Posts Tagged ‘humor’
Today’s Red and Rover
December 31st, 2012 | 
Author: This is a very cool comic strip, drawn by Brian Basset – about a boy and his dog, growing up together in the 60s.
http://www.gocomics.com/redandrover/2012/12/31
It has a Morse Code theme today, so be sure to visit! Since the image is copyrighted, I don’t want to post it here – but the link was meant for sharing with the blessing of the author and the comic syndicate.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!
Zombie Shuffle updates
Paul NA5N – Head Zombie and Maya King posted this today:
“I have some exciting news updates regarding the End-of-the-World Zombie Shuffle Friday (tomorrow) night.
First, I was contacted by a ham in Belize who heard about our special event and asked to participate in the Shuffle from the real Maya empire. Of course I asked him to be a Maya King!
He has agreed and thus will be our real, authentic “High Maya King” on the air, and some nice DX. (Turns out, his wife is Mayan). He was assigned Zombie number 1010, so he will be worth 1010+666 = 1676 points. So listen for a Mayan Zombie who’s calls start with “V31.” He will be operating QRP. He said he lives about 150 yards from the ocean … so we’ll be the first to know when the Mayan Empire slides into the sea!!!
Jan passed 1,000 zombie numbers last night.
# 999 was assigned to Terry K9DXA
#1000 was assigned to Steve W1SGC
#1015 was just assigned.
So there will be a few “4-digit” Zombie numbers on the air.
Our friend Ed, W1RFI (who will be in the Shuffle) asked why working Maya Kings aren’t worth “2012” points vs. 666? All I can say is: “Dang! Why didn’t I think of that?” Good going, Ed. However, I am hesitant to change the scoring rules only one day before the event. My apologies for missing such an obvious good idea.
And, the Central Connecticut QRP Club will be on the Shuffle using their famous club call of W1FB. This, of course, was the call of legendary QRP ham Doug DeMaw (SK), who authored numerous ARRL QRP related books and articles, and designer of the Tuna Tin 2 and other legacy QRP rigs. What a great tribute to Doug (who is now a Maya King).
So we’ve added two more Maya Kings to the rolls … W1FB and our V31 High King in Belize. You’ll just have to find out who the others are.
It’s almost criminal to have this much fun in the face of the entire destruction of the human race in just hours! Are we QRPers and Zombies, or what?
72, Paul NA5N
Zombie NR 04
Zombie Shuffle rules and summary sheet at:
http://www.zianet.com/qrp/ZOMBIE/zombie.htm“
Thanks, Paul! I am looking forward to this tomorrow evening! And since tomorrow is the Winter Solstice and we have the least amount of daylight, it gives us extra operating time for the Shuffle this year.
72 de Larry W2LJ – For tomorrow night at least – Maya King #858
QRP – When you care to send the very least!
It’s the end of the world as we know it
was the title of a catchy tune a few years back. I am one of those who takes no stock in ancient Mayan prophecies – BUT …….. if there are any Hams out there who are like that that guy in Hong Kong who sold all his stuff thinking that the world is ending Friday – don’t go through the trouble of selling. I’ll be willing to take your Ham gear off your hands for free!
Seriously, though …… don’t forget the Zombie Shuffle is this Friday night, to poke a little fun at those nasty ol’ Mayans, Here’s a little reminder from Paul NA5N:
Zombies and Maya Kings, Gosh. Where has the time gone? Seems it was just summer, then Thanksgiving, Christmas next week … oh yeah, and the end of the world thing this Friday. Hate it when doomsday sneaks up on you like that! 🙂
So a reminder that our special 2012 “End of the World” Zombie Shuffle will be THIS FRIDAY, famous December 21, from local sundown (considered 5pm local) to midnight. Just as the Maya calendar runs out of rock. Early enough to get a little 20M in there before resorting to 40M. Solar flux is 115-120, quiet geomagnetic field, and no big competing contests which should provide fairly decent evening bands.
Rules and other ramblings at: http://www.zianet.com/qrp/ZOMBIE/zombie.htm
NEW TO QRP OR CONTESTING? This is for you. A contest that serves no purpose whatsoever except get on the air and have fun no matter what your code speed or how rusty your fist may be. We all know Zombies can’t crack out 35 wpm in those old blood soaked rags, right? Scoring is based more on serendipity (recording those Zombie numbers) than operating skill. Over the years, we’ve had quite a few new QRPers who accomplished their first real CW QSOs during the Zombie Shuffle. That’s what it’s all about … to give everyone a chance to get on the air and pound some brass.
ZOMBIE NUMBERS can be obtained from Jan
ZOMBIE BADGE: It was reported by several that the Zombie badge link wasn’t working on the above Zombie page. I have repaired the link for those who wish to print out their own Zombie/Area 51 badge.
MAYA KINGS: We have 13 Maya Kings willing to serve you this year fairly evenly scattered across the empire. Plenty of chances to work some bonus points.
For their name, they will be sending MAYA KING, MAYA, KING, or even KING JOE or KING RON (or whatever their name is) as they decide. We even have a special KING ELVIS. Each Maya King worked is worth an additional 666 points.
I’m sure between sending CQ BOO and KING ELVIS, we’ll drive the QRO folks nuts trying to figure this thing out!
Whether you get on for 2-3 QSOs, or work several hours, you’ll have fun. And, thanks for participating. After all, the end of the world only comes along every so often. I think the last one was Y2K.
