Hi everyone, KD8XYZ here. Just got my Tech license last month and I'm trying to use the local repeater on 145.370. I programmed the repeater info from RepeaterBook - 145.370 (-600, 103.5 PL). The repeater kerchunks when I key up (I can hear the beep), but when I call for a radio check nobody responds. Am I doing something wrong with the CTCSS setup?

I'm using a Baofeng UV-5R and I've double-checked the frequencies. Local activity seems good - I hear conversations regularly. Any ideas what might be causing this issue?

Welcome to the hobby! The most common issue newcomers face is not programming the CTCSS tone properly, even when the repeater responds. Try this: go into your Baofeng menu and make sure tone encode is ON for transmit. The fact that you're getting the kerchunk means your frequency and offset are correct.

Listen before you transmit to avoid interrupting ongoing conversations, and keep transmissions reasonably short with pauses for others to join. Instead of just asking for a radio check, try "KD8XYZ monitoring" - that's more common on repeaters than calling CQ.

Had the exact same problem with my first HT! Check that you have both TX tone AND the right tone frequency set. Some radios default to 88.5 Hz if you just enable "tone" without specifying 103.5. The repeater will respond with a kerchunk even if your tone is wrong, but other users won't hear you.