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. I’ve been really unlucky making contacts and feel like maybe I’ve been looking in the wrong places or don’t 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, it’s 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 I’m 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, I’m 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 they’d be willing to meet on a particular repeater frequency and try a contact. I know that if someone contacted me that way, I’d be more than happy to try and help them.
What advice would you give this fellow ham?