My friend John AE5X is currently traveling the Trans America Trail by motorcycle. He did pack along a minimalist radio kit consisting of a KX2, paddle, antenna, and coax. He is activating along the way. I think this is a very cool endeavor and I will try to contact him whenever I can. I set him up in my Ham Alert app and waited.
The first time the app heard him was on 10 meters - no joy. The second time was on Sunday (07 June) and I was just walking into the house after church and the app went off. It was John and this time he was on 20 meters. I went straight to the radios and fired up the TS-890s. I tuned until I found him, waited for an opening, and sent my call. Bam! he came back to me and we completed the exchange.
The funny part was I was sending at 28 wpm! I normally send and receive in the 18-22 wpm range. I am trying to retrain my brain to NOT do iambic (squeeze) keying and, sending at speeds faster than I can think helps rewire the CPU. John was sending somewhere around 23-25 wpm. When I grabbed the paddles I wasn't thinking, and the exchange was quick with 100% copy on my end. I didn't realize how fast I was sending until after the exchange when I remembered I had the speed turned up for training. Luckily, John is an experienced op and could easily handle that speed.
I am trying to increase my speed into the 25-35 wpm range, but I am far from ready. I still need more time and effort to get there. In the meantime, 18-22 wpm will have to do. My non-iambic training is coming along I am getting closer to the goal. I have a Begali HST MKIII and a Signature paddle on my desk. I switch back and forth. Eventually, I may wish to go to all single paddle. But I do well on the paddles without squeezing.
Other news, the KX3 is supposed to arrive today and I am looking forward to using it. I have some outings planned for the KX3 and some of my other radios. Stay safe, enjoy the summer and get on the air. 72 de Scott
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