Your first contact
The first time you press the transmit button is the hardest part of the hobby. It stops being hard after about three contacts.
Listen for a week first
Programme a local repeater into your radio and just listen - in the car, while cooking, whenever. You will pick up the rhythm of how people announce themselves and how conversations start and end. That is most of the learning done.
What to say
If the repeater is quiet, this is enough:
"NA4RO, listening."
Or, if you want to be clear that you are new: "This is NA4RO, I'm a new licensee, listening for a contact."
Someone will almost certainly answer, and they will be pleased you did it. Announcing yourself as new is the fastest way to get help - people will slow down and explain things.
How a normal contact goes
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Names and locations
You swap callsigns, first names and roughly where you are. Say your callsign clearly; use the phonetic alphabet if the signal is noisy.
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Signal report and equipment
How well you are hearing each other, and what radio and antenna you are using. Nearly every conversation includes this.
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Whatever comes up
The weather, the local club, what you do, an antenna project. It is a normal conversation with a button in the middle.
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Signing off
"Thanks for the contact, 73" - 73 means best wishes - then give your callsign one last time.
Small things that help
- Press the button, pause half a second, then speak - repeaters clip the first syllable otherwise.
- Hold the microphone slightly to the side of your mouth and talk at normal volume.
- Pause between overs so others can join or break in.
- If you make a mistake, say so and carry on. Everyone has done it.
The easiest first contact of all
Join your club's weekly net. A net has someone running it who will invite you in by name, ask you a couple of easy questions, and hand you back out. It is a first contact with training wheels.