New Ham looking for encouragement

[AC2OY]

Wow that was fast!,! Tell me what band and where and we'll work each other!!! WAIT until you get on HF it's insane!! I made five QSO's in maybe a week. Showing my wife the logging software today and the DX cluster I made a quick Q with a guy contesting in Spain!! Now I have a online tool that points me right where there at and if propagation allows I can work them!!

 

[teufler]

Well you are new to the hobby. Remember no matter how stupid you feel, there is someone more stupid. Conversely, now matter how smart you feel, there is someone smarter. You will talk with people you feel comfortable with, those you don't you turn the dial and move on. Almost 50 years ago, when I started, there was a saying going around. I will call them the old hams because I was a new ham. They would say, "I don't talk to K's or A's or WA's." These were the new call signs then that were being issued. Well getting a WD call sign, I quickly knew where I fell in the pecking order.. So welcome to the "club". Everyone started somewhere and most have survived, as you will too.

 

[KC5AKB]

Congrats on the Upgrade!!!!!

 

[CharlesWhitman]

Go for the General ASAP! That way you aren't confined to repeaters and the bozos that are often on them. Now there are great ops on repeaters, but with the General you can try HF, PSK, CW! The world is your ham oyster! (is that a food group?)
It's really fun to work a new op on CW...you can tell by his slow and methodical way of sending. You go slow, help them along and often in just that one QSO you see a change in the new guys fist.
Enjoy the hobby...don't let the morons get you down!!!

I have been operating on hf since I was 12 years old . It is much better . I like being able to talk to people all over the world . Never had a license and have no intention of getting one

 

[mikepdx]

I have been operating on hf since I was 12 years old . It is much better .
I like being able to talk to people all over the world . Never had a license and have no intention of getting one

We could care less.

 

[CharlesWhitman]

We could care less.

See it's people like you with that attitude that make folks want to jam repeaters etc

 

[N8IAA]

I have been operating on hf since I was 12 years old . It is much better . I like being able to talk to people all over the world . Never had a license and have no intention of getting one

Twenty years operating and never been caught Keep advertising and you never know what might happen.
Larry

 

[CharlesWhitman]

I'm really terrified Larry

 

[Jimru]

I'm really terrified Larry

How do you identify yourself on the air? Do you have a made up call sign? Or, are you a freebander, operating outside of the ham allocations?

 

[CharlesWhitman]

How do you identify yourself on the air? Do you have a made up call sign? Or, are you a freebander, operating outside of the ham allocations?

Both

 

[prc117f]

Hi again all. I passed my General exam last week and I'm in the process of setting up an HF station. I have to say that the contacts I initially made that triggered this thread have been in the minority. Almost everyone I have talked with on the local repeaters have turned out to be very gracious and helpful. I'm glad that I didn't let a bad experience ruin this endeavor for me. I'd like to thank everyone that has chimed in and given all of us new Hams some very encouraging words. I hope that someday I can return the favor to someone who is starting out. To show that age is irrelevant, I was talking to a high school student (I am old enough to be his dad) earlier this week and he had some really good tips for me regarding the dipole I'm setting up. Pretty cool.

Cheers and 73!!!!
Vondutch
KE0EBN /ag

HF is where you really want to operate anyways, using s repeater on VHF is no different than using a telephone, no fun.

 

[Vondutch]

HF is where you really want to operate anyways, using s repeater on VHF is no different than using a telephone, no fun.

I am enjoying HF so much more. I have had a hard time making contacts on the local repeaters. It reminds me of high school. I will hear someone give their call sign and say they are monitoring so I will call back. They won't respond to me but then I will hear them respond to someone they obviously already know. Once again making someone new feel unwelcome. I thought the whole point of Amateur Radio was to meet new people. The HF operators I have talked to seem much more ready to encourage new hams and I do like the fact that it takes more effort to make a contact on HF. I was never popular in high school anyway!

 

[AK9R]

I will hear someone give their call sign and say they are monitoring so I will call back. They won't respond to me but then I will hear them respond to someone they obviously already know.

So, you are saying that you hear WZ0XYZ say "WZ0XYZ, monitoring" and you say "WZ0XYZ this is KE0EBN" and the guy doesn't answer you?

There's a word for that person that the forum's profanity filter will probably catch if I try to use it.

There's not much else you can do in that situation except move on and try to find someone else.

 

[Vondutch]

So, you are saying that you hear WZ0XYZ say "WZ0XYZ, monitoring" and you say "WZ0XYZ this is KE0EBN" and the guy doesn't answer you?

There's a word for that person that the forum's profanity filter will probably catch if I try to use it.

There's not much else you can do in that situation except move on and try to find someone else.

That's exactly it. I've experienced it on a couple different repeaters. It has a "good old boys" vibe to it. I think it has to do with my call sign being new and easily recognized as such.

 

[JnglMassiv]

That's exactly it. I've experienced it on a couple different repeaters. It has a "good old boys" vibe to it. I think it has to do with my call sign being new and easily recognized as such.

Wait.

Hold on.

Lemme get this straight.

You mean to say...

Your repeaters have *activity*?!?


What W9BU is too polite to say is that people who do this are dickheads, that's all.