Normally a post I do at the end of December. Looking back at 2025 and forward to 2026. Completely with graphs and a logbook breakdown. I will not do it this time. Other things are on my path and I have to spread my time. After I finished a new attic on the 3rd floor I'm still busy building a new second floor bedroom which is not easy as I'm not a carpenter. Besides that I have to go to my job of course which is as busy as it is. But if possible I take some time for the radiohobby. Anyway, here am I looking back at my hobby in 2025 and forward in the new year.
2025 Highlights
Looking through my own archive lots of things happened. Of course we were on the top of the 11 year solarcycle with excellent propagation on the bands. Huge steps were made with CW training at the start of the year. And compared to 2024 I had much improved. The speed I trained with in January 2025 was already 30/20 wpm. That is fast, too fast. I have other insights now and think training with a speed like that is too fast for a beginner. About that in another post. I did my daily CW training for sure and I learned a lot. The yearly PACC contest was a success, I even got a third place which was not expected. This is for the most difficult section QRP mixed. I rebuilt my experimental halo antenna in March and it is still doing fine. DXing was going on as well although expected F2 propagation on 6m was not really there unfortunately. On 60m I worked 8 new ones, on 6m I worked 3 new ones with the best one TZ4AM on CW, On 4m I worked 3 new ones and only 2 all time new DXCC this year. It brings my total on 300 worked DXCC. According to clublog I got 253 DXCC confirmed by LotW and QSL but actually I don't really care. I know what I worked and don't have the need to proof it.
What is more interesting is the mode ratio. See how my CW contacts have been going up against digimode. By the way, this is only the QSOs made with the PE4BAS call. PA6G is not involved. Well, overall when I look back most of my posts were about morsecode. I made my first straight key QSO in September. I took part in several CW contests. It looks like.....I was only having CW in my mind. But besides that I did some other experiments with the interesting digimode software VarAC. I even did appear on FreeDV mode digital voice which was very interesting. And I did setup some Meshcore devices for a free on air legal network which is forming well in our area. At the end of the year I decided to take part in a CWops CW Academy Intermediate course to improve my morsecode skills which are not yet what they should be.
2026 Goals
What was my goal for 2025? You can read it here. I did well, I did make more CW QSOs and did some CW contests. I am improving my morsecode skills but still not where I want to be. Hopefully the CWA course will help me to make a huge step forward. For my blog readers this means that I have to spend even more time training the next months and will have less time to write blogposts. One thing will continue, the "Quest to learn CW" posts will keep you informed at the end of the month. Another thing that will be on my mind is improving the Meshcore equipment. It will be completely off grid, electricity from the sun. I already have plans. I still have 3 solarpanels waiting for another of grid project as well. I might combine things.
My dear blogreaders I hope you still like the posts I make. Although my interests at the moment are much into the direction of morsecode. This blog is at the first place an archive for myself. But of course over the years I wrote things that are interesting for others as well.
