charlesW wrote:
Is there any (cheap) equipiment or kits that I might be able to find
on ebay or some retail outlet that you could recommend to a beginner
which I could play around with to help me get started before being
licensed?

Consider buying a low cost used scanning receiver that will let you
listen in on the segments of the VHF and UHF amateur bands where you'll
find most of the FM repeater traffic (roughly 145 - 148 and 440 - 450
Mhz). Personally I'm a fan of Uniden's BC895XLT or the newer BC898T.
These $200 receivers (new, $125 used) make great general coverage
receivers for the VHF and above ham bands. Google on the model numbers.

Also consider a used dual band 2 meter / UHF trasceiver for about the
same price.

If you live anywhere near a city with a good sized ham population you
should hear daily traffic on the repeater systems. For information on
specific Philadelphia and Pennsylvania area repeaters see this link:

http://www.artscipub.com/repeaters/s...nnsylvania.asp

Good luck and welcome to the world of amateur radio.