KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog

///////////////////////////////////////////
Can you help this new Tech make his first contact?

Posted: 22 May 2020 07:38 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/kb6nu...m_medium=email


On /r/amateurradio yesterday, /u/Zericef posted:

I got my Technicians license about a year ago. Ever since then I have
attempted to make contacts whenever I feel like messing with the radio. Ive
been really unlucky making contacts and feel like maybe Ive been looking in
the wrong places or dont have powerful enough equipment. Currently I use a
handheld Baofeng in a small town. The times I have found people talking on
the radio I felt too anxious to join in on a conversation for fear that I
would be interupting people. Any advice for making first contacts easily
and talking to people on the radio when you find them? Explain to me like I
am 5, its been about a year since I took my test so I am sort of rusty on
these things, but I feel like I could really enjoy it if Im able to get
back into it all. Thanks!

Some of the advice he was given includes:

Find and check into a net. Since nets have a formal structure, it should be
easier to make a contact that way.
Ask for a radio check. This would be a way to make a contact for a
particular purpose and many guys are willing to pop on for a short contact
and give a report.
Buy or build a better antenna. One fellow noted that his home-built J-pole
worked a lot better than the Nagoya replacement antenna he had purchased
for his Baofeng. Get the antenna up as high as possible.
Consider digital modes, such as DMR, perhaps with a hotspot. Personally, Im
not sure that this is such great advice. DMR is a lot more complex than
simply using an analog repeater.
Try to break into an on-going conversation.


My bit of advice was to note the call signs of the stations he heard, look
them up on QRZ.Com, and then email them and ask if theyd be willing to meet
on a particular repeater frequency and try a contact. I know that if
someone contacted me that way, Id be more than happy to try and help them.

What advice would you give this fellow ham?

The post Can you help this new Tech make his first contact? appeared first
on KB6NUs Ham Radio Blog.