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 ..?.. /;^)

Autumnal Equinox 2023

Autumnal Equinox again, every year about this time.

Fall is my favorite season for so many reasons.
Summertime heat just wears me out as I am older now,
and I only have so much sweat left to release.
Wintertime cold bites into my bones,
and I nearly hibernate at times to conserve.
I don’t always enjoy switching the HVAC from
late afternoon cooling to early morning heat,
but I am always thankful that I can.

The equinox is such a perfect balance point.
Tree leaves fall so that new ones can develop.
Hummingbirds fly south to stay warm,
and, so that they can return here in the spring.
The night-time is the same duration as the day-time.
I often reflect on balance in my own life during the equinox.
Sometimes I even understand and appreciate how I got here.
Nothing short of a miracle, I continue to be amazed.

Recently reviewing and collecting some of my favorite photos,
I rediscovered this one from my last solo camping trip in Colorado, 1990.
My favorite area to explore was where the north and south forks
of the South Platte River join near Foxton, in the Pike National Forest.

After 6 years of living on the southern edge of Metro Denver,
it was time to return to the kinder/gentler mountains I grew up with.
I find it interesting on so many levels, to look at this photo today.
But I’ll not go into all that detail just now (you can thank me later).
Somehow I knew that one day in the future,
I would want to see this and re-live that moment.

What I find interesting today, is that I am now twice as old,
but I still see myself as that guy in the photo…
Sittin up on top of Raleigh Peak, all by myself, proud as a peacock.
Nobody around for miles, I was on top of the world, MY world.
1990 was a major turning point in my life,
and I had no idea how the rest of my life was going to play out.
I never could have imagined what the next 33 years brought.
And I am extremely grateful for every breath I drew to get here.

But then I get up in the mornings, and see that old guy in the mirror.
(and think, “damn – I guess someday I’ll be that old too” …)
   (“can that really be me .?.” )
Until then, I’ll just keep on thinking I’m that 35 year old kid,
sitting up on top of Raleigh Peak, solo camping in Colorado.
Such an opportunity I had, to live near and enjoy the Rocky Mountains.
I’m very thankful and blessed to now live in my Blue Ridge home.
This was not always an easy trip, but always a meaningful trip.

Yall, check your balance on this equinox.
Find meaning in everything you do.
Try to enjoy every aspect of where you are right now,
and appreciate how you got here. /;^)

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.

Annual ARRL/ARES SET

That is almost too much alphabet soup.
What that means is that every year those of us that do ham radio, like to test our skills with a large scale exercise – most often coordinated at the state level.
Please read more about ARRL/ARES.            Exercise, Exercise, Exercise…
         “Test what you fly, and fly what you test. . . . . . . ”

Hmm, mobile email via VHF radio – could be useful. (and fun) /;^)

My goal this year was to operate my VHF Winlink email from the Subaru.
I also needed to activate the MSFC club station WA4NZD for the exercise.
So, I setup the stuff in the passenger seat, and drove to the club station. There had been some power-grid work earlier in the month at the Fox AMC (host site for our Winlink Internet Gateway) and it had only returned to service the day before the Simulated Emergency Test (SET).  I have a 4G/LTE modem available, and could have also operated the mobile station as an internet gateway if needed.
Someday soon, I’ll test the HF mobile capability as well.

The N4WGY-10 gateway was easy to access from WA4NZD, and a few exercise-related messages were sent. I think I heard Bill/KB4NEI check in directly from FAMC as well.  This is a great resource for the community and I’m glad to see even a few dedicated users checking it out weekly, with their own station ‘s readiness review.  Perhaps I can update the W4HMC website with the latest version of the Communications Plan diagram we used as a baseline this year for our SET.  If you are not yet registered with the Madison County ARES group – and want to be a part of this, please check our HMC RACES.org website.

There were several nets activated, and lots of check-ins.
Sounds like a good intro for a future post…

Thanks  /;^)