Reviewing my 2016 amateur radio resolutions, and the new ones for 2017 / 2017-01-04

Again on reddit /r/amateurradio there was a thread HNY! What are your 2017 Amateur Radio resolutions? so I checked the results for My 2016 Amateur Radio resolutions and thought about what I want to do in 2017 with amateur radio.

So, first to review what I hoped to do in 2016:

• Pass the exam for the full license on 2 March

Passed.

• Participate in "Mills on the air" in May

Prepared, and failed: antenna wasn't working and by the time things were fixed the 40 meter band wasn't cooperating.

• Making amateur satellite contacts when the weather permits

No contacts made, I got an antenna rotor and built a holder for the arrow antenna on that rotor, but I only used it to receive SSTV from the ISS.

• Participate in a few digimode contests 'seriously' (preparing, using an outside antenna, optimizing score). Sofar I usuallly go 'oh there is a contest I'll throw in my call and see if I can score some points'

Done: did better in a few contests compared to my 2015 scores. Also worked on and improved my contest macros. I even did a little voice contesting.

• Bring some radio stuff on summer holiday (a full license makes this possible in a lot more countries around here)

Brought the radio and an endfed antenna on a holiday in northern England. Found out the endfed gets into problems when cold (which was probably also the reason "Mills on the air" failed first). And by the time the weather was nice enough for the endfed to work again the battery of the radio was drained.

So, for 2017:

• Improve the holiday/portable setup with solar power and a lightweight multiband inverted V.
• Keep doing the digimode contests
• Maybe those satellites, time/weather permitting
• Get a 2m/70cm vertical antenna on the roof of the dormer. Antenna and a mount for a flat roof are already waiting: Testing an antenna for the 2 meter and 70 centimeter amateur bands and I have plans and materials to make the white antenna less visible: Amateur radio antenna camouflage.