SOME LESSONS LEARNED----------
I started in 1964 when I was 11 years old and received for Christmas a Hallicraftor's 119 Sky Buddy II three tube shortwave radio. I had a 25' simple random wire from my parent's garage right to my bedroom window. (Come to think about it, it's almost the same antenna system I have now---Yipes
) I was fascinated with listening to the hams on AM. SSB was elusive trying to use the CW switch. I had fun listening to the BOOMERS, VoA, BBC, and the "funny sounding" foreign language stations. I remember telling my father I was interested in trying to contact the other HAM stations. He said
"it would take time, be patient, we'll see..."Being the rather impulsive, impatient, kid that I was, that pat answer from my father just wouldn't do. My buddy up the the street had a pair of powerful Walkie Talkies with 3 crystals, and a whole 1 watt of power! We would ride around on our bikes talking to each other with those mini-powerhouses and occasionally frustrate a legitimate CBer by mocking them, challanging them to find us, (afterall---we were mobile).
So not to be outdown with mere Walkie Talkies. I worked one summer mowing lawns, raking leaves and saving money like a fool. Finally, without my father's permission, I got my 1967 Lafayette Catalog and sent for a Lafayette Comstat 19, 7 tube, CB base station. I'm sure it was pre-23 channel coverage. I remember it did come with 2 or 3 crystals. I also bought a 1/4 wave base antenna. The total came to bout $160.00 worth of sweat labor. (alot of $$ for a 14 year old)
I remember well the day the boxes arrived. I also remember opening the boxes and being a bit overwhelmed with the cables, antenna parts. So I carefully put everything back in the boxes and waited for my father to come from work and surprise him with a new Father & Son project. He opened the boxes and along with the paper instructions which fell out was the ***FCC LICENSE APPLICATION*** Oh no! I was really in over my head...
My long-layed plans for a CB base station fairly went up in smoke---I never even got to plug the thing in...
As I recall, my father ended up selling the whole shebang, to the mailman, and I ending up getting a real shellacking pricewise. I learned about about the pitfalls of the "Second Hand Market" at a pretty young age.
Since that time I've owned other radios, FRG8800, Sangeon ATS803, boat anchors, etc.
FINALLY 
----- I never earned my Ham License. In the 80's I had belonged to to a Ham Radio club here in Illinois, was studying code, and theory for my Novice ticket. But little did I know it was about to take a nasty turn. In the midst of it all I attended a RADIO EXPO / HAMFEST annual Ham Radio Exposition (a huge flea market, commercial displays, etc) usually attended by over 1,000 Ham / SWL enthusiasts. Long story short---I won the GRAND RAFFLE prize of a a brand new KENWOOD TS-430s transceiver! The officials who sponsered the raffle informed me that because I was not a licensed ham, they would not award me the radio. The decisions were made on the spot, with nothing in writing, on the tickets, banners, flyers, regarding this new "restriction" before or during the raffle. I was devastated and blindsided! I argued my case with the officials at the Hamfest. It did not matter that I belonged to a Ham Radio Club, or was studying for my ticket, they would not budge with their decision. I went home emptyhanded and pissed.
Like I said, I never become a Ham Radio operator. After that incident, I didn't want to. I quit the club, quit my lessons, and threw myself into producing pirate radio tapes for relay broadcast. RCCI was born...
Maybe that is one reason I find such an affinity to the PIRATE RADIO COMMUNITY then and now.
Although I never became an "appliance operator" I finally did get my voice on the shortwave bands!...
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