Editor’s Comments

You’ve probably already heard, and if not read below, that MFJ is going out of business.  Martin Jue, K5FLU, is retiring after 52 years.  It has been said by a number of people that this is the end of an era.  MFJ has been around for as long as I’ve been a ham, and I’m not sure what will fill the advertising pages of QST now!

I have said before and will repeat for anybody, I am not a great CW operator, however I like working CW, nice “slow” CW.  In April the 75th Anniversary of the Union of Spanish Radio Amateurs (URE) operating event occurred.  There were pieces of paper (certificates) available for contacting so many of the special AO75, and one CQ75URE, stations.  The AO75 stations ended with a variety of suffices, with a total 20 stations, 19 in Spain and one in Portugal.  Work 10 stations, any mode, any band, and get a Bronze “diploma” (certificate), work 14 stations on any mode combinations on each of three different bands and get a Silver “diploma”.  The Gold required four different bands with 18 stations on each band. 

Lots of fun, since FT8 was one of the modes that could be used, and getting 10 stations would be no problem.  The Silver or Gold, another issue.

Well I did get the Silver piece of paper, working 14 stations on 15, 17, and 20 meters.  Now I can order their printed “diploma” and pay well for it, or just download from the internet.  Since I’m cheap, it’s the internet!

Now working these stations didn’t require a great CW presence, as it was obvious that first four characters were AO75, or one CQ75.  I just had to figure out the last two, or three in case of two stations, which wasn’t that hard.  They got my usual 13 wpm right back at them, and they answered me.  

Now I did get two on SSB on 17 meters, but I did get my 14 on CW on 17.  The SSB contacts were just “insurance”!

So when the 13 Colonies special event occurs the first week of July, don’t hesitate working some of those stations with whatever mode you can.  Technicians have privileges on 40 meters on CW, so there is no reason why you all can’t get your own “piece of paper” to hang on the wall.