I follow Dan, KB6NU, on Twitter and I enjoy reading his ham radio blog. He always does a great job finding ham-related items in the news. This week an article about a Myrtle Beach, S.C., ham and his wife caught my eye.
Apparently the couple have purchased a home in North Dakota, site unseen via eBay, because it would be an ideal location to set up a ham shack. And based on the sparse number of hams in that part of the country, it sounds like his station is going to become “rare DX” in short order.
My wife and I have often thought about moving downtown to be closer to our friends and where we work — it’s not like we live “out in the country” by any means. We have a very modest home in a neighborhood where the houses are jammed up uncomfortably close to one another. It’s not the sort of home where you’d expect a ham radio antenna, especially a 145-foot long OCF dipole. But the unused swampland behind our house is practically my own private antenna farm. If we moved downtown I’d lose that and likely be stuck on two meters with my handy-talkie.
If I stick with this hobby and get really serious, an honest assessment of yard space and the ability to setup two or more antennas must be part of the discussion! So I must commend our Myrtle Beach ham for taking such a bold step for the love of the hobby.
And by the way, I hear they have a fantastic Olive Garden out that way.