so i've been putting this off for like two years and finally just sat down and studied for a couple weeks and went and did it. passed with a 32/35 which i was pretty happy with. dont have a radio yet, just a baofeng on the way from amazon which i know everyone has opinions about but its what i can afford right now. anyway just wanted to say hi, been lurking here for a while reading old threads and you guys have been really helpful without even knowing it. hoping to get my first QSO on a local repeater once the thing shows up. any tips for like, what to actually say the first time you key up? i know the basics from studying but actually doing it feels different

congrats man, 32/35 is solid. honestly the baofeng is fine to start, dont let anyone give you grief about it. for the first time keying up just listen to the repeater for a bit first, get a feel for the rhythm of how people are talking. then just give your callsign and say youre a new tech looking for a contact. most guys on local repeaters are pretty welcoming. the worst that happens is nobody comes back and you try again later, no big deal. also dont forget to wait like half a second after you key up before talking, the repeater needs a moment to open up

i remember my first time, i was so nervous i forgot my own callsign for a second lol. just breathe and go for it honestly. the people on my local repeater were super cool when i introduced myself, one guy even offered to do a proper signal check with me. you'll be fine