Frustration, family and fun in the world of ham radio (Kansas)

I received my ham radio license four months ago, but being without a radio, I had no opportunity to use it. The radios are expensive. Every time I tried to save up to buy one one, something more important claimed those funds.

A friend recently went through his collection of ham radio paraphernalia and gave me two radios. One is a small walkie-talkie unit, the other is a more powerful radio that can be installed in a vehicle, or used as a home base station.

I was completely overwhelmed by his gift.

With two radios and a valid license, nervousness and fear were the only things keeping me from going on the air. Like most first timers, I was intimidated about making that first call, so I kept putting it off. I was afraid that I might say or do something wrong. Unlike the old Citizens Band radios, you can get into a lot of trouble on ham frequencies if you don’t follow the rules. It’s also intimidating to know that everything said on these radios could possibly be heard by the entire world.

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