so i finally got my callsign after studying for like 3 weeks and i was so pumped to get on the air. got my baofeng all programmed up with the local repeater and keyed up and just completely blanked on what to say. said my callsign wrong twice, forgot to say over, the whole thing. the guy on the other end was super patient though and we had a decent little chat once i stopped being a nervous wreck. anyway just wanted to introduce myself here, im KD9 something something, based in ohio, and apparently this hobby is going to take over my life based on how much ive been reading since yesterday

haha welcome, we all had that first qso moment. mine i forgot to unkey before talking so the first like 4 words were just gone. the repeater guys are usually real patient with new folks, at least around here they are. youll get the hang of the rhythm pretty quick. whats your plans, you gonna stick with the baofeng for a while or already eyeing an actual mobile rig

congrats on passing. dont worry about the baofeng thing, pretty much everyone starts there. just keep getting on the repeater and it becomes second nature after a few weeks. the nervousness goes away fast once you realize most of the guys on there are just happy someone new showed up