Woes of the amature radio opperator

Last year Eric and I got our Technical class amature radio licenses for his Dad for Father's Day. Little did I know the woes that this license would produce. Let me illustrate. Once Eric had a radio license, he was able to opperate his Dad's radio-so every time we went to his parent's house, he squirreled himself away in his dad's radio room-leaving ME alone with our children in a non-baby proofed house.

After a while using his dad's radio wasn't fun, he needed to get his own radio; dad gave Eric one of his old hand-held radios, and one of his older mobile radios. (Dad had promised anyone who got their license a radio). But you can't opperate a radio without an antenea, so an old antenea (the ringo ranger) was found. However, an antenea must be mounted very high-this is a problem when you rent and there is an HOA. Eric did come up with an ingenious solution. Fine, right?

Sadly, no... for once you have your technical class license, why not get your general class and be able to use the HF bands. For Christmas, Eric got a very nice radio that will opperate on the HF/UHF/VHF bands. There was nothing in the way of a general class now. Eric passed his test with his dad (good bonding time). Now they are both able to opperate on the HF bands. But a new problem arises...the antenea. You have to have a different antenea to opperate HF. A VERY big one, a very expensive one.

Now all I hear is moaning about the radio and the antenea. Eric and his dad keep planning on building a dipole antenea, among other kinds. I just wish that they'd get it over with. I don't care what kind he has, I have just one requirement-that the kids can still play unsupervised in our safe, small backyard. This requirement keeps thwarting many of his ideas. Oh, well.

But my woes won't end with a new antenea...it's sad I know. For once you have an HF antenea, you need an antenea tunner, and a dummy load, and a... Will this EVER end? Probably not.