so i finally did it after studying for like 3 weeks, passed the technician exam yesterday at the library. 26 out of 35 which isnt great but a pass is a pass right. anyway i picked up a baofeng uv-5r off amazon like two weeks ago thinking id be ready to go the second i got my callsign but now that its actually happening im kind of terrified to transmit. ive been listening to the local 2m repeater for a few days and everyone sounds so confident and like they know exactly what theyre doing and i dont want to sound like an idiot. anyone else feel like this at first or is it just me

oh man yes absolutely felt this way, i sat on my htl for like two weeks just listening before i finally worked up the nerve. honestly the first time i keyed up my voice cracked a little and i totally forgot to give my callsign at the end. but the guy on the other end was super patient and we ended up talking for like 20 minutes. most people on the repeaters around here are genuinely happy to hear a new voice, just say something like "this is [your callsign] listening" and someone will come back to you. worst case nobody answers and you try again later. you already did the hard part getting licensed.

same boat here, got my ticket in march and the baofeng just sat on my desk programmed but never used for like 3 weeks. what finally got me to transmit was a nets - found a local tuesday night net and just checked in. its short, theyre expecting new people, and you just give your callsign and say new ham or whatever. way less pressure than just randomly calling on a repeater. look up if theres a nets schedule for your area on the repeaterbook site