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were hosting the net. My journey's been rather short, but it was a long time coming. Similar to Scott, I joined Air Force a year out of high school, but that was back in 1968 when I joined. And I spent a lot of time at Key for myself with computers. And between keeping up with the computers and my time, 23 years in the Air Force, raising a family, I always had an interest in electronics, just trying to stay up to the times was hard enough with family and so forth. So I never really thought I had time to sit down and figure out the amateur radio stuff, so I didn't. And after I retired from the Air Force, I kept doing the same job for another, I don't know, 25, 26 years. So finally retired, and last September I ran across an audiobook that was fast track your technician license. And I quickly figured out I wasn't going to be able to do that with an audiobook, but it caught my interest. So I bought the book, started studying it, decided that wasn't going to be too bad to do. So I got the second book for your general license and started studying it. And about that time I scheduled it, my testing, for two weeks from when I started the first book. And went ahead and devoured the third book for extra, and went in and took the test two weeks after I started studying and passed all three on the same night. So that was back in, like I said, into September last year. So I'm still new at this. Like Mike, I don't talk too much on radio. I do a lot of listening, but not much talking. I'm on a break. So it's, like I say, more listening than talking. I'm trying to get into the HF side of it, but I live in an apartment complex on the third floor. And I haven't figured out yet how I really want to do that. I don't want to buy the equipment until I figure out what I'm going to do about an antenna. But DMR and All Star, I've got two All Star notes and, I don't know, five or six DMR notes, hot spots. So that's my story, and I'm sticking to it. So back to Nat. This is 82 IZ. Back to you, Nat. Well, A, D, 2, IZ. I don't think I know or heard of anyone that passed all three tests. First go. So now, man, you're a very good studier. And it took me a while. I was only going to get my check next year. And I used the Fast Track handbook as well. And I got to say, I tried the audio book, and I felt the same way. But I did get the book. And that was amazing. So I used it for all three of my tests. And I kind of broke it up. And Mike bought me a HF radio. He said, you got to get your General. And I was like, I don't want to get a General. I was having a hard enough time with the first test. And so I was like, oh, Lord, OK. So he had already done it. So I got the General. And then a year later, I talked myself into getting an extra, and I'm studying CW now. So Robert, you've had quite the journey. And we're just glad to have you here. And I'm going to throw this over to Mike right quick. And Steve is after you, Robert. Over to you, Mike. KN-5Y. OK, I'm 5, this is RK-5Y. Thank you there, Jeanette. And yeah, the testing, that's the whole, let me reset. KN-5Y returning. The testing is that's a whole other subject, isn't it? And I know I got that little study guide for the technician and got to about page three and just closed it and said, whoops, this is not for me. I have no concept of electronics. I've never understood electricity. And I just almost just put it down and I thought, well, wait a minute, let's go ahead and try this. And it's amazing. It can be intimidating, that's for sure. And I actually met a guy where I work that passed all three tests when he was 12 years old. And needless to say, I felt pretty inferior to that guy while we worked together for three days. But man, oh man, I think I have heard of one or two people doing that, and that's awesome. Sure wasn't me. I mean, I sweated through each test big time. But 82-IZ, KN-5Y. Rob, thanks for coming into the lizard lounge, lizard litter box. That's a whole other deal, the lizard lounge. There's one of those over in Dallas. The litter box lounge, welcome into the litter box lounge. I hope you'll come back. We meet every Saturday at 6 PM Central. And just a little announcement. Next week, we're going to have a guest net controller, K4 CUP Virgil. He's going to have a topic, a backup topic, because we encourage you all to bring a topic. But he's going to have a backup topic that I think that will be useful for everyone on here. So have that to look forward to for next week. So 82-IZ, KN-5Y, thank you, Rob. And we're going to go to, we have a Kilo Bravo 3 Papa Foxtrot Foxtrot. Steve, welcome into the box lounge. And don't forget, everyone, we are going to have a 73 round if you can hang around for that. That would be great. If not, we understand. But KV-3 Papa Foxtrot Foxtrot, KN-5Y. Steve, what's new with you? If you don't mind, tell us a little bit about what got you interested in amateur radio and maybe a little bit about your journey into a hobby. Over to