Getting Started

[Hitdogg]

Ok, so I have the radio, I have the license, now what? I guess how do I go about talking to someone. I have tried giving my call sign and asking if the frequency was busy. No answers from anybody. I do understand a little about bands. Like the 2m, that is 144.1 all the way up to 148.0. So if I'm wanting to talk to somebody, does that mean we can pick a frequency, say 144.123 and chat away? What about a repeater? Do we both put in the repeater frequency? I got my radio and license so that I could use it when I went 4 wheeling. But I wanna get familiar with the way things are in case SHTF. I don't wanna try and learn during that time. I'm sorry if I have posted this in the wrong place, I am a noob in ever sense of the word. Thanks in advance!

[chris_debian]

Hitdogg,

Welcome! You didn't give your callsign, so I wasn't sure which country you were in. If for example, you are in the US, I would suggest having a look at the relevant band plan, in this case, for 2m.

Have a look here:

http://www.arrl.org/band-plan

On 2m, you would normally start on a 'Calling Frequency'.

May be worth seeing if you have an Amateur Radio club near your location.

Come back here if/ when you need help.

Cheers,

Chris
2E0FRU

[Hitdogg]

Thanks for the reply Chris, so If I wanna just see if anybody is listening using one of the calling frequencies on the 2m band plan, 144.200 and 146.52 would be the place to start? I'm sorry if I'm asking dumb questions really.

[5B4AJB]

The European calling frequencies for 2m are 144.300 for USB and 145.500 for FM

[K7KBN]

Still doesn't give his call or let us know where he's located.

[Hitdogg]

Oh sorry, didn't realize that was a big deal. KN4WHN. US North Carolina


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[WZ7U]

Still doesn't give his call or let us know where he's located.

His location is US, but where exactly I don't know.

On many bands, the frequency location is somewhat determined by the mode. For example, on 2 meters CW and SSB are kept on the lower end of the allotment, whereas FM (simplex and repeaters) is up on the high end. The ARRL band plan chart is really your best bit of info regarding which mode where. Also, depending on location, most calls out on repeaters are met with crickets because people just don't use them so much anymore. Plus, some ops are noob-phobic for whatever reason; forgetting they started out somewhere too. Don't get discouraged, there is a bit of a learning curve here that isn't typically covered in the learning materials or the classes.

This should be information overload for ya - https://duckduckgo.com/?q=ham+band+p...ages&ia=images

Keep asking questions and you will pick it up soon enough. Just know if your whole existence on ham radio is 2 meter FM, it may get a bit boring at times. There's a lot of material on the web to read through, so don't be shy. Welcome to what was once the king of hobbies, until all the jesters took over. :-)

[Hitdogg]

Again, thanks for the replies. I am in the US, North Carolina. KN4WHN. I'll check out that website WZ7U. I'm just getting my feet wet, and I probably should have taken some classes. I'm trying to see if I can ping a buddy across town, as a just in case. That's my main goal right now. Plus the handhelds are becoming pretty popular on the trails. I went on a 4 wheeling trip to Colorado this past summer, and CB's were fine, but sometimes you need to reach out a little further. I figure I can program just any frequency in on the Baofeng, and use that while trail riding, they even come preprogrammed with a few test channels. I want to do it the right way though.