We all make mistakes while operating - what have yours been?
Come on confess, it's good for the soul!
Here are a few of mine -
My most recent one - I couldn't get my KX3 to transmit on CW. Thought it must be a fault with the keyer or cables so pulled out the cables, wriggled them about with no cure. Took the batteries out of the keyer and replaced them - still no result. Finally solved the problem when I realised the KX3 was in SSB mode and not CW!!
On 20m SSB running 100W made a contact into Germany, but it was only about S2 and all signals were low so thought there had been a short wave fade out. Weak signal report was due to the fact that I was transmitting (and receiving) on my dummy load.
When I was QSL manager for VP8GAV in Antarctica we'd had contacts on all bands 10 - 40m but hadn't got round to trying 80m and VP8GAV was due to return to the UK in a couple of weeks, so we set up an early morning sked.We managed it, but only just, as signals were marginal both ways. It was only after we'd finished that I realised that I hadn't been using my 40/80m antenna and had been using my pair of phased 30m verticals that I'd been using the previous evening.
Decided to make an entry in a UK 2m/P contest. So with a friend took my IC-706, 22 element yagi, portable mast and sealed lead acid battery up one of the local mountains. It was a hard climb. The battery died after a couple of contacts. I'd not used it for several months but after charging it it seemed fine, but I'd not tested it under load!
I feel so much better now I've confessed
