When last we left my attempt at amateur radio, I had passed my test and ordered a radio. I was awaiting my license from the FCC and looking forward to moving ahead. Since then a bit has happened.
Recently I attended my first local radio club meeting. It was a fascinating experience because I knew almost none of the vocabulary that was being used and I had no experience to use context clues to help me. I sat next to some very nice people who helped me out when I needed it. There were also a lot more people than I thought would be there. Like 90+ people in fact. Everyone was very friendly and helpful.
At this point my license and radio had come in. Being nervous of messing something up I had really only listened to hear what I could. I met a gentleman that was willing to help me program my radio to listen to the local (and not so local) chatter which was awesome. After helping me, I also got a tour of our local county emergency services building and I was in awe. I knew we had a lot of resources through the county, but I didn’t think it was so comprehensive.
As I’m writing this, I just finished up my first transmission on my radio to check in with a local net. Basically, I logged in to a conversation of local radio operators during a training session. Was I nervous? Yes. Was it as nerve racking as I thought it would be? No. So far, so good.