Make sure your on the right PL tone otherwise your talking to yourself
Also this might seem like common sense, but always be honest. It's alot easier to talk to people when your honest and not trying to think of things to make up to talk about. Like Rt169 said, talking about how your new to HAM is a good start. Some HAMs love to give advice to new comers. It's a great conversation starter.
When in doubt, dont key up!
Get involved in clubs in your area. It's ALOT more fun to talk to people you know. This is NOT like CB radio where you just key up and talk about how your grandpa drank a jar of moonshine. It's alot more formal radio. (I expect you already know this)
Getting involved in clubs is a great way to meet other HAMs and gives you alot more reasons to use your radio. It's always nice calling a friend to have a nice conversation. It also lets you know which repeaters people use.
Another thing to get the ball rolling for you is finding out when NETS are ran in your area. Participating in NETS is a great way to get your feet wet and gets your call sign out there. You will start to notice your lookups on QRZ go up a bit
An amateur radio net, or simply ham net, is an “on-the-air” gathering of amateur radio operators. Most nets convene on a regular schedule and specific frequency, and are organized for a particular purpose, such as relaying messages, discussing a common topic of interest, in severe weather (for example, during a Skywarn activation), emergencies, or simply as a regular gathering of friends for conversation.
Hope this helps you out!