you, Steve. Steve, good evening, Mike and everybody on the net. I started out in CB. And I thought that was kind of cool for a little while. But a lot of people were into it at that time. But I set it aside for a while and had some other things to do. And then in early 2000s, around 2004, I said, you know, I got to do something here. And I want to get back to what I, you know, something better than CB. CB, of course. And then I found the 2-meter. And I took my technician license, I believe, in 2004. First radio was an HT, a Yatesu T65. So it worked out pretty well. But that's about it. That's how I started. And hopefully, I'll work up to additional license. But right now, I'm just enjoying what I have. Mike, happy. Back to you guys. That's KB3 PFF. KB3 PFF. Well, thank you, Steve. That's a great story there. And yep, I started out with an HT and then got a Yatesu 991A and got on HF a little bit. And I've gone through several radios since then. And so what a great hobby. And we love hearing the stories. I'll tell you what. Hope you'll come and join us next week. We also have a net on Friday nights, the happy hour net. Starts at 6 PM central. It's a lot of fun. And then AFC, Amateurs for Christ net, on Sundays at 3 PM central. Speaking of which, I think the next man on the list is the main character of that net. So I'm going to turn it back over to Jeanette, KN5 SSR. Go ahead, Jeanette. Well, thank you, KN5Y. It would be my pleasure to introduce this is Hello K6KJV. How you doing, Kev? RevKev. And yeah, what's new with you? You can bring your own topic, which I know you have some. And what got you interested in amateur radio? If you want to share anything about your journey, we certainly want to hear it, Rev. So come on in. This is Kevo6KJV. That's right. Thanks very much, Mr. Knight. Appreciate you. And I really don't know where to start. Well, it was a lonely, hot May night in 1964. It was Mother's Day at about 3 o'clock in the morning when I had a never mind. I guess you don't want me to go back that far. Oh, man. Well, what got me into this, I've said it several times, but old C.E., just like everybody else. That's right. The old patriot man. Kickin' man. And oh, whatever else you want to call it. I used to have a 40 channel. Realistic, that's right. One of the best radios I ever had. Just a basic radio. I used to talk to my brother every night whenever he's coming home from work. And then I'd take him talk to some other guys. I used to, like, I was a little kid. And then I'd talk to sidebanders. And then I'd hear some guys fire up the old linears. And then hear the guy that's got the linear guy banging on his door, pounding down, say, we're going to get in there and we're going to whoop you. There was some good days. I liked them days. And I've always wanted to get my ham radio license. So I just took a long time to do it. Life, career, marriage, everything got in the way. Well, I'm doing it now. Let me reset. K6K, JV returning. And you know, I've only got my technician license right now. I'm planning to get my general. Don't know about that propeller head extra. I don't know if I could do that. But I'm having just fun being on the 11 Cats network and all the VoIP and digital modes. And like Mr. Mike says, me and him are in agreeance. Pam, church for Christ. Sunday, 4 Eastern. Same conference right here, 11 Cats conference. Oh, that's the best net around. Not because I'm involved with it, just because the good Lord raised it up. Right here on 11 Cats. So tomorrow, hey, I'll do Sheamus Plug. We got M7 POV. Mr. Josh, fine young man from over across the pond there in England. He's going to be leading the Bible study tomorrow. So if you all don't mind, stop in and support him. He'd like to have it. We'd have a lot of fun there. So with that, I will shut up and not start preaching. I'm getting ready to. I'll pass it back to Ms. Jeanette from Kix's Kid Doobie. He's bouncing down. We're rolling down that highway. We're going to do what they say can't be done. We got a long way. I better stop. Yeah, OK. I spent my singing money on something else for sure. But oh, that was a bad girl. I'm sorry. But yeah, I think a lot of people got into CB radio. You know, shortwave, I think it was rather popular. It really was too when I was growing up. And if you had a base station, oh my God, you were kind of, you had some money. I think about that. I remember asking about Amradio. They're like, we've got to have a license. So I was like, oh, I don't want that. I remember the first time I looked at the technician book when Mike showed it to me. I looked at it. I said, I can't do that. I just turned it down. Because I said, oh, that's just too much. I mean, I know a little bit about electricity, but that was really intense. And I actually did way better on the extra test. It's not as hard as you think. I did better on the extra than any of the other tests. And I scored in the 90s. So I'm proud of me. But anyway, with that, Kev, thank you for all you do for