I got interested in radio because of hearing my dad's stories of talking 
skip on the cb from his big truck in the 70's.
A driver friend of his gave me a 40 channel mobile cb radio when I was 11 
and we built a J poll base antenna for it.
I had it hooked up to a car battery in my bedroom.
We also had a good family friend who was a ham and he kept encouraging me to 
get my license from an early age...though I didn't really do that until I 
was in my 20's.
I have always been mechanically inclined, and was always taking apart broken 
electronics...so I kind of got a good feel for the geography of a typical 
vcr, or broken home stereo or whatever from early on.
I didn't understand how it all worked until my late teens, but I guess the 
foundation was there early.
My parents always encouraged me to explore anything I wanted within limits 
of safety like any kid...so things like stringing up wires to get better tv 
and radio reception were allowed and my dad, with his limited knowledge was 
always willing to help lol.  I was also allowed to install any equipment I 
could get my hands on in his old '68 shevvy pickup, which also helped me 
learn allot about electronics antennas and mobile installations.  I learned, 
for instance, how to make a 102 inch stainless steel whip, and a 500 watt 
tube linear along with various cb radios all work together and not blow 
anything up or fry the primative electrical system in the vehicle hi hi.
Not to mention various and on going stereo instalations.
Anyway, I didn't really have the bug for radio until I was a bit older, but 
I definitely got it hard by the time I was 12 or so.
I was more or less content with 11meters until my 20's when I started to get 
some good HF equipment and decent HF antennas for receiving and realized the 
additional possibilities.  When Echolink and IRLP became popular I decided 
it was way past time to get that license and explore some of the newer more 
interesting methods of communicating.
Moving to a bigger city with a larger ham community and allot more action on 
the local repeaters also motivated me.
73
Colin, V A6BKX
--------------------------------------------------
From: "Tom Behler" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, November 29, 2013 7:14 AM
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: station ground

> Bob:
>
> Well, it is both strange and interesting how we get going in our various
> hobbies.
>
> I guess the beginning of my interest in amateur radio was much less
> eventful.
>
> Like many of us, I suspect, it started with A M dx ing, and short-wave
> listening.
>
> Tom Behler: KB8TYJ
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> On Behalf Of Bob, K8LR
> Sent: Friday, November 29, 2013 1:04 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: station ground
>
> Tom,
>
> That wasn't me, but when I was a very little boy, I did stick a bobby pin 
> in
> to a 110 volt a c socket!!
>
> What really got me going on electronics and amateur radio is when I 
> decided
> to see what made a electric light light up.  This happened before the 
> bobby
> pin accident.  Anyway, I stuck my finger in to an empty light socket in a
> lamp that I could reach as a little boy, and I've been interested in
> electricity ever since!
>
> Bob, K8LR, [log in to unmask]
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tom Behler
> Sent: Thursday, November 28, 2013 6:18 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: station ground
>
> Bob:
>
> And, now, will you tell the story about how you freaked your Mom out once
> when you created some sort of static electricity generator in your 
> bedroom??
>
> I can't remember all the details, but I do remember the story.
>
> We really did have a way of creating much trial and trepedation for our
> parents, at times, didn't we?
>
> Tom Behler: KB8TYJ
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> On Behalf Of Bob, K8LR
> Sent: Thursday, November 28, 2013 6:06 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: station ground
>
> Another shocking story.  I may have told this one before, but I remember 
> it
> like it was yesterday.
>
> I was almost finished modifying a G E low band fm transmitter to run on AC
> power and work on 52.525 MHZ.  I was making final adjustments on the final
> tank circuit when my baby sister grab the mike and squeezed the ptt switch
> which shot 1000 volts through my thumb.  I knocked my sister across the 
> room
> and thankfully she was not hurt.  But my thumb was smoking and when my Mom
> saw that, she fa
>
> By the way, the transmitter worked great, my thumb healed up fine and the
> only bad thing that came out of that incident  was that I wasn't allowed 
> to
> work on radios in the living room any more while I was living with my
> parents.
>
> Bob, K8LR, [log in to unmask]