As I continue the ham radio journey, there are so many little joys in the hobby. Here's a few highlights over the last several weeks:

• I started using World Radio League as my log book of choice. Is it freedom and privacy loving (as a Linux user)? Maybe or maybe not but it is certainly easy to start with and use. It was rather simple to sign up, and then a couple clicks to start logging. For someone that was paralyzed by choice of log book options, this was a refreshing option for those who don't mind web apps and not controlling the data on your own server.
• With a log book solution in hand, I created two speaker wire based antennas. I referenced this in a previous post here. Using these antennas, I have continued to make a good number of contacts on the 20 and 10 metre bands, mostly thanks to the significant number of contesting that has been going on.
• I just recently picked up a Surecom SW-102 HF SWR meter to gauge if I'm even close on the antenna construction that I did on both the 20 and 10 metre antennas I created. I freely admit as a baby ham, there is still so much that I don't know, so even trying to understand what the meter was giving me was confusing. I first tested the 20m antenna with the meter. The reports were fairly consistent across the band of 5.2+. Realizing this is horrid, I trundle outside and attempt wrap each end of the antenna back on itself to improve the problem as I probably wrongly assume that the antenna length is too long. After, trying several adjustments the number doesn't change whatsoever. Ugh. (Days later I look up an inverted V dipole calculator only to find that my antenna is probably too short.) On 10m I have much better success. The first measurement comes in at 1.67, which after pressing the tuning button takes the SWR down to 1.01! Yea!

These are all wonderful things to both experiment with and learn about. I have to admit that there is just a joy in chatting with people all around the continent, and even some in Europe and Asia. There is a joy of finding both another human, whether its a simple check in for a contest or lengthy conversation with someone in a Veteran's Hospital in California.

Over the Christmas break, I have a few things on the docket:

• Put up my 2m antenna on a loaned 20 foot pole and find a means to run the cable into the house.
• Build a resonant 20m antenna using my banana clip and 16 AWG speaker wire

As a side note, I trust that you all have a wonderful Christmas season! As a person of the Christian faith, this is the time that we celebrate the coming of the Christ and God's response to us. If that something you celebrate as well - Merry Christmas to you in your celebrations.