The Setup

I turned a dry tree into a launchpad for my signals using a 10m vertical built from a fiberglass pole and thin wire. With a CG-3000 tuner managing the match and five radials spreading the RF, the system sang. The YAESU FT-891 provided 75W output power by using a 12V car battery, while the 9A5N Solid State Paddle provided the finesse.

The QSO with DF1ZA

Despite the storm, things went surprisingly well today — aside from the frozen fingers, of course! There is actually a silver lining when the sun refuses to shine: the neighborhood solar inverters stay silent, leaving the bands blissfully quiet. (Title for my next book: “Why I Love Bad Weather: Cold Hands but Zero QRN!”) :-)
Attached two pictures to show the antenna setup.

The antenna standing tall during FB WX (nice and straight).

The antenna today, with the tip swaying in the heavy wind.

The session with Rüdiger, DF1ZA, was a highlight. With a steaming mug of hot coffee acting as my co-pilot against the wind, the QSO flowed smoothly. But the real value came afterwards, when Rüdiger kindly sent me an MP3 air-check of our contact.
There is nothing quite like the experience of hearing your own ‘fist’ from the other side. It was a fascinating reality check; listening back, I realized that while the characters were solid, my rhythm would benefit from letting the code ‘breathe’ a bit more. A fraction more spacing between words, and the copy becomes effortless - or at least better ;-) . Always learning!

Above: The QSL card from DL1ZA.