Swain's Field in the Fall
October, 2022
It was a perfect fall day! 70F and gorgeous. Judy and I walked
up an old road into Swain's hay field. I sat down at the edge of
the field and worked North Carolina. Judy did some knitting
in the warm sun.
I try to come here every fall. It's a wonderful spot with a view to
the south and the Belknap
Mountain range.
I tossed an end fed wire into a giant maple tree. It was brilliant
orange in the sunlight. I sat
down under the tree and hooked up the MTR-4B. I never even changed
frequency. When I
switched on the MTR, K4JYS was calling CQ on 14.061. I answered and
we had a 20 minute QSO.
Bill was running 40 watts with an old Viking Ranger. He used the
Hammerlund HQ-170
receiver. These are 1950's vintage rigs. We gave each other a 579
and the signals held
pretty well with a little QSB.
After a nice chat we signed and I packed up the station. Judy and I
walked down the range road
on a carpet of gold.