[VHFcontesting] [222Activity] 222 Activity Night for December 14

[N1BUG]

As Dave noted, I believe I can be on tonight and hopefully continue to 
be active Tuesday evenings through the winter months. I regret that I 
have not been able to be active in past weeks. This has been a most 
challenging summer trying to recover from extensive damage to antennas, 
masts and towers. Much of the work had to be done in the overnight or 
pre-dawn hours due to situations I won't go into. I never knew what days 
I would be able to do what, or anything at all, so I had to just be 
ready for windows of opportunity at all times. It takes me a long time 
to get anything done, in part because I am slow and in part because I 
must work alone. Having no ground support makes doing anything at 100 
feet frustratingly slow and involves many trips up and down the towers. 
This and other factors, including chronic fatigue, have greatly impacted 
my ability to enjoy radio or even be awake during the evenings. I 
finally finished restoring things a week ago and now only have a few 
remains of wire antennas to remove as conditions permit, so I am 
shifting my schedule around to allow me to be on 222 Tuesday evenings! I 
am extremely fortunate that I was able to recover from last winter's 
damage at all.

I run 800 watts and have a K1FO-22 yagi at 115 feet with preamp at the 
top of the tower. It's obviously not a K1WHS setup but I do OK! I hope 
to work several of you tonight. I don't know where Dave will be 
operating but I will try to find a quiet spot some 10 or 15 kHz above or 
below him and make some noise. I prefer to call CQ on CW but will 
happily switch to SSB if someone calls me on that mode. I will likely 
check FT8 occasionally if I am not finding anyone to work on CW or SSB. 
I will be on ON4KST chat and will gladly make QSO arrangements there. I 
do work meteors and am set up for both MSK144 and FSK441 which often 
works better on 222. If you need FN55, I am your only hope barring 
someone doing a portable operation here.

In Dave's absence due to this pesky thing we call winter, I hope we will 
all do our best to keep these wonderful 222 Activity Nights going! Let's 
keep the ball rolling and have these activity nights all warmed up and 
humming along when Spring comes and Dave returns his antennas to full DX 
mode! Thanks Dave and everyone else for all the work done so far to 
bring this tradition back and create activity on 222.

73,
Paul N1BUG
FN55mf