Since I'm only 23 years old and have been licensed for only 5 years (as of this writing), I guess I'm still considered a young ham. I've only obtained my Technician Class ticket so far but I'm currently studying the General Class theory and waiting for my ARRL code CD's to arrive. I hope to gain access to the HF bands very soon. Maybe I'll talk to you there.

Currently, my equipment consists of:

Mobile Station: Yaesu FT-8500 radio using the remote mount kit, mounted in my 2000 Civic SI. Control head is mounted on the dash below the broadcast band receiver/CD player; mic plugs into the center console beside the parking brake; radio body is mounted in the trunk using the quick-release bracket. Radiation is handled by a Diamond NR-73B antenna, mounted on a Diamond K601NMO hide-away trunk-lip mount. Since the radio body is in the trunk, audio is fed into a small audio amplifier, which in turn drives a pair of 3.5" speakers that are mounted in a custom MDF enclosure above the "hump" in the center of the firewall.

Base Station: I'm currently using my FT-8500 from the car with a Cushcraft AR-270B dual-band Ringo mounted on the roof. DC power is supplied by a power supply that I salvaged from an old computer. There is only enough current to transmit on low power. I hope to upgrade this setup very soon.

HT: Icom IC-W31A with a Maha 1-Ah NiMH battery. Radiation is handled by a plethora of antenna options, including everything from a Miracle Baby to a 1/2-wave telescoping AEA "Hotstick". I also have a Premier earphone/mic.