The Question I Ask Every Year (And Why It Matters)

 Thank you for another amazing year. The channel and newsletter are nothing without each of you.

As we prepare to close out the year, I usually take some time to ask myself a simple question: What do I really want to accomplish in the year ahead? Not a New Year’s resolution that fades by Valentine’s Day, but meaningful goals—especially when it comes to radio.

Maybe you’re a technician who wants to upgrade to General. Maybe this is the year you finally learn Morse code, or dive deeper into a specific digital mode. I’ve written down goals like these for many years now, and for me, putting them on paper is key. Another personal hack that’s helped immensely is carving out dedicated time each week. Maybe it’s an hour a week, or maybe it’s an hour a day. Whatever you commit to, the important part is having the discipline to stick with it. And if you slip? Don’t get discouraged. Just backtrack and pick up where you left off. I didn’t learn Linux overnight—it took years to get here, and I still have a long way to go.

This year, my focus is on finding more ways to give back. Part of that will happen through YouTube, but an equally important part will be through my local club. I want to help a few members who have a strong interest in both Linux and digital modes, and I plan to participate in as many public service events as possible. Each of those events is an opportunity to push the limits of what we already do and discover more efficient ways to use the radio spectrum.

I’ve said this before, and I’ll reiterate it again: if you’re not happy with your local club, be the change you want to see. Volunteer to give a presentation on a topic you’re passionate about. Offer to teach a Winlink class if that’s your thing. Clubs are only as active as the members make them.

Here’s to a fantastic 2026.

The Mistake Operators Keep Making

 I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen an operator get burned by an update. It’s happened to me more than once as well—often enough that I finally adopted a new philosophy several years ago.

The scenario is usually the same. A shiny new firmware or software update drops right before an event you’re supporting or participating in. You install it, thinking you’re being responsible… only to discover that something is broken. A feature no longer works, menus have been rearranged, or behavior has subtly changed. Suddenly your radio, Meshtastic device, or computer is in a less-than-ideal state—and that’s on a good day.

To be fair to programmers, I don’t believe there’s ever any malicious intent behind these updates. As a programmer myself, I know how easily things can slip through the cracks. No matter how much testing is done, there’s always an edge case that wasn’t anticipated.

Which brings me back to the philosophy I adopted years ago: the two-week freeze.

For the two weeks leading up to an event, nothing—and I mean nothing—gets updated. No system updates. No software updates. No firmware updates. Don’t touch the radios. Don’t touch the computers. The only exception is programming a new frequency into a rig, and even then, only if it’s absolutely required for the event.

Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.

One System Shined. One Fell Short. Guess Which?

 

Our city’s Christmas parade always feels like controlled chaos—and this year was no exception. A tremendous amount of work goes into both the planning and the execution, but events like this are a fantastic real-world demonstration of just how much can be accomplished over RF.

Overall, it was a big success, though we definitely came away with a few lessons learned. And honestly, if you aren’t learning something during an event like this, you’re probably not paying close enough attention. There’s always room for improvement 🙂 Rather than diving into every detail here, a few highlights are worth sharing:

• Our digital data transfer system worked almost flawlessly—again.

• Everything ran completely without internet access.

• All systems were powered by emergency power.

• Meshtastic didn’t perform quite as well as I’d hoped.

• APRS continues to shine for events like this.

• Always have a backup plan… for your backup plan.

If you’re interested, you can read the full after-action report. It’s a living document, so a few tweaks may still happen as additional thoughts come up, but it’s about 97% complete.