[kids] W2BC Kids' Day Results & Comments

[Bud Hippisley]

"Third time's a charm!"  

I couldn't get my son Colden to make more than one or two contacts each in two previous Kids' Day Operating Events.   Today, as before, I "prepped" him at 1745Z, fully expecting that by 1815 we'd be on to other activities.  True to form, after working four stations in the first 35 minutes Colden (now 8 years old) decided to "take a break" to go play with his Legos.  I figured we were done, but at 1900 he returned and insisted he wanted to go back on the air.  Which is where we stayed -- except for short breaks for mid-afternoon snack, some outdoor exercise, and supper -- until the end of the contest.  He even wanted to have supper at the operating desk so he could make more contacts!  

At 2355 he had 28 QSOs in the log and decided, on his own, to go for 30 before quitting.  I figured the odds were against him, but he found a quiet spot on 20 and called CQ in his tiny voice.  Miracle of miracles, a pile-up ensued, and by 2400 he had put two more in the log!

What a blast....and even though it seemed painfully slow at first, now that I've had time to reminisce, I can remember some Field Days during my high school and college days where I would have given anything to average 5 QSOs per hour!   High point of the afternoon?  The DXer in me says it would be having VK2VUB come back to Colden's CQ on 10; the contester in me says it would be the two times he had a run going with his CQs -- and barefoot on 20 meters at that!  But the father in me says it was the look in my son's eyes as he sat next to me, truly enjoying for the first time in his short life what he knows has consumed me for the bulk of mine.

(Bud, K2KIR, control operator for W2BC and Colden.)

Stats for Colden at W2BC microphone:

Rig:  TS-940SAT and Cushcraft A-4 tri-bander at 100 feet aimed west all the time 
Bands:  20 and 10
Contacts (there might be a busted call or name here or there):

K5QHD (Jacob)	WK0F (Karyn)	NP2N/0 (Nathaniel)	KC7BBP (Matthew)
W7WM (Chris)	KO7X (Joseph)	W7VT (Christopher)	K0RF (Kendra)
K9YNF (Wayne)	W4FI (Danny)	NY8V (Isaac)	 KB9MCX (Derek)
KB9RNM (Gene)	KB9SUY (Lee)	KB4BYH (Autumn)	VK2VUB (Leo)
KF7MD	(Jeff)	WT9Q (Travis)	K4NO (Gillian)	K4NR (Tom)
KC0BVP (Daniel)	VE6XUK (Trevor)	N5NU (Jason)	W6YRA (Lorain)
KD5EUR (Wayne)	KJ5XX (Adam)	WD5B (Brett)	N7YB (Eric)
N7LT (Max)	N5GN (Karen)

P. S.  We have world and U.S. maps on the wall behind the rig, so at Colden's request I used our home schooling blackboard pointer to identify the approximate location of each person he worked while the QSO was still in progress.



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