Foundations of Amateur Radio

Over the years I've used the phrase, which I shamelessly stole, that amateur radio is a thousand hobbies in one. I've discussed countless different activities and adventures that all fall under the banner of amateur radio, in one way or another.

Since becoming a licensed radio amateur I've had the opportunity to speak with many different amateurs and hear their views on what amateur radio means to them. Based on their responses I've often found myself exploring new aspects of the hobby and discovering new and interesting ways to participate in this community.

Recently I put together a list of projects that are currently underway in my shack. I discovered that over time this list has evolved from physical radio activities, like portable activations, building antennas, camping, and going to HAMfests, the amateur radio version of a swap meet, into more computer related things like data analytics, writing software, fixing bugs and learning how the insides of a Software Defined Radio works.

That's not to say that I've given up on camping, or any of the other things, just that my priorities have shifted over time as I discover over and over again, just how big this hobby really is.

I mention this because one of the recurring observations I encounter is that others are doing the same thing day in and day out. That in and of itself isn't an issue, it's that they begin to describe that they're bored, that they've lost interest, that the hobby is in stagnation, that there's nothing new, that they're frustrated with their progress towards whatever goal they've set themselves.

For me, the key motivator in this hobby is learning. Everything else follows from there. That might not be your thing. You might be here for the emergency service aspect, or the hill climbing, the soldering and electronics.

It really doesn't matter why you're here at all. What keeps it fresh is trying new things. For example, if you're here for emergencies, have you set up a disaster event simulation in your community, or attempted to set-up your station 100 km from home and make contacts, using just the very basics?

If you're into soldering and electronics, have you ever designed your own circuit board, had it manufactured, or even manufactured it yourself, built the project and tested it? What about documenting it and making it available as a project for someone else?

If you've climbed all the hills in your state, have you tried doing this across the border, or overseas? What about testing with different antennas, or modes, power levels or logging tools?

The point being that it's easy to keep doing the same thing. What's harder, but potentially more rewarding, is to try something new and experience what happens.

One thing to keep in mind is that things will go wrong. That's where all the learning happens, so keep at it.

So, are you doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome, or are you excited like a newborn puppy, wagging your tail ready for the next adventure?

I'm Onno VK6FLAB