This week’s 985 Roundtable asks two deceptively simple questions that turn into a full-blown tour of everyone’s winter prep, attic adventures, mast-tilting parties, and HF ambitions:

“Do you plan on doing any antenna work this winter?”

and

“Will you spend more time on the air or in the shack over the holidays?”

Operators check in with everything from balanced-line dipoles in the wind, planned 220 installs, attic VHF builds, and dreams of hex beams, to ground-mounted vertical experiments, six-meter beams resurrected from tree-trunk disasters, and classic Mosley and Cushcraft gear waiting for spring. Many are gearing up for seasonal operating—CW marathons, AM ragchews, DX chasing, BK weekend operations, and even all-night Thanksgiving HF sessions.

There’s also repeater progress updates, Winter Field Day prep, new site leadership roles, mast-tilt work parties, and a surprise cameo from a guitar providing a nightly “E” note. Newer hams share their first steps into HF, while seasoned operators offer practical antenna wisdom, maintenance tips, lightning worries, and the eternal truth that a loose dipole is better than a snapped one.

A relaxed, detailed, and jam-packed Roundtable full of stories, humor, technical insight, and the classic 985 camaraderie that keeps everyone coming back each Thursday night