably move to CW later in the evening, and let the "big boys"
> fight it out in the contest.
> 
> Forty meter CW is one of my favorite hangouts, and I haven't been able
> to operate there in quite awhile.
> 
> 
> 
> Mike Duke, K5XU
> American Council of Blind Radio Amateurs