"Bill Horne, W1AC" writes:

Paul,

Welcome back!

All hams are on a budget, although some have a _larger_ budget than
others ;-). Probably the best way to improve your technical skills
while building a station is to trade for or buy some older radio and
spend the time to get it on the air: there are many "boatanchor" rigs
available for reasonable money, provided you're not looking to start
with a KWM-2, and the experience and contacts you'll get in the
process will also help to get you up to speed.

First, join a local club and ask around about used rigs. Many hams
have equipment they used as novices still on a shelf, including
receivers such as Drake 2-A's or such, and although code may not be
your mode of choice, you can often add a modulator to a novice CW rig
and join the AM renaissance on 75 meters for very short money. If you
prefer SSB, there are many older rigs that can be had for reasonable
cost, especially from other club members, such as Swan 350's or
Heathkit HW-101's.

Code actually _is_ one of the things that interests me, believe it or
not. And, honestly, like most of the other responses I've gotten have
noted, buying an older rig would probably be the best route for me to
go, in terms of learning my way around again. Thanks for the tip on
Drake 2-A, I'll have to look into those.

Ebay is a good source for ideas, but I'd avoid it for purchases until
you're more familiar with the boatanchor world - parts availability,
rigs to avoid, etc.: for now, buy or trade with people you live next
to, and you'll do a lot better.

HTH.

Bill

Thanks again for the tips.