[ADXA] Wishing ADXA Happy New Year and a Great 2022

[Sandy Hutson]

Joel:
  One of the best written thoughts I have read in a very long time. I could not have expressed myself as well as you did, even if I thought for an hour what to say before writing it down. You covered everything anyone could ask questions about. Great!
   I agree with your outlook about current situations facing us all and that ham radio can help sooth us during these constantly changing times. Bless our hobby. 😊
Happy New Year 2022 tomorrow. 
San YY
  


Sent from Mail for Windows

From: w5zn at w5zn.org
Sent: Friday, December 31, 2021 6:37 AM
To: adxa at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [ADXA] Wishing ADXA Happy New Year and a Great 2022

Greetings ADXA Folks and HAPPY NEW YEAR!,
One year ago today I sent a "Happy New Year" message to you with an excited outlook for 2021. Those hopes did not fully materialize as the first half of the year was met with continued cancellation of big events like Orlando and Dayton. 2021 did improve, though, with Huntsville and a very enjoyable North Alabama DX Club dinner with speaker Adrian, KO8SCA. That was followed by the W9DXCC Convention and the W4DXCC Convention. All of these events were well attended. I was able to attend Huntsville and the W4DXCC event and I know K5UR was able to also hit the W9DXCC gathering. It was great to be able to once again attend an amateur radio event that was not conducted on-line. The technology that affords online meetings these days is amazing and is an outstanding tool however it just simply does not replace the enjoyment and quality of meeting in person!
To continue that trend and make 2021 even more special ADXA was able to hold its first in person meeting since March 2020 in Russellville on November 13 with an outstanding group of 30 who traveled from around the state to attend.
With that said, all I can say now is "here we go again!". Those amazing tools that afford online participation in meetings also provides a platform that makes it very difficult to sort out fact from fiction, science from politics and reality from fairy tales. The result is frayed nerves, negative attitudes and contentious relationships.
I don't make new year's resolutions. Absolutely nothing requires you to resolve to change something only once a year at the end of that year. If you don't like your situation, resolve to change it now, whenever "now" is. That is my segue into how this applies to amateur radio.
Once upon a time we came home from work or school, turned on our radio and forgot about all of the world or personal struggles we were experiencing. A few moments or hours ragchewing on the bands, checking in to a traffic net or, as is our passion, working some DX provided an escape from it all. Oh sure, we have our own internal debate and disagreements about certain aspects within amateur radio but those are driven by our passion about something that means a great deal to us outside of our family and work responsibilities. Do NOT, repeat NOT let the troubles of the world impact your ability to escape that madness for a few enjoyable hours in amateur radio, on a station you built or assembled yourself right in your own home! Think about that for a moment......YOUR own federally licensed station in YOUR home! And you earned that privilege by successfully passing a written examination, not just simply buying a radio and turning it on.
If you are a CW person and are concerned about the migration of activity to the newer digital modes focus your operating effort toward contests. There are still CW contests, many DX oriented, with a ton of activity. The same applies to SSB if you don't like CW (or digital!). Do you yearn for the "old days"? Pick up some vintage equipment, or pull that old rig out of the attic, fire it up and enjoy it. Hey! The Novice Rig Roudup is just around the corner beginning March 5!
Its winter time, even though the unusual 70 to 80 degree temperatures we're experiencing don't feel like but that is about to change. There isn't much you can do outside right now and the daylight time is very short however this is an excellent time to take care of those inside projects in the shack. Make a list. Does that list seem too daunting? Then pick one item for the day or week and focus on it, nothing else and start working that list down. Do you really want to spend your time watching an Oprah rerun instead?
In 2022 we plan to begin our in person quarterly meetings once again and to also have an annual conference sometime in the fourth quarter. I continue to be very encouraged by the activity of our ADXA folks. You are really great in posting what you are hearing and working on the bands, submitting your standings update to ADXA VP Pat, W5VY, and especially in supporting ADXA's mission and goals. THANK YOU.
So, for now you know what to do:
"GET IN THERE AND WORK 'EM !"
73 Joel W5ZN
ADXA President

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/adxa/attachments/20211231/e958d95e/attachment.html>