Greetings, kidlets. Another great weekend here. Took care of some chores and did an activation.

First, a few words about “the basics”. I started a series of presentations called “Back To The Basics” at my club’s meetings. I did the first presentation this past Thursday about RF Exposure limits and the FCC and ARRL rulings on the subject. My slide presentation will soon be posted on our webpage: https://perrycountyarc.org All interested people are invited to check out the page. My next presentation will be on SWR , what it is and why it seems to be more important now than it was in the past. The purpose of these presentations is to catch up and reinforce basic knowledge about ham radio.

Also, if anyone is interested and in the area, you can pre-register for our next VE session on Sunday, 22 Nov 2026 at 14:00 EST (the clocks get turned back on Nov 1). To register or inquire about more information you can go to perrycountyarc.org or email kb3psn@perrycountyarc.org

This morning, SWMBO and I set off to activate Avondale Wildlife Management Area US-7724 in Westminster, MD. It was dark, misty and drizzle was falling when we departed our house, but we were hopeful for clearing. Luckily, when we arrived in Westminster, it had mostly dissipated, though the ground was still moist. The drive into the park was interesting and it was a good thing I read the directions on the MD parks page as, the second you pulled into the road ascending the hill, you are visually assaulted by signage declaring it a private drive. If you continue up the hill, on a gravel road, of course, you reach the parking lot on top as directed by the DNR page. We got set up and on the air by 12:25 UTC and got immediate contacts. We operated until 13:13 UTC, which I consider to be an auspicious time. We made a total of 53 contacts from as far as Florida and Georgia which is pretty good for 40M during the day. We also heard Bluejays and Gray Catbirds serenading us. Overall, a very successful activation.

We returned home by way of Gettysburg where we stopped and ate sandwiches on top of Barlow’s Knob, right near the peace light. We then took a scenic drive towards home with a quick stop at a local grocery store to get some milk for my Mother-In-Law. All in all, it was a great day.

For now, this is all. Namaste, kids, and as always, keep on keeping on.