I am a new ham. Wet and green behind the ears. I took my element 2 and 3 tests on 30-Apr-2016 and got on the air 06-May-2016.  I was a novice back in the early 1970's when I was 12 or 13 years old. Before I could get on the air had to learn CW.  When I was 10 years old I built a 3 tube Autodyne receiver from a 1940 Radio Handbook.  I didn't have anyone to help me, and spent almost an entire summer trying to get it working.  I finally did and learned a lot.  I taught myself CW by listening to commercial ship to shore stations as well as amateur radio operators in the CW bands.   That old receiver served me well until my dad bought me a Heathkit HR-10B receiver on my 12th birthday.  I took my time with it and made sure every component was perfect in the kit.  I finally passed my novice license later that fall.  My father then bought me a used Heathkit DX-60B - the matching transmitter to the HR-10B receiver.  A homebrew ground plane for 15 meters completed my station.  I had just one crystal: 21.126 Mhz if memory serves me right.  I had to wait almost 9 weeks for my license to arrive.  It was pure torture.  The passage of time has changed so many things.