Perry. First day.

Got set up after a brief SNAFU.



The CO forgot to notify the Staff duty NCO we were coming but we got that squared away in about a minute. I set up a hasty little shelter and shot a wire antenna up and was good to go in a short time. In a second after the shelter was set up the housing people were down on me liks white on rice asking me what I was doing. I referred them to the NCOs in operations and they went away slightly upset.



Ten minutes later the MPs showed up and told me to make damned good and sure that if anyone hassled me I was to report it to them immediately. My guess is that the housing people called them and the MPs called Operations who gave them the score.



My first QSO was california but there were and still are problems. We advertised one frequency per band for the 20 and 40 meter band and we should have had a backup. On 20 there was a huge contest that kkept bleding through because it was a kilohertz away and on 40 we got interference from a South American commercial station for a while and that was that.



Total QSOs the first day was about a dozen.



I spent some time with the guys I know here and also invited the Marine team over for dogs and beer which is scheduled for Monday pm after the President's match.



Still, a bad day at Perry is better than a good day just about anywhere else.



Sunday. Did better QSO wise and got COsta Rica and WA state which was cool. I am supposed to turn my logs into the base CO but she is not here for the weekend. I will meet with her tomorrow.



Any CO that takes the weekend off and lets her senior NCOs run the show during the NAtional Matches is likely either getting ready to retire or is a good officer that has enough good sense to let the NCOs do their jobs. I will bet on the latter.



Do not go onto the firing line with a Jim Beam bottle full of iced tea.



One NCO came by when I was on the air and said the shanty looked ike something a Japanese holdout in the South Pacific might live in. He laughed. He was off duty so I offered him a beer.



Monday: Met with the base CO and I was right. She's a great officer, competent and capable. I have a pretty good eye for officers and am generally right. This woman is a keeper.



I was supposed to turn in my contacts log but she simply told me to take it to the S-3 shop and have them make copies so I can retain the originals. The S-3 shack opens at 0600 so I will be able to get er done in the morning.



I planned on using 14.261 1600Z to 2200Z and 7.213 2200Z to 0400Z but there is a lot of contesting going on so I go up in clicks of 5 khz until I get a clear frequency. If any of you readers are hams, gimme a shout.



In other gnus I just bought a pink CMP ball cap AND a light pink CMP golf shirt.



Today is the P-100, the President's match.



One of the service teams has offered me a spare cot if I need it but I do not. Still, if something happens it is good to have a fall back.



The base commander had been briefed that we were NOT a high powered Amateur radio club, but an ad hoc group of guys that formed a club so as to be able to do this. WHile some other members are due in to help me out, I am a one man show for now. Last night an 18 YO kid dropped by. He has a tech license but I will allow him to spell me after he shoots today.



I hope help arrives as it sort of sucks being alone.



I have to drag ass to the club house to post on their WiFi so I may miss a day or three but check in and we'll see what gives.



I already have a Texas and Arkansas QSO and am not really officially on the air yet.
my other blog is: http://officerpiccolo.blogspot.com/ http://piccolosbutler.blogspot.com/