I also was very happy to hear you and QSO with you.
Yes, with 3 family members ill with Covid-19 and myself taking care of them and still feeling Covid-free, I think miracles may indeed happen. If I finally get out of this, you’re going to have to call me McGuriver
Thanks again and 73,
Bonjour Guru
Après cette très sympathique avalanche de vœux, c’est à mon tour de te souhaiter un bon anniversaire qui ne peux pas être joyeux. Mais, il faut tenir bon et surtout garder le moral.
Cordiales 73.
André f5ukl
Happy Birthday, Guru!
I went out to activate today anyway but got only 2 EA stations in my log…
Will try to look out for you at the weekend!
Hope the best for you and your loved ones around you!
Happy Birthday Guru. Hope your treatments are both effective and not too difficult. Thanks for all the exciting EU contacts over the years. I think you were my first EU contact from a SOTA summit and I very much recall doing a double take and thinking - wait a minute, was that EA??
It’s definitely been a different birthday this year. Probably the most physically isolated from other people but probably the virtually warmest with so many great friends and family calling by phone, sending so many messages through whatsapp, email and the SOTA Reflector as well as providing amazingly warm and nice radio contacts on the air.
I know I’ve missed some due to being very busy most of the time attending the ill people I have at home with Covid-19, doing some domestic chores (not much today, TBH) and attending all the phone calls and messages, as well as chasing 17 SOTA activators today. I know I missed at least Sylvia @OE5YYN , Marcel @DM3FAM and Fraser @MM0EFI due to myself arriving too late to the spotted frequency (Sylvia and Fraser) or due to bad propagation conditions (Marcel). I also heard Mark @M0NOM operating portable during his lunch break time and I called him but he didn’t seem to hear me. I’m sorry for that.
However, I very much appreciate your good will of activating and being on the air looking for me today and I’m sure we’ll surely have a new chance to QSO and exchange greetings.
It’s time now to do what it has to be done on a birthday, which is celebrating with a piece or two of sweet cake and candles.
Even though we didn’t hear each other today, i was thinking of you. The QSOs are not running away, we’ll make up for it. And on your birthday you are allowed to leave the shack. And if help is needed around the shack, then of course that always comes first. Enjoy the cake by candlelight See you soon in a QSO. All the best to you
73 Marcel DM3FAM
… Oh yes, I take the idea of joint activation seriously. You are very welcome here
OK, I bet it was hard to bring your hand to the tuning knob. Every time the decision should I tune or should I take a piece of cake? And then better not to touch the knob with fingers touched cake before, better take an other piece of cake.
Hang in there Guru. One of my sisters has been battling cancer going on NINE years now. There are more than a few documented cases of various hardships where the people who survived were the ones with the most will to live.
Hi Guru,
Re birthday celebratory activation.
I apologise. I failed. But I hope it was a good day for you inspite of all your Covid and cancer problems.
The local forecast for town was 31 C and sunny with some showers on the south east coast. VK3/VT-057 is about 170 road km from home and as I approached the base of the mountain it was raining. I figured it would last maybe half an hour. So I drove on expecting a delay in setting up. As I drove off the road onto the summit track I encountered a large tree across the road. Two men with chainsaws could have cleared it in an hour and a half but they were nowhere to be seen and my chainsaw is only good for maybe 200 mm branches.
I then drove down the mountain and headed West into fine weather. The alternate peak I chose looked good on my GPS but I found myself inside a farm and well short of the Az. I spoke briefly to the farmer about my unplanned trespass and left. The Az was entirely in his grass growing paddock.
Footnote.
I had left my rucksack and light weight station at home - a mistake. I would have been able to clamber around the downed trees and walk to the summit and use the basic picnic shelter at the top for moderate weather protection.
I’m posting to explain what was behind my two spots. I’m old enough to own this stuff so no condescending comments from others please.