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VA3KOT John · 2021-01-30, 18:10:14

Well, I spent two and a half hours in my chilly trailer. I got very cold and made a very modest 22 CW contacts on 40m. The vertical antenna worked very well. I made contacts all over the east coast and even one in Texas. But ... nearly every station in my log was a home station (1H). Why was I freezing my butt off when everyone else was snuggled up in their nice warm shack? Isn't this supposed to be a field day?

I'll be back out there Sunday to try and improve on my score. I'll probably freeze to death. My trailer has a propane furnace but the propane tank is buried under a neatly tied tarp which is covered in snow and ice. Another tarp is covering the furnace exhaust vent, so I am using a small electric heater to try and stay warm. It keeps the icicles off my nose but my hands get cold and stiff. That's why I programmed the radio's memory keyer buttons with my callsign and exchange. One frozen finger push to send my callsign and another to send my "1I ONS" exchange ... and two frozen ears to copy the other station's info.

Oh, but ham radio is so much fun (like beating yourself on the head with a two by four). I must be stark, raving bonkers because I actually did enjoy it.

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Poll: Will you be participating in 2021 Winter Field day with your HF radio? You do not have permission to vote in this poll.
YES	62.50%	5	62.50%
NO	37.50%	3	37.50%
Total		8 vote(s)	100%