G5RV tested

I spent some time today rehanging one of the arms of my G5RV. Both arms are now mostly level and up about 55 feet. The antenna is hidden in some trees near my condo so all I need to do to use it is run some coax out to the feed point and hook up the radio. I gave it a try this afternoon and worked easily into Europe and around the US. After working so many outings this Summer with the compromised antennas on lightweight portable operations, I was surprised how loud everybody was on a decent antenna!
I'll be using this antenna for the upcoming contests. While these won't be portable operations, they do provide an opportunity to continue improving my operating skills. If ever I get someplace where I would need to be working the bands continuously for hours at a time, working through QRM, QRN, and other nightmares, I want to have the skills so I can do it well, if not easily. I believe you only get good at something with practice. Contests provide me with the opportunity for that practice. Seriously, one of the biggest skills I need to master is simply keeping my butt in the chair and working in a focused and effective manner. Stay put, stay focused, stay effective. My goals for each of these upcoming contests is to make more QSOs than I had in previous years. Given we're at the bottom of the cycle, we'll see how that turns out.
Finally, it has been about a month since I sent off materials to Montserrat and I've not heard anything back from either the licensing authority or the Montserrat Amateur Radio Society. It is probably time to send a follow-up email to see where we are on things.