Happy New Year!

Despite the lousy economy I hope all my ham radio friends had a good 2011.

2011 started great as I went to the Morristown Hamfest on New Year's Day (a soggy, rainy New Year's) and purchased a Wouxun KG-UV2D and enjoyed it so much I got a 2nd one for Lauren at the Knoxville Hamfest the following June.

I had a scare in April as a tornado touched down about 1000 feet from my house. Lightning is also to blame for the loss of a couple of computers, wifi routers, and some appliances in the kitchen. Then I found out my grounding was bad! More on that in a couple of days...

My activity on the radio was significantly reduced, in part to the electrical stuff that occurred over the last few months. We moved our bedroom downstairs where the "radio room" was, so some of my operating hours were cut back. 10 meters has been active as the sunspots have picked up, and 10 is one of my favorite bands and when I miss a big band opening it's not something I relish.  Hopefully I'll be able to get on the air more as things get straightened out with the home stuff. We still need to put a new roof on the house and focus on the kids' schoolwork. 

Speaking of the kids, Lauren's not been on the radio except to occasionally check in to a net or two when she's awake. It's hard to coax her on. I tried to do that on our way home just yesterday, and she refused, because she was nervous. Understandable, but there's only one way to overcome it...

School comes first, so hopefully she can prioritize them and be able to do both.

As for Amber, she's still interested in getting her license, so we'll be working with her over the next few months.

As for my resolutions, well, I already said I wasn't going to make any more. I kept that one good and proper. If I resolve to do anything, it's to encourage Lauren to get on the air, so hopefully I can keep that one.

Here's to 2012! Let's hope it is a great one!