(a true story)
THE EXCITEMENT BEGINS: It's the RTTY WPX contest. I'm tuning across
40 in the wee hours and find VK9XY calling CQ, no takers. The band is
empty. Hee-hee, I think, he's mine!! An all time new one, too!
I call him.
EXCITEMENT TURNS TO CONCERN: Why isn't he answering? I call some
more. Is he working split? That can't be it, there's nobody around.
He's S-7, surely he can hear me, can't he? I retune the amplifier,
gaining several milliwatts. I keep calling. He keeps CQing.
IMAGINATION STARTS TO WORK: Has my antenna fallen down? Is my
transmitter working? Do I smell smoke? Does his language contain
the letters "L" "Z" and "P"?
CONCERN TURNS TO ALARM: Someone calls him and works him easily.
Soon, stations all over the country are working him. I retune for
the nth time. Hours go by, it seems. I keep calling. Nothing.
ALARM TURNS TO EUPHORIA: He answers!! Yay!! We make the exchange
quickly with no repeats. Hey, that wasn't so hard, was it?
THE WORLD IS WONDERFUL AGAIN: Wearing a big grin, I tune up the band.
Hmmmm... now I wonder who this is...?
W7LZP
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