Weekend goofing off

Weekend goofing off

Author: Dave - KZ1O September 23, 2006 Duration: 0:00

This is another short podcast. We'll get back to the 'standard' 99Hobbies format soon, but first, this one made me laugh out loud, and I wanted to post this while I had the chance.

This weekend I made a new friend, Jon, from Iceland. Jon has made over 600 QSOs during the Scandinavian Activity Contest JUST during THIS WEEKEND! ( see http://www.sk3bg.se/contest/sacnsc.htm ).

BACKGROUND: I'm tuning through the band and hear Jon ( http://www.qrz.com/callsign/TF3ZA ) calling CQ, so I give him a call. No sweat, easy copy on both sides. He answers me, and I log Iceland, both signals very strong. Very cool. I spot him to the DX network, and a few guys call him. Maybe three people call him. My guess is that most people think they would never be able to penetrate a pile-up for Iceland.

But Jon is calling CQ so often, and no one answers him, that I thought I should make a phone call and see if my friend Scott can work him. Scott lives in a condo, and he doesn't have the luxury of big antennas. In fact, he is not allowed to have any antennas that even would work on 20 meters.

When I called Scott today, he was in a meeting at work. But he answered, and actually went out to his car and gave it a try. He got Jon on his third try.

And then he went back to work.

I think we have our priorities set just fine, don't we?

Oh, and by the way, if you don't think you can make the contact, you should probably give it a try anyway.

73,
Dave
KZ1O

Ever feel like your free time could be more interesting? That's the space where 99 Hobbies lives. Hosted by Dave-KZ1O, this podcast digs into the idea that a single pursuit, like Ham Radio, is actually a gateway to countless other projects and passions. Each episode is a conversation with someone who has stepped off the beaten path to try something genuinely unusual, whether it's a craft, a game, a technical experiment, or an offbeat skill. You'll hear the real stories behind these activities-not just the polished results, but the messy, fun, and sometimes frustrating process of learning something new. The focus is always on the accessible side of curiosity; these are things you can realistically do, too, if the spark catches. This isn't about passive listening, but about finding a nudge to start your own next project. By exploring how one hobby branches into many, the podcast reveals how interconnected our interests can be and how a bit of tinkering in one area often leads to surprising discoveries in another. Tune in for regular doses of inspiration from everyday people who decided to follow a quirky idea and see where it led them.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 25

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