so ive had my technician license for about three weeks now and finally got a decent HT and a slim jim up in the attic. i can hit a couple repeaters in my area pretty reliably now which is cool. my elmer mentioned i should try checking into some nets to get comfortable talking on the air but i honestly have no idea where to start or how you even find when they happen. is there like a website or something that lists them? or do you just kind of learn about them from other hams locally? i dont want to key up at the wrong time and mess something up, nets seem kind of formal and i dont really know the etiquette yet

welcome to the hobby, youre gonna have a blast with nets once you get the hang of it. the best place i always point new folks is the ARRL net directory online, you can search by state and frequency and it'll show you what nets are active in your area and what days and times they run. most local clubs also run their own weekly nets which are usually pretty relaxed, those are honestly the best ones to start with because the net control guys know a lot of the checkins personally and they're patient with new folks.

as far as etiquette goes its pretty simple — when net control asks for checkins you just wait for a pause, key up and give your callsign phonetically, then unkey and wait. dont try to talk over anyone and if you miss your turn just wait for the next checkins window, net control usually does a few rounds. some nets are traffic nets which are a little more structured but you dont have to worry about that starting out. just jump into a casual club net first and listen a couple times before you checkin, you'll get the feel for it real quick

yeah what he said but also dont stress about it too much, i was nervous my first few checkins and honestly nobody cares if you stumble a little. i remember forgetting my grid square on a VHF net and just said something dumb and laughed it off, net control was totally cool about it. the weekly 2m net through our local club was where i really got comfortable just talking on the air. also if you look up echolink theres tons of nets accessible even without a great antenna situation which might be handy while youre still getting your station dialed in