Activities Last 10 DX Stations Worked WA0KAQ CALL DATE BAND MODE COUNTRY CP4BT 4/30/2012 20 CW Bolivia J52HF 4/5/2012 20 RTTY Guinea-Bissau E51M 4/4/2012 15 CW N. Cook Island EA9EU 3/27/2012 20 CW Cueta & Mellila V51YJ 3/4/2012 10 SSB Namibia ZK2V 11/16/2011 10 SSB Niue T2T 11/15/2011 10 CW Tuvalu SU9VB 11/13/2011 20 CW Egypt TU2T 11/9/2011 17 SSB Ivory Coast ZD8ZZ 11/9/2011 12 CW Ascension Island One of my biggest gripes about ham radio is that a vast majority of hams who have been on the air more than a few years tend to vegetate. They've done it all.... or so they think. Another thing that I feel brings about this attitude is that they tend to congregate with other hams who have the same tendency. It's easier to talk about the good ol' days than to do something today. It is an easy rut to fall into. After more than 47 years as a ham, I've done my share of having "done it all", but I try to push myself to learn new things. I tend to avoid most nets and clubs, as most just meet to be meeting. If a net of club doesn't provide new information to its members each time it meets, it is of no use to me. If other hams have no interest in improving their stations' capabilities, or learning something new, I tend to avoid them too. That leaves me "out in the wilderness" by myself most of the time. If that is how it has to be, so be it. I need to learn new things to remain active and to continue to enjoy the hobby, but not having others around to learn from sometimes makes things difficult. You don't have to spend a lot of extra money to explore new avenues of ham radio. In fact, many things can be done for free or nearly free. Here are a few simple ideas: Download a free logging program and start using electronic logging; Download a free digital program such as FLdigi for and play with it off line (you might get hooked!); Install the free EchoLink program (a great way to get some new ideas while chatting to hams around the world on your computer); Update your free QRZ.com listing by writing a short biography and uploading a photo of yourself or your ham shack; Start using a mode you don't usually use; Go on-line and work to upgrade your license by taking free practice tests; Promise yourself you will work to copy code at a higher speed, then DO IT; Participate in Field Day, either by yourself or with a club; Enter a radio contest just for the fun of it; Build a simple antenna for that band you've been wanting to work; Rearrange your ham equipment so it is easier to use; Introduce someone to ham radio for the first time; Take and use ham radio with you on an outing; Use the local repeaters (how many hours they sit unused each day!); Build something simple for your ham shack; Call a ham operator you know who has an interest in a different area of ham radio than your own and talk with him about it; Become a Volunteer Examiner; Join and participate in local ARES activities; Plan an event at the local park by inviting all the hams you know to bring their lunches and get together for a gabfest; Design your own special QSL card on your computer to print and send; Do a search on Google for ham radio videos on U-Tube; Attend an amateur radio swapfest in your area; Put together an Emergency Response Kit (See section on Emcomm); Visit websites dedicated to Ham Radio, such as the ARRL and the CQ Magazine sites and get new ideas there; Try QRP; Visit your local radio club. If there isn't one, START one! I did!; The list is as unlimited as your imagination. The main thing is to BE ACTIVE! On August 2, 2007, I finished working all 3,077 counties in the USA. I started on this in 1964! I now hold USA-CA Worked All Counties Certificate #1157, issued September 3, 2007. See Page 92 of the May 2008 issue of CQ Magazine for further details. April 6, 2012 WAS & WAC PSK31 (States) - 49/48 [Need VT & DE] RTTY(States) - 46/42 PSK31 (Countries) - 39/26 RTTY (Countries) - 35/18 CQ DX! While I am not an avid DXer, I do enjoy making contacts with foreign stations. September 29, 2009 I topped my goal of 100 countries confirmed. I now have 181 countries worked, and of those 171 are confirmed. When not hunting DX on SSB or CW, I'm usually working PSK-31 or RTTY. My bands of choice at this time are 20 and 17 meters. When band conditions permit, you may also find me on 15 or 10 meters where my low power and low antennas are not a major limitation. I use both paper QSL cards and LOTW. If you would like to have a printed QSL card for a contact, please send your card with a business size SASE, or QSL through the Bureau. I also have started uploading contacts to eQSL.com. Please consider becoming AG Certified if you have not already done so. Non-AG Certified confirmations do not count for either the eQSL or the CQ Magazine's awards. Sending an eQSL without AG Certification is like sending a paper QSL without noting the date and time worked. It is worthless to the receiving station. Have you tried RMS Express using the WINMOR protocol? (Continued On Next Page)