Jedi_Nephite

So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
Do displays of devotion and excitement feed the Lord's sheep? If so, they might be true signs of the love of Christ. If not, then they are not.
I have no argument against those who express their love and devotion to their Savior in a manner different from mine. But those who do so publicly, to be seen of men, have their reward. If their true intent is to love and worship the Lord, they should hear and obey his words on the matter.

@classylady After reading your post, my initial response was this:
 

There’s a lot of variables in choosing an antenna. Where you live, what your surroundings are, hoa/pud restrictions (legally they can’t keep you from putting up an antenna, but there might be restrictions in how high), are there power lines in the way, etc.  Will you be getting your general or extra class license to get on HF?
My husband is working on a fan-dipole antenna for HF. He has a Kenwood TS-850S. It’s about 30 years old. I’m setting up a base station in my office with a TYT radio and a small external power supply. Probably will be using a Potkus dual band j-pole antenna. Up until now I’ve just used my handheld Baofeng UV5r with a larger battery. Occasionally I will use my husband’s base station which is a QYT 980+, a dual band uhf/vhf radio. In my car I have a BTech 25x2, with a 19 inch dual-band mag mount antenna, and my husband has a BTech 50x2 in his pickup truck with a 30 year old Larsen dual-band mag mount antenna. In Hubby’s ham shack he also has an ICOM 2340h, Kenwood TH71, a smaller 2 meter Yaesu, and can’t remember exactly how many baofengs.  I also have an old ICOM 2AT. 

Well, I passed the Technician’s exam yesterday. 

I ordered a Yaseu FT-60r along with a Diamond exchangeable antenna.  I plan on getting an Icom for our base station, but I’m taking more time with that as I research what I need, and how I want to set it up.

Great organization.

I'm sorry to hear this about your son @JohnsonJones, I'm sure it can't be easy.

I'll take the side of the Stake President for the moment.
There are more things to consider in life than just the potential of 'Covid'.

Our stake meets every Sunday for the full 2hr Church and has for months.
Our stake offers in person services AND all meetings are sent over Zoom.
Each member/family can decide for themselves which avenue is best for them.
Stay at home if you feel more comfortable there OR come to church if that is better for you.
The Stake President needs to consider not just the physical health of his stake but also the spiritual, emotional and mental health of his stake.
There are problems far more damaging to many members beside the hype of Covid. Isolation, depression, suicide, lack of friendship, lack of human interaction, etc. can be more damaging and longer lasting than the potential of Covid. I've spoken with several mental health professionals and they say that our fear of Covid, the isolation from Covid, stay at home orders, zoom learning for school can be more traumatic and damaging than Covid for many people.
Can you die from Covid... perhaps.
Can you die from choking on a grape during lunch... perhaps.

Some individuals are so consumed with the infamous death stalker 'covid' that they are willing to subject others to a whole host of other mental and emotional problems instead.
If someone doesn't want to go to Church... don't go. There are plenty of people who need in-person church.
Having been through many discussions and counsels with our Stake President, he takes into consideration the whole picture of the Stake... much of which the average member may never be privy to.
 

I try to give to strangers sparingly. I have limited service ability (particularly fiscally) so when I choose to aid someone, I pick people I know or an organization I trust.
Making a community based on charity or consecration is a good idea... but it is a bad idea if anyone is allowed in. it is going to make up people who are either givers or takers. There is little reciprocity from the takers . The only time it works is when the community is selective and there is a common understanding and expectation of responsibility.

We have over ten BaoFeng radios in the house.  They’re relatively inexpensive and not too difficult to program by computer and cable. Of course these are for VHF/UHF, which is mostly local. If your area has linked repeaters you will be able reach greater distances. The more you use your radio the more you learn. You’ll want an HF radio for long distances. Antennas make a big difference. A directional yagi antenna will get you greater distance with lower power, but is directional.

BaoFeng products have a very bad reputation among the Emergency Alert System community because of several incidents in which people have used BaoFeng-manufactured products to hack into their local emergency alert communications network. 
There was actually an incident from a few months ago where a 14-year-old used one to shout out his friends during the middle of an alert, and literally did not know that what he did was a crime. It wasn't until after the video he put online got a deluge of comments telling him he needed to confess to his parents so they could find a lawyer that he realized he'd done something very, very wrong and was now in danger of life-altering consequences. 

Look at Hamstudy.org. It is a good resource for what you need to study for the exam. At least here in the U.S.  Morse code is no longer required for the exams. But, it is a hobby within the hobby of ham operators. Back when I was a teenager, and Morse code was required, I would listen to my brother transmit and receive. I tried learning it, but didn’t stick with it. I’m thinking if I ever have the time, I’d like to learn code.

Well, I passed the Technician’s exam yesterday. 

I ordered a Yaseu FT-60r along with a Diamond exchangeable antenna.  I plan on getting an Icom for our base station, but I’m taking more time with that as I research what I need, and how I want to set it up.

Well, I passed the Technician’s exam yesterday. 

I ordered a Yaseu FT-60r along with a Diamond exchangeable antenna.  I plan on getting an Icom for our base station, but I’m taking more time with that as I research what I need, and how I want to set it up.

I honestly don't remember, but I'll try to dig it out later.  I have 2, a mobil base and a handheld.

