[SECC] Just my luck!

[Greg - N3ZL]

Hi SECCers,

I haven't been very active in recent months, but last semester barely
left me enough time to eat and sleep, much less have a chance to run
out to the shack and make some QSOs. However, many of my friends are
now retaking one class or another from last semester and I am not, so
I must have done something right, hihi.. When I was home for Christmas
I was busy with family things and the little free time I did have I
used for some R&R. It looks like this semester will be significantly
easier and I hope to be able to be more active in the coming months.
(We'll wait and see if that actually pans out.)

I've been back on the air recently some, I worked about 25 EU stations
(plus VU2PAI) yesterday morning on 20m before my classes started... I
saw the LQP was tonight, so I thought that would be a great chance to
get back into the contesting mood. But I get out to the shack and the
rig is gone, as is the power supply, and MY paddles! Then I remembered
that tomorrow is an organizations fair so apparently the EE grad
student-ham gathered them up to demonstrate tomorrow. I had just
visited the shack just before dinner and in the couple hours I was
gone everything vanished, hihi.... the first time in years anything
like this has happened and it just HAPPENS to be on the night I'm
going to get back into the contesting mood, go figure.

The tribander is still doing a fantastic job, but unfortunately the 3
el. beam on 40m (the flagship antenna.. for me) is no longer tuning
up, but I haven't had much of a chance to look into that yet -- it
still recieves quite well but the SWR has spiked to around 3 or 4:1 I
believe I measured the other day. It seems to me like it's more likely
an issue somewhere along the feedline (bad connection on the PL-259 or
something) rather than something with the antenna itself.

I just figured I'd post this just to let everybody know what I've been up to....

73 de Greg N3ZL