I was listening to Coast to Coast AM radio show this weekend, and one doomsday believer claimed that “every major observatory is tracking the collision course of planet Nibiru with Earth on Dec. 21 – and all observatory employees have been sworn to secrecy.” At the VLA (merely the world’s largest radio telescope), I must have missed that inter-office email! With the internet, Twitter, and Facebook, how on Earth could you keep something like that secret these days?
However, I do feel there’s a chance of a minor earthquake or a volcano might blow its top. Not because the Mayan Calendar says so … but just to prove God has a sense of humor. He can’t wait to drive those doomsdayers nuts! 🙂
72, Paul NA5N
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!
2012 Zombie Shuffle has been moved
to Christmas time!
From Paul NA5N:
“Zombies, World Wide DX Contests, Sweepstakes, etc. made it impossible to schedule a nice, enjoyable Zombie Shuffle around Halloween, particularly on the traditional Friday evening. We were ready to schedule it for this Friday, Nov. 7. Then came Hurricane Sandy that has left some of our QRP friends without antennas, and some still without electricity. I have been unable to email two of our arranged Elvis stations, presumably due to no electricity or internet yet. I don’t know how many are still recovering from Sandy.
So here’s the deal …
The Zombie Shuffle for 2012 has been scheduled for: FRIDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 21, 2012
That’s right, the very last day of the Mayan calendar, which conveniently falls on a Friday. As most of you know, this could very well be the end of the world. At least that’s what they say. Zap – lights out for the human race. What a better way for a QRP Zombie to go than with his/her earphones and boots on? When the great galactic cataclysm or Planet X hits, I want to be on the air. Vaporized with all my QRP Zombie friends. I know you feel the same.
No major contests that night; hopefully a few hours on the air the Friday before Christmas won’t interfere with your family or holiday plans. It might even keep you out of WalMart or Target for the night. That probably just saved you $150!
I’ll update the rules, summary sheet and website this weekend and get them posted. If you have any unique ideas for the Zombie Shuffle on how to spend your last few minutes on planet Earth, let me know.
In the meantime, if you don’t have a Zombie number, you can request one by an email to Jan, the Witchess and Grand Zombie at [email protected]. Don’t wait – this could be your last chance. Nobody wants to go out without a number!
72, Paul NA5N Zombie #004
PS – In the slim chance we survive December 21, we’ll have a regular old Zombie Shuffle again next year, likely the Friday after ARRL Sweepstakes.”
So there you go – I know Christmas and Zombies aren’t what you’d call a “good fit” – but Paul humorously tied the event into the end of the Mayan calendar – or have some have called it – “The Coming Zombie Apocolypse”! In any event, it’s always a fun sprint.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!
Zombie # 858
And now for something completely different.
Courtesy of Rem K6BBQ – questions that I guarantee you have never been asked before!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!
Enough with the nitrates, already !!!!
There’s a couple of threads going on the KX3 e-mail reflector today. One is titled “QRP Baloney” and the other “QRP Sausage”. Both threads are a “discussion” trying to determine what QRP “really is”.
I, for one, originally thought that QRP was making sure your transmitter put out 100 Watts or less. Well, that was back in the “Ancient Times”, in the Mesozoic Era when I originally joined QRP ARCI.
Somewhere along the line, that changed and the definition of QRP became a power output of no more than 5 Watts for CW and 10 Watts for SSB.
I am fine with that definition. Period.
Now we have some purveyors of bologna that are insisting that QRP means “5 Watts with ONLY simple, non-gain type antennas”. Wow!
Somehow it’s not in the “Spirit of QRP” to do as much as you possibly can with that 5 or 10 Watts.
Really?
For the record, my antennas (currently – might add a W3EDP soon) are simple, and non-gain – a Butternut HF9V ground mounted vertical and an 88′ Extended Double Zepp wire . But while I am sleeping tonight, if the Angel of the Lord appears in a dream and says, “Lawrence, the Father has decided that you have truly been a good and faithful servant lately. In appreciation, when you wake up tomorrow morning, in your backyard He will provide a 40 foot tower with a multi-band Yagi mounted at the top”.
What? Am I supposed to say, “Dear St. Michael (or Gabriel or Raphael – whatever), I am a QRP Purist – could you tell the Lord to make that a Buddipole instead”?
No …. I don’t think so.
The concept of QRP is to limit your power output. If you take that 5 or 10 Watts and pump them into an antenna “fire hose” so that you SOUND like you’re pumping out a kW, then I say “Bravo for you”. The true “Spirit of QRP” is “doing more with less” – taking those Watts that you’re using, and with a combination of good operating skill and the best antenna you can muster, putting out the best signal that you possibly can. That’s it – no more, no less.
If you listen to the purveyors of bologna, I guess they would also tell you that a guy pumping 500 Watts into a 6 inch piece of copper at ground level is actually QRP.
No …… that would just be stupid.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least! (But take the pains to make it sound like the very most!)
Oopsy!
Forgot a score. And it affects the Top Ten – mea culpa, mea culpa. mea maxima culpa!
My apologies to Pete W1PNS who came in with a score of 4620 – so let me rephrase this …..
The Top 11 Finishers
W1PNS – 4620 points
Golly gee, and Pete went to so much trouble to post niceness about the Skeeter Hunt on his blog and I went and left him out – truly and purely accidentally with no malice a forethought.
Thanks, Pete, for being so understanding. I’ll get the hang of this yet, I promise!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!
