This thread has been fun for me to read and think about.

It certainly stimulates a lot of memories!

For me, it all started the summer I turned 12 (that would be 1962). I was twiddling the dial of my mother's table-model Zenith (it had AM broadcast but also two short-wave bands). I happened, quite accidentally, to find a tiny little wedge on the dial where guys were just talking to each other, interjecting odd combinations of letters and numbers.

I had discovered ham radio on 40 meters!

I asked my Assistant Scoutmaster (yes, I was a Boy Scout, too) about it. He wasn't a ham, but he knew some of them and introduced me. And, oh yes, he owned a television repair shop and invited me to drop in after school any time I wished.

One of the great thrills in my life was Christmas, 1963, when I was 13. Under the tree was a kit--a Hallicrafters S-199K "Sky Buddy II" receiver (I still have it.)

I could go on and on but, mercifully, I won't.

Anyway, electronics has given me much enjoyment, both as a hobby and as a profession, for a lot of years. And so has amateur radio. (I just realized I've been licensed for 43 years!)

Either my fingers are getting bigger or the parts are getting smaller . . .