Working on an update for eQSL

Sadly I have fallen behind in managing my log entries on eQSL.cc website.
I have updated my membership, and added locations – log uploads are pending.
Starting with the present location working back . . .
I would like to update the eQSL image for each location going back to 1976.
May take a little time. Here is the image I have constructed for the present location.
Whadda ya think ? Feedback anyone ..?.. /;^)

Wizard Mule (a little story)

It’s about time. It’s about space.
It’s about saving our human race.

After arriving at the Asheville SpaceTimeNexus,

my partner and I were briefed on our next mission.

And then we set out through the gateway, each on our own path.

We trusted that the plan would come together.

We work together separately. Some say we have a magical connection.

The details will always be more than classified, in fact there is no other record of this.
I was to pose as a communications officer on a space freighter en-route to Alpha Centauri and to modify some software cargo before it arrived at the inter-galactic wormhole transfer station there. Highly sensitive software is never delivered over any network, only by trusted couriers. In this case the courier is a new quantum computer, my target.

I got the job; radios, computers… Nothing new here.

I’ve handled communications gear most of this lifetime.

Tricky thing about traveling at nearly light speed, one ages considerably.

The process is reversed when (and if) one returns. By the time I arrived at the wormhole portal, I had successfully made some access changes in the software cargo that this freighter was to deliver to the ITC (more on that later).

Arriving at the portal undetected (these are kind of like a truck stop, or a big airport), I gained access to the ITC Timeship as a wizard trying to get a deadhead return trip home. From that position I was able to then further modify some code in that ship’s new quantum computer, again avoiding detection.

This next part was challenging, as I had to split myself into multiple coherent instances to make the changes simultaneously without raising alarms. What may seem like a lifetime flurry of activity, is actually less than the blink of an eye to any outside observer. Think of creating a brief wormhole in a quantum computer, and then erasing any trace in only a few zeptoseconds . .

Not trivial. Do NOT try this at home.

I didn’t learn how to do this by staying at a Holiday Inn.

( BUT, I have stayed at hundreds of HI over these current decades.

Who knows what lingering effects may persist.)

 

Thoughts on being a wizard : Not just anyone can become a wizard.

It is not practical to be a wizard in every lifespan,

As even us wizards need a break now and then.

Somehow over time, it does become a burden – rather than a blessing.

Be careful what you wish for.

I was ready to go home after this trip.

 

SO. Once the mission objective was met.
I created my own ship to get me home before I woke up.

So, what was that mission ?

In a time-traveling future, it can be dangerous to meddle with the past.
There will exist a secret society tasked with gently nudging future events and preventing nefarious individuals from destroying development in emerging civilizations. Several of these dark forces have taken over the Inter-Galactic Transport Cartel (ITC).  Think of an earthly Highway Department stealing farmland to build a new exit ramp or a beltway shortcut.

They feel that they can blast a wormhole through any (relatively) unoccupied location in 3-D space necessary to create new 4-D off-ramp / shortcut, regardless of whether or not any sustainable form of life/intelligence may exist in that path. In their short-sighted view, they had diminished the importance of our little solar system, and ignored the gravitational impact of future wormhole traffic on our little sun. Potentially our sun might break apart (explode) before our civilization figures out how to travel beyond our solar system, to find alternate habitable planets in other solar systems.

By diddling the database in the new ITC quantum computer, we successfully slightly modified the timing and location of that new wormhole bypass to avoid our insignificant solar system. Other forces (on this planet even) can easily bring about the collapse of our civilization, but that is beyond the scope of our mission. We do what we have to do.

My partner can tell his own story I’m sure – about endless meetings, software analysis, and regression testing to ensure that our changes would go undetected (and that the outcome would be positive). I leave that to him.

I only delivered a product, a mule you might say.
As long as I can wake up in my own bed the next morning,
and stay    @~    (that is a computer shortcut for “at home”).

But, I live to continue breathing, retired or not. Best life I’ve ever had.
Just playing with my ham radio stuff, like it was somewhere in the future.

/;^)

Living

So, in answer to some that have questioned where I have been, and what I’m doing…

The short answer is “Living“.

A longer answer includes things like : (not a complete list)

.. spending more time taking care of my own agenda.
.. spending even less time looking at headlines.
.. not spending as much time on FaceB**k.
.. we have tomatoes, zucchini, & peppers started in our small patch.
.. adjusting and cleaning up my ham radio VHF antenna stack.
      (in part to make it more “HOA friendly“)
.. further reducing an impressive collection of the trinkets of my life.
.. parsing thru hundreds of old photos, scanning a few – pitching some.
.. reviewing multiple file drawers of papers I have saved since the 70s.
.. but the list grows longer each day – so love being retired.
.. OH, not to mention re-learning the WordPress editor of the day.

Field Day 2015

I don’t recall exactly, when the last time was that I operated Field Day primarily from home. I haven’t had much setup at home lately, and have been involved with various club efforts for years and years. This year tho, I was “1 Dog from Alabama” – referring to the “1D” category of a home station using commercial power. I used this as an opportunity to exercise one radio with one antenna. I often have my tape measure tuned radial elements on display, but don’t get to use them much at home. I thought 40m was greatly improved. I use these on a Hustler 5BTV, with a Yaesu FT-897D. Conditions were good on 40m thru the night, worked nearly everybody that I called back to. I got good reports.
There had been some concern, that the recent solar storm might leave a mess, but I thought conditions were pretty good. I was pleased.
I worked only the 40, 20, 15, & 10 meter bands, SSB only.
I didn’t get in any hurry, didn’t even leave the house. Made about 50 contacts.

I appreciate N3FJP’s programs; n3fjp.com

I didn’t have a current version of http://n3fjp.com/fieldday.html, but a quick visit to the site, and an install – and it was registered and running. Shows me that ~40% of my contacts were on 7 MHz, but all together fairly well spread about the map. Hope everyone else had a good time as well.

52 contacts on a section map

Thanks for the QSOs…
/;^)