You just know you’re going to have a good day behind the mic when the answer to your CQ starts out with Aloha from KH6 land and he was operating mobile to boot! There’s always a thrill waiting you after calling CQ, even if its just a QSO here in the USofA. My next contact was operating portable 4 with a thick French accent and perfect English. I asked him to standby while I turned the beam toward 4 land for a better signal, he agreed telling me that he was in North Africa in Algiers to be exact…operating a remote station.

I should have realized that he was remote from the slight pause in his transmission. Anyway, late December through January always to seems to provide some good worldwide propagation, this winter was no exception. Later in the morning I worked the UK and Slovenia all with good signal strength. Happy New Year from my station to yours and may it bring good DX to all. Speaking of New Year’s eve, I decided to work the annual straight key night (SKN) using my vintage WWll J44 CW key. I decided to operate CW on 30-meters using my vertical antenna. I do not call CQ when operating CW. I prefer to answer a CQ and that way I can hear in advance how the other station is transmitting…if he’s sending like a speed demon, I take a pass and listen for a station that is more 13 to 15 WPM in the neighborhood of my poor CW skills. I answered a CQ and worked a station in Alameda, California using CW. I did okay and decided not to push my luck retiring after my single SKN contact.

What a great hobby…you sit down at your station and think, where will I go today. The DXpedition to Bouvet (3YØZ) is still scheduled to begin by the end of January and…this station is going to be on the hunt. That’s all for now as I look at the morning’s temp sitting at -29⁰ and still heading south. I hope to sit at my station later today finding some nice warm place to chat with. Remember, sit at your station and call CQ because someone somewhere in this world is listening for your call, don’t disappoint them. So long from Huntersville…once again Happy New Year from my station to yours…

Best 73 es gud dx from Bob/WØZPE