I just finished up a nice long ragchew on 40 cw with a ham in Auburn, Mich. There's a pocket of CW activity that hangs out in a part of the old Novice subband, generally from 7100 to 7125 kHz. It's generally not the high speed stuff, and not the SKCC net stuff either. I have often just copied the mail on the QSO in this area while working on something else in the shack.
Last night I decided to clean up the Vibroplex Lightning Bug DeLuxe that is on the desk but hasn't been used in months. It was dusty and the contacts were a little tarnished, so I spent time cleaning the key up. The all-chrome key is about an early 1960s model, and in pretty good shape. There are some minor pits in the chrome base, but still looks pretty good. It's not the finest Lightning Bug DeLuxe I have, but a good “daily driver” that hasn't been driven lately.
My key(s) of choice have been one of the three McElroy bugs on my desk. I have a 1938 Mac Key DeLuxe, a 1938 Mac Key standard, and a 1936 Mac Key. They're all massive keys, built like tanks, and require some “oomph” from the operator.
So getting the Lightning Bug on the desk didn't take much work, but it did take some adjustment — to both the key and the operator. I had it running very nicely, with the contacts 100 percent last night, and I went to bed.
I was tuning around on 40 cw and heard a CQ from an 8 area station, a little weak, but the band was quiet and the QSB wasn't too bad. The guy turned out to be a longtime ham who has recently gotten back on the air. He was running the QRP version of the Kenwood TS-130S (V, I think??), with 10 watts out to a ground-mounted trap vertical. He wasn't exactly pounding in 20 over S9, but Q5 all the way.
It's been a while since I was in a good CW ragchew; most of my CW operating has been in nets. I had the time and it was enjoyable, particularly knowing this guy recently returned to the hobby after many years away.
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On another matter, I received an e-mail on the ARRL PR list regarding legislation in Arizona related to PRB-1. The proposed legislation goes well beyond PRB-1 by requiring HOA's to provide “reasonable accomodation” for Amateur Radio antennas, even in deed-restricted areas.
The attorney representing the side of developers apparently is painting a picture that suggests if the law is approved, ham radio antennas will be like a plague of locusts, sending property values plummeting everywhere the antennas may appear. The anti-legislation forces were convincing enough that the media wrote the story from the side of those against the legislation.
Of course, good conflict makes for good stories, so the media can't be blamed entirely. It's still difficult in my mind to make the case against the deed restrictions because they're a choice you make. If you live there you deal with the restrictions. It's hard to side with the ham who moves to a place then raises hell about the restrictions.
I'll be very surprised if this legislation survives in its current form. Taking on the HOAs is a huge undertaking; the easist thing to do is to try and get the PRB-1 language put into state statutes. I think the hams have a huge uphill battle on their hands in AZ, and I think the lobbying efforts will put the kabosh on this bill in short order. By exaggerating the “danger” of Amateur Radio antennas to safety and property values (coupled with powerful lobbies from builders, developers and real estate folks), I don't see this one going anywhere.
Ohio had prepared two piece of PRB-1 legislation, one was the straight PRB-1 language inserted in state statutes; the second one took aim at HOAs and deed restrictions. The second was wisely shelved, since it would have prompted a similar battle as is taking place in Arizona.