so ive been studying for my technician for like three months and passed it about six weeks ago and honestly the radio just sat on my desk for a while because i was kind of intimidated to actually key up and say anything. my elmer keeps telling me just do it nobody bites but still.

anyway this morning i finally just grabbed the mic on my baofeng (yeah yeah i know) and listened to the local 2m repeater for a bit and there was a guy doing a morning net and i just... did it. said my callsign and that i was a new ham checking in and this older guy came back to me immediately and we talked for like 20 minutes about antennas and how he got started back in the 70s. super nice dude.

i know its just a local repeater contact and not some DX thing but it felt like a huge deal to me. anyway just wanted to share because i dont really have anyone in my life who would understand why im this excited about talking on a radio lol

that first contact feeling is something else man, i still remember mine and that was like 15 years ago. dont let anybody give you a hard time about the baofeng either, we all start somewhere and getting on the air is what matters. once you get comfortable on the repeater you should try some simplex, totally different vibe when theres no machine in between you and the other guy.

welcome to the hobby. the 20 minute ragchew on your very first contact is actually pretty solid, some people just get a quick 59 73 and thats it for their first qso. the repeater guys in most areas are pretty welcoming to new folks so you picked a good way to start. what part of the country are you in if you dont mind me asking