I’ve had a few elmers during my time as a ham. One of them gave me a self-study guide for the Novice exam, including cassette tapes to study for the code portion. I was the youngest that those VEs had ever passed when I took the exam that night. My mother was so proud.

I’ve helped a few people get licensed over the years. The first aid organization that I volunteer with often uses radios for communication during events, and at a recent event I ended up reverse engineering some of the radio configuration to help solve a few issues. That sparked some interest in my fellow medical folks, who until now have considered their little HTs to be magic boxes with little idea what to do when things go wrong.

So, based on the excellent study guide by Dan Romanchik at kb6nu.com, I’m in the process of getting three prospective hams ready for their Tech exam. And though I haven’t engaged with ham radio as much the last few years, this has really rekindled that love of radio for me. Every time I teach something I learn it too, and I find that really rewarding.

So, if you’ve been a ham for years, or even if you’re brand new, why not cajole a friend or two into trying out this radio stuff? With online exams and free study guides and inexpensive intro radios, there’s never been a better time to try it out!