I became a ham radio operator about 30 years ago. My first call sign was KB5YBX, a Tech-Plus at the time. Then an Advanced license KJ5ND (my friends said it stood for Neural Damage.) Then I got the Extra license AB5OX. For each of these I had to demonstrate proficiency in the Morse Code. For the Extra it was 20 words per minute. That is pretty fast. None of the current amateur licenses have a code requirement. Removing the code requirements was controversial. The levels of licenses are used as incentive for people to improve their radio skills and knowledge. Higher licenses give more access to bands. Carrot and stick.

So back to the story. I had my VHF/UHF gear sitting on a shelf for a very long time. The last time I operated was at the Boy Scout National Jamboree in 2005. I staffed the K2BSA radio station. Last week I pulled the box down just to see what was there. There were three radios and lots of ancillary gear. I bought a lot of stuff back then. The supplied NiCad battery packs from Icom had a tendency to go TU after a while. I bought a bunch of battery packs designed for AA batteries and operated that way. I got excited and filled a battery pack and started playing with the radios. A crash course in programming and operation was required. But in no time I was on the air hitting the two local club repeaters. The good news is that the radios worked. The bad news is the backup batteries were flaky. More on that later. 73 de AB5OX