so i finally got my technician license back in march and ive been mostly just listening around on 2m but my elmer mentioned i should try checking into a local net to get some practice talking. found one on a tuesday night that meets on the local repeater and i sat and listened for like three weeks before working up the nerve lol. anyway i actually checked in last tuesday and it went fine but honestly i had no idea what to say beyond my callsign and i kind of froze when the net control asked if i had any traffic. do you just say no traffic or is there some specific phrase im supposed to use? also are there nets specifically for new hams where people are more patient? i feel like i slowed everything down a bit.

yeah just saying "no traffic" or "no traffic, just a check-in" is totally fine, thats what most people say. net control has heard it a thousand times and nobody thinks twice about it. some nets you can also just say "nothing further" after your callsign if the format is real brief. the tuesday night ones around here are pretty casual, sounds like yours probably is too.

and honestly dont worry about slowing things down. you're doing exactly what you're supposed to do. every single person on that net checked in for the first time at some point. i still remember my first check-in, i said my callsign twice because i panicked. net control just laughed and moved on.

ARRL has a list of nets if you want to find ones on HF too, some of the slower CW nets are actually great for practice once you get your general. but for voice stuff on 2m just look for anything called a "rag chew" net rather than a traffic net — traffic nets move fast and have a specific format, rag chew nets are usually pretty relaxed and people actually want to chat a bit. the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) does some events that welcome new operators too, not sure if there's one near you though.