so ive been licensed for about 8 months now (general class) and i mostly just talk to my buddy down the street on 2m but ive been wanting to get more on-air time and actually feel like im part of something bigger i guess. someone at my local club mentioned checking into nets but i honestly dont even know where to start looking for schedules or which ones are worth bothering with.

i tried checking into the ARRL net directory thing online and it was kind of overwhelming, theres so many listed and i couldnt tell which ones are actually active vs just listed there and never really running anymore. does anyone have a net they personally check into and would recommend, either on HF or VHF? im in the midwest if that matters. also curious about those special event stations ive seen mentioned a few times, like is that something a regular person can just call and work or do you have to be some kind of DX guy to bother?

oh man i remember feeling exactly this way when i first got my ticket. the net directory can be a mess honestly, lot of dead listings. what worked for me was just asking around at the club or on local repeaters if anyone knew of active nets. ended up finding a ragchew net on 40m that runs every wednesday evening and its been great, very relaxed, net control is super patient with new checkins.

for special event stations -- yeah absolutely just call them, thats literally the whole point. theyre usually set up to work as many stations as possible and they love getting contacts from newer hams. sometimes you get a certificate or a QSL card out of it which is kinda fun. keep an eye on the ARRL website under special events, they list upcoming ones pretty regularly. some of them are super busy so you might have to wait a bit to get through but dont be shy about calling.

the 80m band has a ton of traffic nets if you want something more structured, like you check in and net control keeps a list and calls everyone. not super exciting but good practice for proper procedure. i check into one most mornings before work just to hear whats going on. honestly half the time i dont even say much, just listen.

special event stations are totally fair game for anyone, worked a lighthouse one last summer and it was one of my favorite contacts. they sent me a really nice QSL card too which my wife actually thought was cool which almost never happens lol