I thought I should have a radio in case of emergencies.? Then I thought about scale of emergencies, so I thought of SW.? But hams are working some emergencies so being able to listen to HF SSB would be good.? And if I'm in that big of an emergency then being able to talk would be better.
Back in the early 70s I'd run into a Heathkit catalog and saw the ham rigs.? I built their code oscillator to learn code, but never followed through.? A friend of my dad gave me an ARRL handbook.? That was always in the back of my mind.
Fast forward the emergency radio thoughts, and how big of an emergency.? I looked into getting my ticket, and after some online study passed my general about a year ago.? Got a cheapo HT and figured out how to use the local 2M repeater and did some rag chewing with locals.
I kept poking around the internet looking for ways to get on HF without spending a lot of money.? (Our first grandchildren have also arrived in the last couple of years, and they are another expensive hobby.)? CW can be done on the cheap, but I still haven't (I know!) learned code.? The BItX40 fit the bill very nicely; I didn't want to spend a lot of time building something.? I also found SDR, which feels like having one of those vans with five guys in the back looking for Jason Bourne.? So when the ?BitX came available, much to my surprise as I was thinking it would be another six to twelve months out, it pretty much filled out my basic wants.? Of course I still need to learn code, figure out the digital modes, build antennas, hack at hardware, learn Arduino/Raspberry code, and so on.? It'll keep my curiosity engaged for a long time.
Plus I get to interact with a new bunch of very interesting people.
PS? Don't get me started on the sorry state of mathematics education.
Arvo W0VRA