I passed my General exam on 19-October-2021. I knew I wanted to learn more about long distance communications, but didn’t really have a clue where to start other than knowing I needed to pass the General.

After months of mulling over the options, and keeping myself busy working with VHF/UHF on the local GVRC repeaters… well.. more than a year exactly… the budget available and the timing was right to buy an HF rig.

I spent November and December of 2020 reading about various entry level rigs and decided it would likely be either the Icom IC-7300 or Yaesu FT-991, I was leaning towards the FT-991 because it also offered VHF/UHF and the digital (C4FM) that I was spending a lot of time using (shout out to the international room known as Texas Nexus). Come mid December, after watching for deals.. I found a great price on a used FT-991 (not the -A model) for $799.

Main Trading Company in Paris TX shipped it that day, and someone I had it the very next (cost of shipping… 0$). It arrived before I was ready to use it! I had no 12v power supply, no antenna, no place to put it.. all I had was an idea for a dedicated spot in the office, and a toy I’m dying to play with.

Now.. where is a guy going to find a power supply in the midst of pandemic and no Ham shops for 200+ miles?