Damn The Torpedoes. Full Speed Ahead

 From Thomas Witherspoon's excellent QRP blog - qrper.com:

I often hear hams bemoan the fact that they don't have a 'proper' QRP or field rig, and fear they'll be ridiculed on the airwaves. Last year I talked at length with a ham about his recent purchase of a used Yaesu FT-817. He had just passed his General test, and wanted a radio that could do all modes and was easy to carry to the field. He wanted an Icom IC-705, but could only afford the 817. He was having some buyer's remorse and was afraid he'd wasted his money. We talked for almost an hour, and I went over item-by-item with him why the FT-817 is still a great QRP rig. In fact, after talking with him, and ticking off the 817's features, I came away with a renewed appreciation for the little radio.

We used to say in the Army, "better is the enemy of good enough". Amateur radio operators are always saying, "If my rig just had (name a feature, any feature) I'd have been able to snag that last rare DX station that only activates once a year".  Yet it's funny how life goes on without that last rare DX station.

So don't worry about not having the latest and greatest. What you have is good enough. Go to the field and 'run what you brung' (as they used to say in NASCAR), and have fun! 

W8BYH out