Guestbook Adjunct
This page contains emails I received from you that I want to share. I always ask your permission before posting anything here.
Jan 18, 2018 - KD8GLK: Hello, John
I am so happy I found your site. I have wanted to do CW only, since I was 10. I am 53 and I am finally going to live that dream.
When I told fellow hams I just wanted a simple 40m QRP CW rig, all I got was from these "experts" is that I would only be disappointed, it's not enough power, you need a 100w rig, you'll only get frustrated with 5watt, you won't make many contacts. ...blah blah ...blah.
I could care less if I only reached 5 miles and made one contact. I just want to do CW, have fun, experiment and get on the air.
My next hurdle, was deciding which antenna I needed. Again, everyone giving me their "expert" advice on you need this antenna, that tuner, analyzer, SWR meter, that shinny "toy" or "bell and whistle", to where I was getting information overload headache.
I just wanted someone to just tell me in simple terms without all the ham "voodoo" technical jargon. That's when my headaches and sleepless nights went away, when I discovered your site. That one paragraph titled BOTTOM LINE that you wrote on your Antenna page, sealed it for me!
(Carl quoted from the page here.)
From what I've been reading and being told these guys act like you're building a Swiss watch when it comes to building a antenna. I'm finding out there is no perfect antenna. Choose what fits your situation and use that one. I know all antennas need tuning. Correct me if I am wrong but I don't think there is such a thing as No Tune antenna as some proclaim they are selling.
One question though, if you had to choose one "shiny "toy" to use to match your antenna to your rig, Would it be the tuner, analyzer or SWR meter or do you need any of that?!
Thank you for taking the time read my ramblings. But you have NO idea how you made it easy for me and took my headache away with that one paragraph. For that, I THANK YOU!
KD9JLV: Hi John, I wanted to drop you a quick note to let you know how much your site has helped me along the path to becoming a CW operator. Your notes there, and on the FISTS site have basically been my 'elmering' as I've learned CW over the past couple of months. I called CQ for the first time tonight in code on 40m, and I don't think that would have been possible for me w/o your site. 73! Joe KD9JLV
p.s. I also read your last column for FISTS just now and hope you've gotten your telescope out! I'm also an amateur astronomer and I haven't been out to the observatory since I started learning CW!
W9RAS: John, I sure enjoyed our QSO on 80 Tonight. The club where I am a member is The Michiana Amateur radio club W9AB in South bend Indiana about 25 miles south of the qth here. I was looking at your picture and reading your QRZ.com page and thought John would fit right in with our club we have a lot of CW ops. Really neat that we were both running 5 watt rigs tonight and your attic antenna and KX-3 sure does a super job. 73 Happy Thanksgiving ! Bob W9RAS
K7CWQ: hello John, We have never met, qso or eyeball. But you are an inspiration to many of us. Thank you for you time and effort in this great hobby! Sincerely 73 Loren k7cwq Oregon
N3MLB: Hi John. I won't keep you. Just wanted to say what a thrill it was working you tonight. I've been watching RBN for your call and this was the first time I heard you, although faint, I took a chance and got thru. After reading about you two years ago, I dropped my power to 5 watts and haven't been above that since. I eventually sold the ic7200 and bought a kx1 and then a kx3 so i could do QRPp.. FYI, since I dropped my power January 28th, 2016, I have made 1,254 QSO's and counting. I'm even two states away (ID,MT) from my second WAS award but this time at QRP. Just wanted to say thank you for the inspiration and for hanging in there with my weak signal tonight.
73 de N3MLB
