Joe and I participated in the Pathfinder program at Space Camp this past weekend. I'd been through the Astrotrek(r) program two years ago, so it was nice to have a different experience.

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.

New York City(!)

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Just got back to the Embassy Suites in lower Manhattan from a day of hiking and sightseeing. We had breakfast at the hotel, then headed to the ferry terminal, to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It was a cold and windy, but crystal clear, day. The wait for the ferry comes in two parts -- it helps greatly to send some folks to get tickets, and some to wait in the ferry line. Lorraine and Emily were the ticket-getters; Joe and I waited in the line.

The Ellis Island experience is worthy of an entire day. The displays are first-rate.

After we got back from the tour, we stopped back at the hotel to warm up and have a snack at the hotel's hospitality set-up. Then, we headed out for dinner in Chinatown. We walked back through Little Italy (where desert was had).

Memphis, TN

A late entry.

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At Memphis International Airport, in the Northwest lounge. The flight is a bit late in departing, so we're (Emily, Joe, and I) enjoying some quiet time in the lounge.

There's still a little snow on the ground here.

The Muzak folks haven't retired the Christmas tunes for the year, so we're getting our last (or so I hope) dose of the year. If this year is any guide, I only need to wait until shortly after Halloween(tm)* to reenter the "Christmas spirit".

*Trademark of the seasonal merchandising industry

I'm scribbling this on the iPAQ PocketPC at the Holiday Inn in Niceville, FL. It's a cold and rainy evening, but not so cold and rainy that I was dissuaded from a little geocaching! There's a microcache about 1.3 km from the hotel, so I trudged down the road to find it, and score a new state while I was as it.

As I expected, the dining opportunities are very limited. I was surprised to find a Subway sandwich shop open, but I wasn't in the mood for a sandwich, so I passed it by. I'd brought a little pizza from the house, so I had that for a snack. I may head out to the mini-mart across the parking lot if hunger strikes later this evening.

At the Northwest Airlines lounge at Washington's National Airport.

Winter has definely arrived in our Nation's Capital. We had a few chilly days over the past week. A hot water pipe on the second floor failed at a poor solder joint. Fortunately, my hand was four feet from the service cut-off, so there wasn't any water damage.

The new living room furniture showed up on Wednesday. It looks nice; the cats approve, as well.

It looks like baseball will actually return to Washington, DC. a city with the financial and social service problems that DC has needs to plow cash into yet another stadium? It should be evident that the dollars should go to fixing the school system, but that isn't the way it's turning out.

The Montreal Expo's will be renamed the Washington Nationals. It is only a matter of the until the team is renamed the Washington Reagans, just like the airport.

On NW956, preparing to launch to Memphis. As reported, flights are overbooked. I've learned from Lorraine to take advantage of the on-line check-in capability.

What a spectacle. I hadn't realized that tonight's finale episode of The Apprentice was supposed to run all night. Thank goodness for Tivo.

So, Kelly Perdue gets the nod (and the job). Jennifer Massey held her own this evening, but couldn't pull it off in the end.

Regis Philbin? What were "they" thinking? If they needed someone who could run a live broadcast and who could think on their feet, why not pick someone like Billy Crystal? Someone with real talent? And Sugar Ray Leonard? In a half-season packed full of product placement opportunities taken, we have to sit through a plug for an unrelated reality "experience"?

Next season offers something new: class warfare. The haves vs. have nots. How imaginative. We haven't seen that plot twist since the last election.

Amateur Extra

I took (and passed) the Amateur Extra examination yesterday morning. Now all I have to do is pass the CW (Continuous Wave) exam -- I'm planning to take that exam in January. It's offered the second Saturday of every month by the Mount Vernon Amateur Radio Club. When I pass that exam, I'll have the Extra ticket, allowing me to transmit on the MF and HF bands.

Well, we've now found geocaches in Virginia, Connecticut, New Jersey, Oregon, and West Virginia. Lorraine and I are up to 55 finds as a team. The game continues to be fun, after about four months. We've introduced a fair number of people to the game / sport / hobby, which is a side benefit.

Antennas

Lorraine and I put up two (stacked) OA-50 6m antennas on Saturday, and added guy lines today. It's a pretty good installation, if I do say so myself. The antenna are from Par Electronics; I bought them from Universal Radio.

This was certainly a two-person job; I'm very lucky that Lorraine was available to help.

Now, all I need to do is finish the studying for the Element 1 (Morse Code) and Element 4 (Extra Class) exams, which I'm planning to take in December.

AE7Q - Amateur Extra Query Tools

I ran across this link while searching for a tool that might help with requesting a vanity call sign: AE7Q - Amateur Extra Query Tools

I continue to be amazed at the things that are available on the World Wide Web.

Oh, forgot to note that my new call sign is KI4HHL...the paper license arrived on Saturday.