I took and passed the Amateur Extra exam today at the Fort Wayne Hamfest. W00t W00t. A big shout-out goes to Ham Test Online. I easily passed the Tech and General exams by studying on my own from the ARRL handbooks. The Extra was a different story. I couldn't have done it without help. Believe me, I tried.
I did go out to WD9BSA a couple of times this summer. I am not sure how welcome I was. Unfortunately this seems to be the normal experience of new guys in this hobby.
The radio stable now includes, in addition to the UV-5R, a Yaesu VX-8GR HT; a Yaesu FT-7900 (which lives on my desk but is destined for my car); and a Yaesu FT-450D sitting in the back room waiting to be connected to this G5RV antenna that I need to throw up in the trees. I know people who spit through their fingers and make the sign of the Cross when the word Yaesu is mentioned, but the fact is that they're a lot less 'spensive than the corresponding Icom or Kenwood models and they seem to get reviews that are just as good. There are people out there who have thousands of dollars to drop on the latest and greatest radio equipage, but I ain't one of them, and the Yaesu stuff puts enough of a crimp in my pocketbook as is.