Thank you all for the advice. It has been very helpful and given me
quite a few pointers. The book that I have is the 5th edition and I
believe it is the latest. Thanks for the warning about the newsgroup.
I noticed some flames and other pointless rants, it's good to know that
there are people intelligent enough out there to see what it is and
simply ignore it.

I'll check out ebay and keep an eye out for the brands you named. I'm
not sure if there are any hamfests around here, but there is a huge
flea market every Saturday, so I might stop by there and see if I can
get any information there.

I'm also glad to hear what everyone had to say about the clubs. I will
still check them out, but it's good to have the info you provided. I
had a few experiences with some computer user groups that claim to be
open and welcome to new users but can be almost snobbish to a beginner.

This seems like a great way to get my hands on some fun gear to play
around with and meet some interesting people. I'm excited to try it
out! Thanks again for all the advice and anything else you might think
of is greatly appreciated.

Charles