so i just got my technician license like 3 weeks ago and ive been lurking on the local 2m repeater for forever trying to work up the nerve to actually key up. last night i just did it. called out and this guy W5something came back to me right away and we had like a 10 minute ragchew about nothing really, he asked where i was, what radio i had, all that stuff. i was stumbling over my callsign like an idiot but he was super patient about it.

anyway im KD9 something (still weird to say) and i guess im officially a ham now? feels different after that first contact for real. anyone else remember their first QSO being kind of a big deal even if it was totally mundane?

oh man yeah i remember mine, i was so nervous i forgot to give my callsign at the end and the other op had to ask me twice. been licensed since 2019 and i still think about that first contact sometimes. the guy was super nice about it too which made all the difference honestly. congrats and welcome to the hobby, it only gets easier from here trust me.

haha yep first QSO jitters are real. dont worry about stumbling, everybody does it. what radio you running?