Very cool, thanks kindly.
You are welcome. We all started this way, unfortunately for many of us, it was long before the internets were something us commoners had.
Does blowing up an external SWR meter qualify me? Cause that's what I think I did today (see above post). LOL
"Letting the magic smoke out" of a few things is absolutely a rite of passage. No matter how careful, stuff gets broken. It's part of the learning process. Anyone who expects to learn by not making a few mistakes along the way either isn't really trying, or has unrealistic expectations.
Yes, I am looking into amateur radio licensing... I thought experimenting with CB radio first would be a good (and cheaper) way to see if amateur radio is a good fit.
While many may deny it, a LOT of us got our start with CB radios, 49MHz walkie talkies, FRS radios, scanners, even AM radios trying to pull in distant stations.
I remember plying with scanners when I was younger and being fascinated by them. At one point, I was able to get my hands on a used CB radio and learned a lot. Then a shortwave radio, etc. Amateur license along the way. All that led to a full time job in communications. Now I'm lucky enough to have a career doing this stuff.
And it all started with a CB and a scanner.
So far, I am having a great time, and there are a ton of helpful folks like this group, on Facebook, Reddit, etc.
It's important to have fun, yet not go broke in the process. Sounds like you are off to a great start. Have a good time!
