When I started this website, it was because I wanted a place to put all my hobbies together. I didn't really have a plan and just threw up some basic info about astronomy and ham radio and figured that was good enough.
Actually, ham radio is a fairly new hobby-I got into it as a stepping stone to radio astronomy. After getting my FCC ham radio technician (lowest level) license, I kinda took off with it when I found a local ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Services) group. I got super excited about the opportunity to use my new hobby for good. Not only that, I found out that astronauts on the ISS were also licensed ham operators and if I worked hard at it, I had the opportunity to try contacting them.
And then there's my new interest in the weather, which also came about thanks to my ham radio hobby. Working with Williamson County ARES, I had the opportunity to learn about weather-related emergency response as well as how weather affects radio signals. Not to mention how weather affects viewing the night sky. Now I have my own weather station at home, which my mom really gets a kick out of (real-time weather information from the front yard!).
I still don't really have a plan, but I'm starting to put one together. I asked myself what I wanted out of this and came up with the following list:
I want to share my love of the stars with others
I want to take good pictures of the night sky and share them with others
I want to continue monitoring the weather and providing real-time weather data to people in my area (Williamson County, Texas)
I want to use the information I gather about the weather to help plan my stargazing and astrophotography
I want to use the information I gather about the weather to help people in my area prepare for severe weather and help with the aftermath
I want to continue working with WC-ARES to provide assistance in my community during natural and man-made emergencies
I want to be able to communicate with others about my interests in the sky
It's not quite a plan, but closer than I was before I really started thinking about it. My goal right now is to have a complete plan (implemented or not) by the end of 2023. Wish me luck!
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