This is the first entry in what I hope will be a series of entries about this new hobby that I’ve chosen to get into. I’ve been interested in radio since I built my first crystal radio kit when I was a kid, probably 8-10 years old, but I don’t remember exactly.
I built a Remco 106 that closely resembled the one below. Sadly, I don’t have it anymore.
I needed about a 15 m [50-foot] antenna and access to a cold-water pipe for a ground. I lived in an old house in Montréal then, which was nearly 110 feet front to back, and the upstairs hallway was more than long enough, so I was able to install the antenna inside.
The downside of crystal radios is that they can only receive AM radio, so the sound quality is only as good as the station’s broadcast audio quality, atmospheric conditions, and the headphones you’re using. Forget stereo. The headphones (yes, it was a single-sided mono headset without any ear padding) that came with the 106 were… meh.
Later, my favourite Uncle Fred Wilson gave me a Radio Shack electronic experiment kit.
I played with that kit for many years.
So now, many, many years later, I’ve decided to get into amateur radio. I have a friend who has had his licence since he was 10, and he’s 10 years older than me. He’s acting as my mentor in a way. He’s got a beautiful station, one I can’t even aspire to.
So my first job is to get my licence. In Canada, if you score over 80 on the exam, you get wider access to the bands than if you don’t do so well on the exam. I recently took the practice exam and, going in cold (no studying at all), I scored a 74. With a bit of work, I’ll be able to hit the magic number.
I plan to attend the local Radio Amateur Club of Canada chapter meeting in September, and I’d like to have my licence before Christmas. I need to free up some time to study now…
I’m also looking for some used equipment to get started with. My budget is limited, and I need everything—transceiver, power supply, antenna, mast, microphone, CW key.
Once I get my regular licence, then I want to learn Morse Code so that I can add the CW certificate.
