Hopefully someone or some other business will buy them. Hate to see them go.

Some clubs meet in person and on zoom simultaneously, does your local one? I’d get in contact with them anyway, someone might have a loaner rig you can use to get on the air and see what interests you the most.

Parks on the Air and Summits on the Air are popular an a lot of fun, but you’d need a radio first.

With some basic tools you could build your own radio from a kit.

I’m excited to see the new digital modes people bring to ham radio, or invent.

It’s pretty easy to create it if you want it. I’ve made a few communities 🤷‍♂️

Do you really want to run JS8call? JS8Call and the Fundamental Problem with EmComm in Amateur Radio: Why I stopped using JS8 and why I think you should too.

No rain in NorCal, but people down south were making rain scatter contacts.

I made some decent contacts. My setup seems a bit deaf, so I’ll have to figure out why.

Yes. Usually one person is on a mountain top, and the other is on a different mountain or the valley. Microwaves are mostly LOS, but can and do go farther. Mt Diablo to Frazier Mountain is a popular path here in CA. Last year I heard people coordinating contracts from Frazier to somewhere near Quartzite.

This weekend might provide a lot of rain scatter opportunities for the SoCal hams.

Yes, it is ham radio. I think some people were planning to go up Potosi, but changed their plans with the incoming hurricane. That’s too far and too many mountains for NorCal, so I haven’t been watching their plans closely.

Theoretically you could listen in, but you’d need to be somewhere in the beam of the stations. At 10GHz an 18" dish had a beamwidth of only a few degrees, so if you’re even a little off you’ll hear nothing.

I believe there are LNBs people have used to get on the band. Those are probably the cheapest. SBMS is probably the closest microwave club, is check out their website.

I have a video on YouTube of last year’s contest: https://youtu.be/Ch_j_zfCYgI

No time for contesting? You can just put in a casual effort, an hour or two as you’re able to. Or focus on sprints.

I prefer contests and that kind of contact. SOTA/POTA is generally short and sweet QSOs.

Receiving CW is definitely harder than sending!

I’d recommend you keep listening to the bands. Over time you’ll be able to pick out more and more. Then one day you’ll listen to an over and just understand it, and it will be magical.