For emergency preparedness, you still need to know how you're going to use it, what time of emergency you are preparing for, and who you are talking to in that emergency.  Worst case scenario if communications are out and you're communicating via radio, you can assume repeaters will be out as well, since they need power to operate.  Therefore,  your handheld will only be useful for communicating locally to other people who have handhelds.  By local, I mean 10-15 mile radius (I made that number up), depending on terrain.   If you get your antenna up higher and boost your power, that radius will grow.  I'm in hilly New England, so that affects my distance.  I'm able to hit local repeaters 15-20 miles out with my handheld and no external antenna

If you're looking to communicate with family 200 miles out, you'll want a base rig and probably multiple antenna, or an antenna tuner (I have a tuner).   That's still no guarantee of communication, as you'll have to find out what frequencies you can skip to their direct location and they'll also need a radio and tuned antenna.  In an emergency where you're communicating by radio, probably nobody will care who does or doesn't have a license.  However, emergencies aren't the time to see how your radio works.  You'll want to establish communications before hand, which would require them to have a license.  
I like my Yaesu handheld.  I also have a BaoFeng UV-5R.   I haven't tried the BaoFeng yet, but lots of people seem to think they are decent budget sets.  They're really cheap.  @classylady"s husband would probably know more than I do, since I still haven't set up my shack at my new house, so haven't been on the air in a few years.  Maybe I'll give it a go this month.  
I did a lot of PSK and digital stuff before I moved.  I had a crap antenna in the city and that was the best way for me to communicate DX.  I managed to get that little tuned wire to bounce all around the globe.

If only Antifa and BLM would heed the wisdom of the First Presidency.

The media is lying. They are trying to say it was stormed by Trump supporters, but the evidence is that it was instigated by Antifa, and the violence was caused by them as well.
https://twitter.com/TheRightMelissa/status/1347040212602466304?s=20

President Gordon B. Hinckley had this say about Ezra Taft Benson:
 

I've developed a real fondness for Ezra Taft Benson

Here is an interesting and relevant talk by Ezra Taft Benson:
“Civic Standards for the Faithful Saints“
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1972/04/civic-standards-for-the-faithful-saints

The Mandalorian is excellent.  My wife and I look forward to watching it together every week after we put the kids to bed; it has that classic trilogy flavor.  I keep referring to the little Yoda character as “Grogurt” and it drives my wife crazy.
Over Thanksgiving weekend, I introduced my oldest brother to The Mandalorian, and now he’s hooked.

The Mandalorian theme music is also masterful and a delight for me to listen to.  The composer Ludwig Göransson wrote it.  The music is different from John William's superb music he wrote for Star Wars but on the same level of excellence in my opinion.

I have to say I hated the trilogy of new Star Wars movies with The Rise of Skywalker movie being one of the biggest disappointments I have ever watched.  But The Mandalorian has been surprising to me.  I like it a lot.  It is a much more simple story, the writing and plot line is very good in my opinion and they stay with the older Star Wars legacy.
I was beginning to wonder if the Star Wars billion dollar industry was flushed down the toilet with The Rise of Skywalker movie but I think The Mandalorian is breathing new life into Star Wars in my opinion.

We no longer subscribe to LDS living magazine because of this same type of thing. Many far left ideals have become very commonplace in that publication, and I would rather me and my children just read the church news or official church magazines for uplifting stories without having to wade through garbage. The same is true for so many latter-day saint bloggers and facebookers...too many people are putting their faith in people rather than the Lord and His servants. I prefer scripture than the philosophies of men mingled with scripture.

As one who's essentially left the forum I can comment (as I happen to have joined back in for a day or two for a specific discussion). But since this thread is here during that time, (I won't be around long), I'll comment from my perspective.
I think the reason I left the forum may be the issue at hand.
When the division becomes as great as it has between two factions, those factions struggle for civility. I'll label those factions conservatism and progressivism, but those are relative terms. Still, it should be understood. And I don't mean politically. Politics only interest me as to how they relate to the eternal. These two factions, so divided, struggle to bond in any regard. And, really, in my opinion, they should not bond, because one of them is team Satan and the other is team God. But the result is conflict. So I find myself at an impasse. I have two desires -- two principles -- that are at odds one with another. 1. Civility and unity. 2. The need to stand strong and fight against what I see as the increasing growth of evil and its encroachment upon society.
Keep in mind, the struggle I'm talking about on these two things is not with others. It is with myself. I wish to be civil and united. I also cannot engage with what I consider evil without taking a stand against it.
I do not feel I can or should abandon either of these principles. And yet...how? And so I finally came to a point where the only option for me was to walk away. I can't fight the one fight without losing the other and vice versa. So I retreated instead.
The plain truth is that the divide between good and evil is growing. And that, I believe, is the root of the problem. The growth of evil demands a violent, bloody fight! (I'm not suggesting literal, physical, fighting. I'm just being metaphorical here). It demands it! And yet...who wants to be in bloody, violent fights all the time?
It's depressing, disheartening, discouraging, unpleasant, and just no fun. And yet, part of me feels like I've pulled a Jonah. But still....
Yes...I realize I'm worse than pretty much anyone else in my views in this regard. And therefore it is, frankly, surprising I engaged as long as I did. But it was, for the most part, no fun. And I came to the point where it broke me. And maybe that is a good thing. Maybe I've been wrong all along in my views on fighting the good fight. Or maybe I just suck at it.