Hamradio adjacent
Most people that in my opinion do interesting RF stuff, do the hamradio thing only on the side or as a jumping off point.
Hamradio itself seems boring to me currently and looking at the boards and on youtube mainly seems to be about which rig to buy.
Don't get me wrong, I am also prone to that, but it feels like this is missing out on so much.
Where is the cool stuff going on in ham radio currently?
Hamradio adjacent
@andrej hamnet is pretty neat
Hamradio adjacent
Try satellites, weak signal digital modes, antenna design, QRP, ...
You don't need new gear to do these things. Q65 is a new ultra weak signal mode, cool in my opinion.
Hamradio adjacent
@andrej this uSDX thing just dropped recently: https://qrper.com/2020/09/an-introduction-to-the-usdx
Also, I'm more of a QRP kits person since I don't have the money to buy rigs; its a blessing in disguise, since you end up learning a lot more about radio building them yourself and using minimal power. Also try experimenting with stealth antennas!
Hamradio adjacent
@andrej the first three things that pop into my head: satellite comms (including ISS), low power & weak signal digital modes, SDR experimentation. The big rig guys are not what everyone in the hobby is like.