us. We're going to hand it over to KN5Y for remarks. And then over to Chuck, Mike. And after that, we'll take another check-ins and start the 73 round. So over to you, KN5Y. Sorry for the singing. K05, SSR KN5Y. Well, that wasn't bad, actually. Just don't ask me to do it. K6, KJV. Well, we meet again. Your little reset there was too quick for me, because I was going to try to find that stray cat to say something. But it was too quick. But thanks, Rev, Kev. Thanks for all you do. Looking forward to tomorrow. Yeah, CB, we probably should have a net sometime on everybody's CB radio shenanigans. Because I'm sure there's a bunch of them out there. Oh, man. That takes me back. And I actually bought a middle and CB at, I think, that same Amfest where we met Len, K05NYT. Over at Irving, the guy had a immaculate-looking middle and CB for $25. So I bought it. And my plan was just to gut it and put a Raspberry Pi in it and make an All-Star note out of it and have a retro-looking CB with an All-Star note in it. But that thing was so immaculate. And the guy that bought it from me just put the 40-channel mod in it, and I thought, oh, man, I can't do that. So I've got it in the closet. Someday I'm going to plug that thing in and hook it up and try to make a contact. I do listen to 11 meters on my HF radios off and on. There's craziness on there, that's for sure. But thank you, Rev, Kev. It's an honor to have you on this net. WB4AIZ, Chuck, great to see you here. In case you haven't noticed, you are in the Litterbox Lounge. And everyone's welcome here. We're any topic's good. We have two rounds. We're going to come back for a 73 round here in a minute for comments and 73s. But great to have you here. And what's new with you, Chuck? And if you don't mind, tell us a little bit about what got you interested in amateur radio and maybe a little bit about your journey, beginning with amateur radio. WB4AIZ, over to you, Chuck. WB4AIZ, how did you go off? And immediately started off in back in 1917, 17, 17, 17, 17, something like that. I was going to a after high school, I went to a, what, a college school up in Pittsburgh, and I got two hours from being in the, and it's a school. They had a whiskey-free Oster Zulu Echo hand station with parrot-draped twins. And so I got interested in the, so the horn code with a military box with a paper tape and a light. And that's how I did my box show. And in fact, the school took me, gave me a phone call with downstairs. I got a, I think it's 40. And the crystal, we get set. And anyway, this has to be $11 after that for a while. And for, let's see, $10 for the tube, $61.26. A two-spinner for the meter and $10 for a vertical. And that was like, you know, the stations like, I've got a queue, I've got a queue up to the cell charts. And I have to move down to Florida. I didn't have a queue. They were all in the back cells. But, and then I got my, I had done my technician class before I left Pennsylvania. And I was Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, and the stream was flawless. But I couldn't use it because I didn't have voice privileges. And then when I became a technician, I still couldn't because I was over the walker door, dauntless. So eventually, I got down to, uh, here to Florida. And eventually, I went into a VE walkway and got my general. They said the word in the pre-lock three test, they said the word is, you know, the word is, and they said a very important word. My name is, my duty is, my power is. So he used to use a listen for his, and then write down what he heard. So that's how I passed my general with a fractured little toe that day. So, yeah, it was a while before I got, I got to the junior ranks in 220. So, and now all I've done is a, and I got into the digital. Yeah, I got into the digital. And unfortunately, when I went into the, when I went into the system bearing facility, my radios got put in a box. I don't know where they are now. So anyways, I'm doing I-co-lankton, and I'm doing a lot of work on this cell phone. B4AIZ. That's my story, and I'm addicted to it. That'd be B4AIZ, KM5Y. Chuck, that is a great story. I need to dig into the history of how they used to do licensing back then, because I know it was a whole lot different, and I'm curious about how all that worked. And thanks for sticking with it. And wow, what a story. And I'm glad, thank you for Echolink. You know, it allows people in your situation to stay right on and keep talking. Echolink is just amazing what it does for people that can't, don't have the means to get on a radio. They can get in here and talk, and we get to hear what, about the history of AM radio from people like you. So that was awesome. Thank you, Chuck. I hope you'll come back next week. And all right, well, we're at the bottom of the list. If you're listening and waiting to check in, you are on the Litterbox Lounge net. You are in the Litterbox Lounge on the 11 Catch Radio Network. And we're going to take some more check-ins. Come with your call sign now.