Award Update

Good afternoon from the shackadelic fun zone where technology meets human. I haven't concluded my weekend because there is one more day of rest and relaxation. I have Monday off after a wild technology ride across 11 days.

Downside
We went from Direct TV satellite access to removing the antenna from our roof because of HOA issues to replacing stellar feeds with Charter high definition cable to a Cisco box failure with picture only without audio.

Failure
The Direct TV installation specialist completely screwed up on the install. We called him back a second time to re-route the coax line also he drove a 4 inch coarse threaded bolt into our roof then removed it without sealing the hole. I dumped nearly 12 gallons of water after a storm from last week.

Lastly, I spent the greater portion of Saturday afternoon on the wireless phone trouble shooting with two Charter technical support specialists.

How do I rate this technology saga?

Ridiculous Meets Inertia
We have a picture to our brand new LG LED 42 inch flat screen however no audio feed. A Charter technician is scheduled for Monday afternoon. I already know what is going to happen. It's a hardware swap that is Cisco box for Cisco box. Overall, I'm bitterly disappointed after already replacing one box making this two failures in a row.

Additionally, Direct TV delivered superior picture quality to include a robust menu of channels however the installation specialist put the hurt on Direct TV's reputation.

Award Progress
On the other hand, I downloaded a batch of LoTW and eQSL digital cards after the 2012 ARRL International DX CW event and I'm a little surprised by the results.

I received 136 digital cards from eQSL, 46 LoTW credits, and one traditional QSL card from Japan. Also, I have completed 66 percent of the first 100 toward my Diamond DXCC challenge after loading the spread sheet earlier this morning.

Fast, Fun, and Furious
One can make a serious dent on most awards during a RadioSport weekend. Basically and fundamentally, I do not have time during the week to pursue anything other than sleeping, eating, working then repeat cycle.

Personally, I find RadioSport is a good fit for my 21st Century weekend schedule because the game is fast, fun, and furious.

Perhaps, one day, and I say this with a little pessimism, I can sit in the operating chair and enjoy a rag chew conversation instead of less than 140 character exchanges. However, that day is a more than a decade away, and who knows what RadioSport will look like when I'm an officially retired gray beard?

Until then...

Contest on!