Alec

I've been told I have a face for radio, and since I heard (from this Anti-Rubicon guy) that all the "Cool Kids" are using Class "A" Citizens Band, aka: GMRS, I thought GMRS would likely be perfect for me!  So, I studied very diligently and became an official YouTube Certified GMRS "Expert".  Armed with a used 7.3-watt mobile radio that has a perfectly tuned and calibrated "Roger Beep", all of which being solidly powered by a hyper-active hamster on a wheel turning a high efficiency 12-volt generator and radiating pristine RF energy from my underground bunker to the outside world via a very large and impressive 0.00015 dB gain antenna securely duct taped to a nearby Avocado tree, my mighty GMRS radio station is a force to be reckoned with!!!   This one-of-a-kind communications marvel is perfectly complimented by a couple of HT radios with batteries that hold a charge for a full 2 minutes, so I'm truly ready for any SHTF situation.  As a result of assembling this best-in-class system, I've subsequently and without question graduated to the level of cool kid and nothing can stop me now...

* As you can see, I try not to take all this radio stuff too seriously!!!  

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I've fond memories of the anything goes, wild west days of CB radio in the late 70's.  Back then I even got a little nerdy and built a few directional antennas, including yagis, and cubical quads.  In the 80's life started to get busy for me and I was off the air for a few decades.  Of course, now days with the "skip" being so strong, the 10 & 11 meter bands are, IMHO, nearly unusable.  I really never had much interest in DX chatting with someone hundreds or thousands of miles away or engaging in "contests".  I much prefer local or regional radio communications with friends and others in my community (or when travelling).   For the same reason I've not much interest in the LF or HF HAM bands.  Besides, I really don't want one of those nerdy giant moonraker antennas on my house/property.   

Since GMRS shares frequencies with the unlicensed FRS radios there is a little bit of that loosely organized chaos that I remember so well, so I decided to get licensed and jump back into radio as an occasional hobby.  I follow the rules but I'm not anal about it!  I got my HAM license primarily for local VHF & UHF use as there is a very good 2m/70cm linked repeater network in my area.  However, some HAMs take themselves a bit too seriously for me, so thus far, I don't spend much time in that world.

I don't have or want a radio shack with mountains of equipment, dials, scopes and meters and I'm not really interested in or impressed with the perfect radio or antenna or optimal signal propagation, blah, blah, blah.  Been there, done a little of that to some degree, long ago...   

Now I'm retired and I just want to have a little fun!