2019 highlights, 2020 goals

My traditional post for years, to look back at 2019 and look forward at 2020. I think it is good to have a goal in this hobby, or at least a wish...People do need something to look forward to, what would be life good for otherwise?

So, what happened this year? Did I meet my goals, do I still have wishes for future radio activities? This will be post 140 this year, a absolute year record since I started this weblog in 2008. A lot has happened, unexpected things as always and some expected things as well.

2019 operating position

Starting with my antenna experiments this past year. I had great success with the fence beverage but found it didn't work after everything went wet by rain. I didn't get it right afterwards when everything went dry, just recently I discovered I probabely have transmitted on the beverage by accident. I dismantled the transformer and it was clear to me everyting went black, and it did smell as well...on it went with a experimental vertical, a experimental H-pole antenna and finally a top loaded shunt unipole vertical. I made my first Japan QSO on 160m with the unipole and it did a very good job on 60m and 80m as well. Not really a goal but just a "for fun" alternative DXCC challenge took off in March and it really went on. I also got more and more problems with my 22 year old Icom IC-706 and realized I would need another transceiver. Luckely I could borrow the IC-7300 from Bram PC7B. I achieved my 2019 goal with it working Japan on 6m after a evening with the brightest noctilucent clouds I've ever seen. The same month achieving my goal I activated 5 castles for the 10th anniversary of the World Castle Award program, it was unbelievable that this has so much interest from stations providing me with small pile ups every activation. Then in August I finally had the money to buy a Icom IC-7300 as a birthday present.

Tower dec. 2019

I decided the HF5B had to go and I mounted the 4 element 10m LFA beam instead. For 10-24 MHz I mounted the vertical again with only one radial. The inverted-V is still there for 3-7 MHz. Strange enough the vertical does a unexpected good job on 160m. We had a great CQWW DX SSB contest with the PA6AA team again at the end of October and this was the actual start of my contest season again taking part in the yearly Frysian 11 cities contest, the PA-beker contest and the 160m CQWW CW contest in which I participated QRP.  In between I squeezed a kit building project, a digital FSM which gave me some trouble at first but I got it finished in the end. A 10m band opening to Australia was a nice surprise at the first of December and some real magic on this band. Unfortunately the magic didn't hold on and propagation was worse for the 10m ARRL contest although we got a bit of winter ES at the second day. I didn't have time enough unfortunately. Wow, if I look back on 2019 a lot of things happened it is just amazing.

Blogwise my most populair post was about the rowland ring feed experiment. I actually got the idea from VK3YE. A post about antennas, especially rare ones, seems always be very populair. Although personally I think my posts about PA0DR are the most interesting read this year.

Do I still have a goal for next year?
Yes I do, I might be a little ambitious but I intend to build a 5 band quad beam antenna. I have been searching for a suitable design and think I found it but more about that in future posts. If time allows of course! Another goal would be get active on 70MHz, the IC-7300 does have the 4m option and we are allowed to transceive there. It would be great to be active on that band with a good antenna in the ES season. Not that I lost interest in the 6m band, but I need some variety ;-). Besides that there are not too many active on that band yet and so there are a lot of challenges. I will continue with the DXCC challenges on various bands although instead of 6m I might insert 4m this time.

Do I have wishes for next year? Well, actually hobby wise no. I wish my family and me stay healthy which is the most important thing of all.

From the operator chair in my shack wishing you all a good, healthy and prosperous 2020.