This is how it happens: you spend earnest hours charging batteries, testing peripherals. You might solder a bit here and there. You pack for bugout. You tell family and friends and bosses “Gee I’d like to [insert family, friends or bosses commitment here] but I’m deployed elsewhere…” You grab a GPS, some jerky, your tuff boots (you know the ones), say goodbye to the pup, grab the car keys and you’re off!
You make the infil point and it’s empty—you planned it that way! The WX is amazing, rich with golden-hour vibes. It’s coming on grey-line, and the bands will be hopping. That tingly DX sensation enters the fingers, readies the mind. “Today,” you say to yourself, once more, “I’ll work that Capetown station…”
And you sit on frequency, waiting out the pileup. Putting up with the long-winded. You keep calling. Tide’s coming in. The sea is swallowing your counterpoise, but the saltwater amp is dead. And no matter how many times you press the button, or how many tweaks you make to the tuning, no matter which mic you use, it’s just not happening. And crows gather to laugh and caw: “NEGATIVE CONTACT! NEGATIVE CONTACT!”
Some days its just not on, is it?