I’ve been threatening to get on the satellites for years now. It’s just been one of those things that never percolated up to the top of my list. I finally bit the bullet, though, and actually made my first satellite contact Tuesday!

Several things finally motivated me to do this. One, I’ve been feeling like I’ve been in a rut. Not just with ham radio, but with life in general. I’m sure that I’m not the only one feeling this way. I felt like I needed to do something different to shake things up a bit.

After a delay caused by the covid-19 pandemic, the 2019 ARRL Annual Report has finally been published. As usual, it’s full of glowing statements about how great amateur radio is and what a fabulous job the ARRL is doing. As usual, I have a few comments of my own.

My first comment is about the cover (see right). I don’t know this guy, and honestly, he looks like someone I could be friends with, but I’m not sure that he’s the right person for the cover of the annual report. Perhaps a collage of different hams, like the one on page 2 (minus the group shot of ARRL staffers) would be more appropriate. The goal being to show the diversity of people in amateur radio and the wide range of activities that we participate in.