I'm still around

Yeah, I know, it's been awhile. Fact is, I haven't been on the radio but a handful of times in the last few months. In fact, the most I talked on the radio was this past Thanksgiving while on the way to my in-laws for dinner.

I got on the radio a couple of days prior to that while driving home from work, but one ham whose name I won't mention seemed to think I was intruding on *his* QSO and basically snubbed me. This was after I'd stepped out of my vehicle to get gas and in the middle of a QSO with others that he apparently butted into the conversation on.

It really annoys the hell out of me when people just treat me with no respect when I've done nothing wrong to them. If I have, at least have the balls to man up and tell me to my face what it is you don't like about me...what, did I insult your mother? Take your money? Rob your life savings? B.O.?

Oh well, no sense dwelling on it...in other news, SKYWARN Recognition Day is set for this coming Friday/Saturday and once again I plan to do some overnight operating at the Morristown NWS. So if you plan to operate Friday night/Saturday morning, listen for WX4MRX on the air, chances are you might be talking to me!

Merry Christmas

I haven't been updating the blog because, really, there's not a lot going on at the moment. Lauren's still learning ham radio, but school took precedence and we're going to do some studying while she's on Christmas break.

Have you ever noticed that the HF bands seem to pick up on Christmas? I got on 10 meters briefly at 10PM Christmas night working a station in Kansas! 10 meters hasn't been much of anything but almost every Christmas, I get a "Christmas miracle" on HF. Two years ago, I worked 3 new countries on 20, 2 on 17, and even got a brief opening on 15. Last year, I worked 17 meters for about an hour, and even worked Australia...or was it Austria? I get those two confused...

10 meters wasn't open for long, though. I went upstairs to try and get the kids off their new Nintendo DS's (courtesy of Santa, who's now broke, mind you...) and into bed, and when I returned the band went quiet.

It seems even in the worst band conditions, the HF bands always seem to come open, even if only for a few minutes. I even heard some 2 meter sporadic E on a couple of repeaters. If I'd had my 2m sideband working I'd have given it a shot.

New Year's day the family's all going to Myrtle Beach for a few days. The last trip to Myrtle Beach, I heard the NWS...from Melbourne, FL! Hopefully I'll be able to work a station or two this time around on my HT.

Enjoy the rest of the holidays, folks.