Amateur radio is a hobby for lifetime. It is about self development.
It was always a social club brainstorming problems and pioneering solutions. Focused to emergency services, resilience, operations, logistics, technical training, exploration, and planting independence. Anybody can pick his area of interest and learn. The soul is important.

(Old shack)

The social part changed. Many Amateur radio operators became software Bio-robots reaching Windows 25 level with forced software updates, back door, and remote control. However FT8 sounds annoying, without attractive digital modes and solely morse code, the amateur radio would die out. What is the achievement of FT8 user? None. It is mean to whistle whole day in CW and SSB segments. Mean not using a fraction of brain capacity and wasting time of other people with robots. Mean, any trot can push FT4 keyboard button. The society became vulgar and primitive.

There are so many interesting things to do. Contemplate. Meditate.
Plant the soul of creativity, curiosity, exploration, innovation, cooperation, and exchange of opinions in social environment. A fruitful dialogue. Kits like Elecraft and BitX contribute more than China products. Rare amateurs use home made gear. Fixing friend's SWR-meter from Kitsandparts, - these kits contribute and support activity.

The theory and practice how propagation works is quite interesting. Physics behind HF propagation is not predictible. Many scientific propagation prediction programs fail. That's the fun. Fancy propagation prediction vanish since the taxpayer's money flow is cut off. What means good or average propagation? nothing. Beacons work better than fake prediction.

Recent society changed direction from commandments to anarchy, exploding self-confidence, system decline, demoralization.

Read Edward Gibbon's (1737 - 1794) book "Decline and fall of Roman empire" and Tainter: "Collapse of Complex Societies".
Society collapse symptoms are identical with present times. More entertainment, less work, higher taxes, anarchy, incompetence, games, Covid-19, social distancing, criminal activities of medical corporations, limited free speech, censorship, fake leaders, fake media, fake news, fake elections, money for political compromise, debts, inflation, minting gold coins with brass, totalitarian control, everything is imported, family destruction, school destruction, misused children. Globalists, liberals, LGBTHQ orgies. Obsession with power, wealth, media lies. Fall of Roman empire. All is there. It is called sodomy in towns of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Book of Genesis, provoking the wrath of God. End of Greatness.

"I have no time" is symptom of loss of interest due to higher priorities, disillusion, disgust, or pressure. There is "nothing to say"? Arrogance can be the trigger. Plant the Renaissance soul of exploration and mutual cooperation.
Morse code has best throughput. Top morse enthusiasts are nervous hearing 50 wpm from keyboards. With weak signal, all morse decoding programs fail. :-) The hidden question sounds like -"what the family gained by listening 40 years to dash and dots from the shack?".

  My first contact was in Morse code on 160 meters with HB9... by Lugano. Under club station.
Frankly, both parties enjoyed the charming moment. Can't forget.
      The equipment was old WWII AR88LF receiver (boat anchor 100 pounds, 50kg) and vintage tube transmitter, driving very probably half wave antenna.
Later I built 160m band power amplifier running 4x 6L50 tubes. The anodes were cherry red.
Hallicrafters SX-42 receiver served for a while. It was a good winter heater. The band switches were problematic, replacements tubes were problem, and the tube sockets were problem as well. My first built transmitter was CW for 160m with tubes. Lasted long.

Licensed since April 1st. 1982. There were paper logbooks. Silicon transistors. Home made VCXOs. First flight to the Moon. Then we invented PC personal computer and mobile phone. The paper logbook is readable today. All Windows logging programs crashed because of compromised reliability, software trade wars, Windows/DOS, hard drive failures, overheating, and unreliable batteries. BS. Collecting paper QSL cards is not my hobby. I accept only eQSL since the bureacrats started occupying QSL services, and try to expand to civic and hobby areas. west-east, same pattern. Do, what you like to do, at professional level.

      Interesting project was SSB/CW/FM 2m transceiver with custom low phase noise PLL synthesizer. Used 28V for better linearity. This transceiver made many contacts over 1500 miles via sporadic propagation, reflections, and listening to EME. 16 element yagi. In terms of IP3 and sensitivity it beats "commercial prototypes". It works till today. Not for sale. VHF/UHF is the telephone for local contacts with limited range. Space communication needs open space and low EMI to beat the Faraday rotation. HF, short wave bands have unlimited unpredictible range.
Different priorities arrived, professional and personal.
Recently custom UpConverter for colleague's SDR receiver. Investigating benefits and trouble of SDRs.
TRX Orion. The IP3 and IMD3 is better than anything else. Not for sale.

