2025 Retrospective & The 2026 Roadmap: Gear, CW, and Going Deeper
As we kick off a new year, I wanted to take a moment to look back at everything that made 2025 such an incredible year for me in the hobby, while laying out where I’m heading in 2026. Whether you’re brand new to ham radio, studying for your Technician exam, or an experienced operator looking for new challenges, I hope this blog serves as a useful reference and a bit of inspiration to get out on the air.
Looking Back at 2025: Getting Off the Sidelines
Since getting licensed in 2022 and earning my General Class ticket, I spent a lot of time learning the ropes, but 2025 was the year I truly got active in the community and built out my foundation.
- Meeting Local Hams & Joining Clubs: One of the best decisions I made last year was plugging into the local ham community. Connecting with nearby operators and getting involved with local clubs transformed ham radio from a solo desk hobby into a genuinely social experience.
- My First Field Day: Participating in my first official Field Day was an absolute blast. Setting up temporary stations, working through pileups, and seeing how clubs coordinate under pressure taught me more in a weekend than months of reading manuals ever could.
- First POTA Activation: Parks on the Air (POTA) had been on my radar for a while, but actually getting out into the field, deploying a portable antenna, and making contacts on battery power was a game-changer.
- Setting Up the Home Shack: I finally got my dedicated home shack dialed in, giving me a reliable station to ragchew, chase DX, and experiment on weeknights.
- Huntsville Hamfest (Alabama): Attending my first major Hamfest in Huntsville, AL was a highlight of the year. Walking through the hamshack flea markets, seeing new gear, and talking shop with operators from all over was incredible.
My 2026 Game Plan: Leveling Up Skills, Gear, and Knowledge
For 2026, the goal isn’t just to keep doing what I’m doing—it’s about getting smarter, more organized, and mastering the technical side of our gear.
Dialing In the Go-Bag & Field Gear
If you’ve ever driven out to a park for a POTA activation only to realize you left a specific coax adapter, power cable, or microphone at home, you know my pain. Past packing mistakes have taught me that gear organization is just as critical as the radio itself.
My primary goal for field gear this year is simple: a modular, drop-in go-pack system. The ideal setup lets me grab one pack, an antenna kit, and head out the door knowing 100% of the required interconnects are inside.
Expanding Digital Capabilities (JS8Call, RTTY & Beyond)
While FT8 is great for quick contacts, I want to explore digital modes that offer conversational capabilities and robust messaging. JS8Call allows for weak-signal, keyboard-to-keyboard ragchewing, while classic RTTY (Radioteletype) remains a staple for contesting and high-speed data.
What is JS8Call? It’s a software protocol built on the foundation of FT8’s weak-signal technology (FT8 engine), but designed specifically for structured text messaging and direct operator-to-operator interaction.
Why use it? When band conditions are poor or noise levels are high, JS8Call lets you send complete text messages using tiny amounts of power where voice signals would get completely lost in the mud.
Learning the Original “Digital Mode”: Morse Code (CW)
With Solar Cycle 25 eventually trending down over the coming years, propagation will get tougher. That’s where CW (Continuous Wave / Morse Code) shines.
How it works: CW concentrates all of your radio’s transmit energy into an extremely narrow bandwidth (around 100 Hz, compared to ~2400 Hz for Single Sideband voice).
The Advantage: Because your power isn’t spread across a wide signal, a low-power (QRP) CW signal can cut through heavy QRM/QRN and cross oceans when voice signals can’t even open the squelch.
Learning Morse code is a major personal challenge for 2026, but the efficiency and satisfaction of working QRP CW are well worth the effort.
Decoding Radio Settings & Menu Systems
Modern radios—whether they are full Software Defined Radios (SDR) or Hybrid-SDRs—are basically computers with RF front ends. Most operators barely scratch the surface of what their menus offer, sticking to basic VFO tuning and RF gain.
Just like physical cable organization, configuration management matters. Features like noise blankers, digital noise reduction (DNR), AGC slopes, mic equalization, and passband tuning can make the difference between hearing a weak signal and missing it completely. I’m spending time diving deep into these menus, testing what each setting actually does, and documenting the configurations here on The Ham Radio Lab so you can get the most out of your rig too.
Upgrading to Amateur Extra
Finally, it’s time to complete the license journey. Upgrading to Amateur Extra will unlock the remaining portion of the HF spectrum (especially those coveted lower-end DX segments on 80m, 40m, 20m, and 15m) and open up even more operating opportunities.
What’s Coming to The Ham Radio Lab
Expect plenty of updates as these projects unfold:
- Go-Bag Loadout Guides: Checklists and organization strategies to prevent missed cables.
- Deep-Dive Radio Guides: Breakdown articles on SDR menu settings and audio processing setup.
- CW & Digital Mode Field Notes: Real-world experiences taking JS8Call and QRP CW out to the parks.
Thanks for following along with the blog! What are your ham radio goals for 2026? Are you targeting a license upgrade, building a go-bag, or learning a new mode? Let me know in the comments below, and I’ll see you on the air!
73,
Chris - K5CTW
The Ham Radio Lab