The 3Y0K Bouvet Island dxpedition is wrapping up soon and no, I didn’t work them, though it has served as a milestone in my quest for DX. More than a year ago I decided it’s conclusion would mark the end of my focus on DX at HF. I’ve been on this HF DX jag since retiring four years ago. I went from zero to a lot of wallpaper while collecting DXCC CW, DXCC Mixed, DXCC Digital, and DXCC on the 20, 15, 12, and 10 meters bands. I also collected the WAS Triple Play award along with VUCC on six meters. Every bit of that using LoTW only. I did the best I could using a modest HF station and am gratified to have garnered these important (to me) ham radio markers of success.

But life is short and being a few years deeper into my own third act, I try to keep a close eye on whatever remaining runway I have for new exploration and time has come to shift focus to other facets of the hobby while I’m still up for it.

These will likely include activities at VHF, UHF, and even EME and microwaves, though nothing is off-limits. I’ve always wanted to launch balloons with radio payloads but never have. Yet. Plus, many of my hobby heroes are QRPers who create their own obstacles. I’ve written often about these who make up their own games for the challenge and enjoyment of it. For instance, I have one friend who for years has been building low-power gear then using it to make 100 contacts before putting it on the shelf, building another, and doing it over again. Another friend is currently attempting Worked All States POTA using a home-built 1-watt, 20-meter transceiver. He began that quest in June 2025 and is up to 23 states.

There are no official awards for such achievements, it’s all theatre of the ham radio mind. You set a goal then reach for it. You might achieve it, you might not. It’s the journey, not the destination, that keeps these things interesting.

My entry into the world of radio began long ago with a keen interest in electronics, yet somewhere over the years I seem to have left that behind. I built a fairly amazing workbench as a teen in the garage of my parents home when I still lived there. I used to craft all sorts of interesting electronic oddities, mostly from the pages of Popular Electronics magazine. At first these rarely included radio projects. I was simply building for fun and to discover the how and why of electronics. That workbench was used daily. Nowadays I keep my soldering station stored in a plastic tote and have to drag it out on rare occasions when it’s required. I’m determined to get back to the workbench, even though I’ll have to build one (in my own garage) first!

So much to do, so little time to sample it all. But I’m not complaining, I think that’s a good problem to have. Ad astra!