When was the last time that you got on the air? Why not explore all of the activities available. 2024 is still fresh. There are many activities and new friends to be made over the airwaves. We say goodbye to the 2023 Volunteers On The Air activity. Sorry if you missed out but there are still many activities to keep you busy. Have you worked any of the numerous POTA (parks on the air) activations? These can be found on the bands pretty much daily. These stations are eager to hear from you and meet you on the bands. Another activity is taking part in one of the many contests during the weekend. You don’t need to be a hardcore contestor to take part. Most exchanges are a simple signal report and your state or name. This is an easy way to check out operation of your station and maybe add to your Worked All States award list or work towards DXCC or one of the many other awards available. Contesting is also very valuable in honing your operating skills on the radio whether it be in receiving or transmitting areas. After all this is one of the main aspects surrounding Amateur Radio to begin with and part of our existence. Remember the phrase “When all else fails”. We are here to ultimately provide a service. Staying active also helps keep our equipment and stations ready for use during emergencies.
There are many different modes to explore. Phone is the easiest but CW helps keep your brain sharp. Many other digital modes such as psk31, ft8 and RTTY are also fun and easy to use under various conditions. These may take a bit of a learning curve to master at first but there are countless tutorials to be found on the internet making it easy to get started.
So there is no excuse as to not getting on the air Today or Tomorrow. This is a great hobby to be a part of!