It took time to design first PLLs, TCXOs, VFOs, RF power amplifiers, programmable ASICs, firmware, high efficiency PWMs, analogue circuits, matching, microwave antennas, WiFi, Bluetooth, DECT, ISM band transceivers, satellite technology, to understand reliability, and aerospace standards. This is possible only in the US. Think always the way, this is an aerospace product.

  If you buy
Tube power amplifiers are good. Medium power solid state amplifiers are good. Devices with custom chips are wrong design. After first lightning storm the parts are irreplaceable. Products with seven micro-controllers are culprit . HF devices with first IF 40-70MHz are insane architecture. Audion receivers from 1920 with software are pretending top notch. Arduino. Amateur activities are reduced to purchasing products from China and you support CCP of China. Transceivers made in China (nearly all):: are loaded with irreplaceable copied parts. After few years of corrosion you can extract all switches, connectors, and replace it with gold plated.

  What makes the difference?
Right idea with right theory. Personal approach. It is a pleasure to see products designed to last. Still performing well. The simpler, the better, the more elegant. Make it Great Again! It is fantastic opportunity.
I am not avid contester. A reasonable service for the society makes sense, common sense, and benefits from learning. Weak signal, hardware, and software is of my interest. Sometimes we test new stuff with club members. Sometimes we tune and test antenna systems. It is social activity. Sometimes we test different approach to solve old problems. Important part are meetings and exchange of opinion.

         

Use leaded tin solder! NOT RoHS. This is more than decade old picture. (two VHF FETs, 12V, 8W out, 20mW in, FM) Tinned contacts fall apart. Total BS of RoHS loosers. Full recycling is the common sense answer. Worldwide companies use RoHS for marketing.      

Digital Dementia
is planned tool to divide people, manipulate, and govern. Mobile phones are responsible for low I.Q. in children and adults. Use of FT8, FT4 reach psychological debilisation of the society. Your dog can do FT4. Experimenting with digital redundancy and encryption nobody can break, is interesting.
Maintain your liberties and independence. Free speech. Most important are the people around. HF contacts with sow attitude are ignored (PA - Netherlands, ON, Green communists, left, Marxists, bureaucrats). Talk with suckers is a problem.

  Read the book R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) - play with one of the first examples of AI "Artificial Intelligence" human-like beings in art and literature. Written by Karel Capek, 1920. Same as today. AI, FT8, FT4..

  Read the book about psychopaths in government oversmarting unbeatable forces of nature is the book "The White Disease" written by Karel Capek in 1937 just before WWII and cold war. Totalitarian dictator - psychopath kills his doctor. There is no chance of discussion with evil.

For Amateur Radio newbies:
Questionable technical results are invitation to try something different. It opens great Opportunity window. Plant your creativity, innovation, independence. If it doesn't work first time, it will work next time. Ask for help at your local club. Discuss it personally. We have a network.

Build your Morse keyer, DIY kit.

Support and Service link.

Solar X-Rays today
Geomagnetic field Kp

Kp > 4..9  STORM   Kp = 4  UNSETTLED   Kp = 0..4   QUIET  

High planetary Kp index means HF propagation blackout and satellite problems.
Radiation, space charging. Space monitoring is provided by n3kl.org and
noaa.gov Boulder Colorado provides 3-hour planetary Kp index.
(Don't repair your radio when Kp is high!).

Kyoto and Postdam live Kp geo-magnetic activity daily monitor here.
Geo-magnetic activity graph Hp30, Hp60. See hourly monitor here.  

Check waiting eQSL cards   www.eQSL.cc

"Wherever smart people work, doors are unlocked" - Steve Wozniak  (Apple computer)

  A hand-made bulb still working since 1901 at Livermore fire station Calif. Watch live video
Lifetime of bulb was shortened. Hand-made bulb has high reliability and long run for decades.