Hello, Holger.

Saturday August 06 2011 at 11:34, you wrote to me:

 HG> Congratulations but I would prefer one of the Icom offerings.
 HG> OTOH I'm on the lookout for a cheap Icom 718 with DSP. One of these
 HG> days one will turn up.

I liked the 897 since it was completely self-contained and it offers 440. 
The main reasion I want 440 is that when I run a SKYWARN net I can conduct
the main net on 2 meters and talk to the NWS office on 440.  Concerning the
batteries, ICOM doesn't offer anything like that AFAIK.  The 718 I sold had
the DSP built-in.  I guess I should have said something first, I could have
sold it to you!

 HG> Yes one of these days when summer is over and conditions and local QRM
 HG> permitting. The rise of sunspot activity doesn't look good though.

True, but aren't we still at a low activity point in the cycle?  I have
talked all over Scandinavia before on 20 and even on 40 oddly enough.

 HG> I have been planning for such activity and I do have a registered copy
 HG> of a digital program but so far my digital activity has beem CW, you
 HG> know it also consists of zeroes and ones.

Of course.  CW was and is the original "digital" mode. :)  I am
wanting to learn CW when I have the time.  I can still pick out CW through
terrible QRM even with my not-so-perfect hearing.  I know I could use a
computer do send/receive CW but really what's the fun in that?!

DX Lab Suite is free so it's for me. :P  Besides, it does a lot of stuff
that I need and it even can control my radio if need be but I still prefer
to do some things myself I guess.

Later,
Sean

... Reality-ometer:  [\........]  Hmmph!  Thought so...
--- GoldED/2 3.0.1