ok so i just got my technician license like three weeks ago and ive been trying to get on the local 2m repeater. i can hear everyone just fine but when i key up nobody seems to hear me or they dont respond. looked up the repeater on repeaterbook and it says theres a 100.0 hz tone required. i programmed that into my baofeng (yeah yeah i know) but still nothing.

my buddy who got his ticket a few years back said maybe im transmitting simplex on the output frequency instead of setting up the offset correctly? i honestly dont fully understand what that means. the repeater is listed as 146.940 with a minus offset. does that mean im supposed to be transmitting on 146.340? i feel like i have one of these things wrong and its driving me crazy because i just want to say hi and get some practice in

also quick side question — is there like a standard thing you say when you first get on a repeater? i dont wanna just start talking and be that guy who does it totally wrong

hey welcome to the hobby, dont stress too much you're actually pretty close to figuring it out. so yeah your buddy is right about the offset — on a minus offset repeater like that 146.940 one your radio needs to transmit 600 khz lower, so 146.340, while you listen on 146.940. most radios handle this automatically when you enter the frequency if the offset is set right but the baofeng chirp programming can be a little weird about it sometimes. worth double checking in chirp that the offset direction is set to minus and the offset amount is 600 khz.

the CTCSS at 100.0 hz also needs to be set to transmit, not just receive — some people accidentally set it the wrong way. should be under a menu called T-CTCS or similar on the baofeng.

as for jumping on the repeater, most people just say their callsign and something like listening or monitoring. some repeaters have a net night where theres a more formal check-in which is a great way to get started because the net control will actually acknowledge you. just listen for a bit and youll get a feel for how that particular group operates, they're usually pretty welcoming to new folks

the offset thing tripped me up too when i first started, felt dumb when i finally understood it lol. one thing i'll add — some repeaters around here are linked into bigger systems like IRLP or AllStar so occasionally when you key up you might be talking to people in completely different states or even other countries without realizing it. not a big deal just something cool to know. i heard a guy in florida answer a local check-in once and everybody was confused for a second