so i passed my technician exam last thursday and just got my callsign in the ULS yesterday, KD9 something something i wont type it all out lol. anyway i was super nervous but i keyed up on the 147.315 repeater here in town and just said my call and that i was a new ham looking to make some contacts. two guys came back to me almost immediately which i was not expecting at all, had a little ragchew for maybe 10 minutes about what radio i have (baofeng uv-5r, dont judge me) and what i want to get into. one of them invited me to the club meeting next tuesday which is cool. honestly the hobby seems way more welcoming than i thought it would be, i was kind of dreading being the new guy who doesnt know anything but everyone was real patient with my terrible mic technique

congrats on the ticket, that first QSO feeling is something you dont forget. and hey nothing wrong with the baofeng to start, most of us had one at some point. go to that club meeting, seriously, those guys will point you toward HF before you know it and thats where things get really fun

lol i remember my first time keying up on a repeater my voice cracked like i was 13 again. took me like four tries to remember to say my callsign at the end. you'll get used to it fast, couple weeks and it'll feel totally normal