Blood & Guts in Virginia (aka Iron & Stone)

I learned this afternoon (actually about an hour ago) that our team (alas unnamed) cracked the famed geocache Blood & Guts in Virginia (aka Iron & Stone). We'd been working on this off and on for two months, but had really put some time into it during the last three or so weeks. I completely understand claims by previous teams that this cache is all-consuming.

It was a lot of fun, and there's a real sense of accomplishment at having solved it. Now I'm ready to build one or two puzzle caches of the same caliber.

"Street Smart" -- The Apprentice(?)

Oh, brother. What a DISASTER. What were those people thinking? Leadership, team building, cohesion, ..., the whole group of loose cannons should be sacked, and the game restarted. The casting directors must be proud of the drama, because there certainly is enough of it.

The ARRL VHF Sweepstakes were this weekend. I completed a modest number of QSOs on 6 meters, and fewer on 2 meters and 70 cm. It was fun to get the additional operating experience.

Blood & Guts in Virginia (aka Iron & Stone).

The frustration continues. We're SO close -- all we need to do is crack the last clue. ARGHHH!

Amateur Radio Service vanity call signs

VanityHQ.com was the place to go to learn about how to obtain a vanity call sign. The fellow that ran VanityHQ.com did a bang-up job in keeping up with the FCC database and the FCC filings, so you could get up-to-date information on the program. Alas, VanityHQ.com is no more. Before it was put in deep-freeze, I learned how to compare the qrz.com, fcc.gov, and Social Security Death Index databases to determine which interesting Amateur Radio Service callsigns (usually 1x2 or 2x1) should be available. Okay, it's a form of hearse-chasing, but it really does work. I'm sitting on a PILE (about 20) callsigns that are eligible to be cancelled; all that is required is a faxed letter to the FCC. I was going to go after one of these, but have decided (at least for now) that the new sequential callsign I was issued (AI4IO) is pretty nice, and probably doesn't need to be replaced, at least in the short term.

Anyway, if anyone is looking for the gouge on how to research available callsigns, or if someone wants to see what I have so far, just drop me a line -- use my callsign at arrl.org.

AI4IO

My new Amateur Radio Service license was posted this afternoon. I'm now AI4IO, a call sign that's far easier for me to say than KI4HHL!

Amateur Extra license

I [finally] passed the 5 WPM CW test this morning, so when the FCC takes action next week, I'll be the proud owner of an Amateur Extra class license. It's great to get past this hurdle!

012153UJAN05

Did a little geocaching in Hallowell before we hit the road to Waterbury. The cache was located in a nice private forest. The sun was out, but there was a breeze and a lot of ice on the ground. The cache container was frozen to the ground, so we couldn't open it.

Stopped by Freeport briefly, then geaded south again. Had a quick lunch at the Maine Diner in Wells. Arrived in Waterbury at 1900, and had dinner at the Hometown Buffet.