QSO from the Franklin Falls Dam
January 2014

No polar vortex today... a bit of a thaw. It hit 40F and I went for a walk along the
Franklin Falls Dam. I worked K6ZB in Texas.



The road down to the dam is plowed, so it's a good spot for some exercise. It's a about a mile to the
dam. Then I tramped through the snow about 100 yards. Mostly I stayed on the surface, but crashed
through a few times. There's a little viewing platform overlooking the river, and I set up there. I put
my gear on the railing and tossed a line into a nearby pine tree.



I heard Bruce K6ZB just finishing up a QSO on 20 meters, and I called him. He was a solid 599
and he gave me a 569. I was glad to make a contact right away because it was pretty chilly on
the fingers.



At first I was a bit clumsy with the key, but quickly settled down. I told Bruce I was operating
outdoors by the river and was standing in the snow. He kept it fairly short. As you can see I was
running the KX3 at 5 watts.

Both feet and hands got cold quickly, so I didn't linger.



It's not often that I get out in January... so when the thermometer rose a bit, I jumped at the chance.