I had good intentions of setting up the IC-705 on the patio today to see if I could get a feel for the noise situation here at the new place. But the morning got away from me as I was busy with other things and by afternoon it was too hot to even think about sitting outside for any length of time.

I’m anxious to give this a spin as it will help determine if I’m going to bother setting up a shack here. I figure if this location is too noisy for HF I might become a nomadic operator who has fun in the field but no place to call “home”. Or it could be the needed kick in the pants to get moving on an endless list of VHF and (much) higher projects I’ve wanted to pursue.

The heat and frequent thunderstorm warnings have caused me to postpone this “test” operation. Maybe in a few more days I’ll get another chance at it. I’ve got two yards to mow tomorrow and want to get them done in the morning before the heat becomes too oppressive. We’re still much busier than retired people ought to be and I’m looking forward to giving myself an actual day off, one of these days…

But tonight is going to be a little like a day off. I’m having a beer with my feet up, listening to the sounds of thunder and catching up on the latest Zero Retries letter (108) from Steve, N8GNJ. It’s not the same as being on the air, but it’s a pretty darn good evening plan!