so i finally did it, been studying for like 2 months and passed the technician exam last thursday. got my callsign in the system a few days later which was faster than i expected honestly. anyway today i borrowed my buddy's handheld baofeng and managed to get into a local 2m repeater and someone actually came back to me. i fumbled through the whole exchange like an idiot but the guy on the other end was super patient and walked me through it. i dont even remember half of what i said i was so nervous lol. just wanted to share because i dont really know anyone else who does this hobby and felt like telling somebody

haha the first QSO nerves are real, i literally forgot my own callsign the first time someone came back to me on a repeater. it gets way easier after the first handful of contacts, you'll stop overthinking the format pretty quick. welcome to the hobby, get yourself a proper radio when you can, the baofengs work fine to start but you'll want something better eventually

congrats man. my first contact was also on a 2m repeater and i was shaking the whole time for no reason whatsoever. the guy i talked to ended up becoming someone i chat with almost every week on the local net now so you never know. stick with it