so i just got licensed about three weeks ago, technician class, and ive been too nervous to actually key up on anything. been sitting on 2m with my baofeng just listening forever. last night i just said screw it and answered a CQ on the local repeater and the guy was super patient with me when i fumbled through my callsign like four times. we talked for maybe 10 minutes about nothing really, just where i was located and my radio setup but man it felt incredible. like i know its just a repeater contact and not some DX thing but it still got me. anyway just wanted to share since nobody in my family understands why im excited about this

haha the first one is always like that, i remmeber mine i was so nervous i forgot my own grid square. dont worry about it being a repeater contact, everyones gotta start somewhere and honestly working local guys is how you actually learn the ropes before you jump into HF chaos. welcome to the hobby man, it only gets worse from here in the best way possible

congrats, the baofeng is fine for getting started just so you know some repeaters are picky about the tones so if you ever get ignored thats probably why. also once you upgrade to general and get on HF its a whole different world. took me about two months after my tech ticket to go ahead and study for general and i wish id done it sooner honestly