follow that qar!

A 2-ounce packet of an organic black tea, Dubliner's Breakfast, from White Heron Tea of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, found its way into my Christmas stocking. Santa knows. I inferred this would be a hearty, rich brew, that would brace me for morning. Dubliners are Irish, no? Instead, I tasted a nuanced, fruity cup with less kick than anticipated or desired. The packet went into the afternoon collection, taking an honored place in the rotation especially when the mood was more cerebral than kinetic. Three and a half stars.

On 2019-02-20 at 13:08Z, EB1AO and I completed a 4,936-km QSO between IN52pe and FN43rg, setting a distance record for the U/v repeater on AO-92. It was a -11° pass — Celsius (12°F… brrr). Really, it was a 1° pass — maximum elevation at my end. Jose's map tells the story, though the time reported is his AOS , not QSO time. We both recorded the contact. Mine is in Dropbox: eb1ao_AO-92.wav . Thanks EB1AO. Thanks AMSAT-NA . UPDATE: Our record was surpassed by F4DXV and VE1VOX, who added 75 km to the distance, in August 2020. Page reviewed December 2020.

FN42: Halibut Point State Park, Massachusetts I went from Boston's Logan Aiport through Lynn and Salem, then out the Yankee Division Highway through Gloucester and Rockport, and up Route 127 to Halibut Point State Park in time for a mid morning AO-91 pass over the Atlantic. It was well below freezing, but sunny and relatively calm for the walk up to an old quarry pond with a great vantage northeast. I made 4 European contacts, with the furthest being PD0HCV at 5637km. I relocated to the rocky shoreline before the next pass so I would have a good horizon for the bird coming out of the south. I added 5 more, from Puerto Rico to Manitoba, at that spot. FN53: Taste of Maine Restaurant, Maine Next day, I raced the clock to reach my coastal Maine destination before the early AO-91 pass, but ran behind and had to pull over early. Lucky thing the Taste of Maine sits up high and right on Route 1 for a quick activation from an empty parking lot. I worked three of the regulars in France, ...

In this thrilling home finale to a division-topping regular season, Maine took its only lead of the game as the final seconds ticked away, yet minutes after the final buzzer the outcome was still unknown. Did the Grand Rapids buzzer-beater beat the buzzer or not? Finally, no. "It was still in my hand on my follow through," admitted the Drive's Kevin Murphy after seeing the replay. Maine won 108-107. A real crowd-pleaser. Good write-up by Glenn Jordan .