Only a few more days before we can officially stick a fork in 2022. While the year still isn’t fully cooked, you still have time for some last-minute ham radio New Year’s resolutions. Here are a few suggestions courtesy of your friends at OnAllBands. Feel free to choose the ones that best apply to you.
I resolve to…
- Make my first DX QSO
- Do everything I can to be the best possible operator I can be
- Be a courteous and welcoming operator at all times, especially to those who are new to the ham radio community
- Expand my knowledge of amateur radio and share it with interested non-hams, particularly youngsters—the future of the world’s greatest hobby
- Try a new mode
- Attend a local ARRL Field Day and Winter Field Day
- Join an amateur radio club or suggest ways to improve the club I’m in
- Get involved in an EMCOMM group
- Serve my local community through amateur radio
- Try building my own equipment
- Upgrade my license class
- Learn Morse code or increase my speed
- Better organize my shack
- Not be afraid to ask questions (trust us, no ham knows it all)
While resolutions are all fine and dandy, turning our lofty intentions into action isn’t always easy. A good place to start is with a good reference book, and you’ll find no better than the ARRL Operating Manual 12th Edition. This highly respected ham radio companion has been newly revised with the latest information including details on FT8, which reminds us of another resolution that should be added to the list above: There’s plenty of room in the hobby for all kinds of operators, so I won’t disparage those who choose modes I don’t prefer.
The 240-page paperback ARRL Operating Manual 12th Edition covers:
- Basic Station and Operating Techniques
- Assembling a Station
- Basic Operating Procedures
- HF Digital Communications
- VHF/UHF FM, Repeaters, Digital Voice, and Data
- VHF/UHF SSB, CW, Meteor-Scatter, Moonbounce, and Tropo Digital Modes
- Amateur Satellites
- Image Communications
- Portable and Mobile Operation
- Radio Clubs and Public Service
- Group Activities for the Radio Amateur
- Preparing the Next Generation
- ARRL Field Day
- Public Service Operating
- On-Air Activities and Radiosport
- Awards: Measuring Operating Achievements
- DXing: Contacting Those Faraway Places
- Confirming the Contact: QSLing
- Resources for the Active Ham: A collection of useful information to support on-air operating activities
You’ll find the latest edition of the ARRL Operating Manual, along with many other essential amateur radio references like the six-volume ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications, at DXEngineering.com.
