Not at all unlike the Nestea Plunge, for those of you who are old enough to remember it, the thirty day challenge was something that evolved as a personal bribe to get myself on the air.

See, what had happened was…

Whilst in the midst of trying screw up the courage to get on the air for the first time and after backing out again and again, I finally wound up having a complete and total meltdown while driving down the access road of I-35 one day. Yes, we're talking actual tears.

After same said meltdown, a much calmer, more level-headed KG5BHY surfaced.

I decided to issue myself a challenge, because, well, that's how I operate. I require clear, concise, defined goals in order to accomplish forward movement.

Anyway, here's the challenge if you wish to take it:

1.) Get your mobile or home equipment set up so that you have a "no excuses policy".

2.) Buy yourself a set of $1 store mini-composition notebooks and carry one in the vehicle with you along with a pen. Or place it near your base station. Put it wherever you'll use it. Whenever you make a contact, log the date, the repeater used, the approximate time and who you talked to.

3.) Key up every day for 30 days. It can be a net check in, a storm net check in, or a repeater cold call, but the key has to go down and your callsign must go out on the airways Every. Single. Day. For 30 days.

4.) Read your radio manual from cover to cover over the course of that same time span and find someone to answer your questions. You'd be surprised what kind of information is in those manuals that isn't in the tech manuals.

At the end of your 30-day challenge, you will probably find, as I did, that the airways are not as scary as you thought they were. In fact, you'll probably find yourself getting on the air MORE than once a day.

I know! Astounding thought, isn't it?

At the end of *MY* 30 days, I gave myself permission to make a decision: walk away in good conscious and know that I gave the hobby a fair shot or I could buy myself a new mobile radio.

I chose option number two.

Thirty days is a fair amount of time to allow yourself to decide if hamming is for you. I'm probably extremely biased, but I'm betting you'll choose option number two as well.

~73
Allison
KG5BHY