2022/2023

2022 was a BigYear for us.

I retired and we moved from my tower-, Yagi-, high dipole-laden QTH in Texas to a "No antennas" QTH in Florida.

It was an easier decision than you might imagine, and one with no regrets.

Prior to the move, CW DXing was on the wane. It still is, with many recent DXpeditions focusing primarily on FT8. Forget That (now you know what the 'FT' in FT8 stands for).

CW is my thing, DX or no, and POTA picks up the slack, fills in the gap and lets me get my Morse fix. It's a decades-old addiction.

Our house in Texas sold 6 weeks before our Florida house's construction was complete so we were homeless vagabonds for the duration, staying at AirBnB's in AridZona and New Mejeeco, activating POTA's there, hiking, exploring, Mexico'ing.

No sooner had we moved in and furnished the new house, we realized we were retired with no schedule - so we hit the road air and went to Ecuador for a month. The IC-705 came along but the QRN of both Quito and Cuenca was an amazing thing to behold.

Later, our new Florida neighbors, from Boyne Falls, Michigan, invited us up to their Michigan QTH where we hung out with them for a week, seeing Mackinac Island, went kayaking and exposed them to a park activation & ham radio. They're here in FL now and are the best neighbors we've ever had, anywhere.

Plans for 2023 involve ham radio, Portugal and Spain - but are tentative at the moment. Yes, there be POTA's there; yes, the TR-35 (or a 'skinnier' rig) will come along.

Also, a new QRP rig is on the way, if ever the "parts availability" issue is resolved - it's been "due to be delivered in October November December" since September. I'm not hopeful, but we'll see - I've been wrong once (or was it twice?!) before.

I wish you all the best in 2023.

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