So, you got your “ticket" because your friend said it was a good idea and you had nothing better to do that day. Then, since you didn’t know if you were actually going to like this ham radio stuff, you decided to dip your toe in the water and buy the cheapest radio you could find on Amazon… the Baofeng UV-5R. Ok, great! Now what?
Well, I am sure you want to hear some people chat and, eventually, build up the courage to say hello yourself and maybe even have a conversation with others. Ok, so go outside, punch in the VHF calling frequency, throw out your callsign, let everyone know that you are monitoring and sit back and basque in the glory brought forth by the throngs of people that have been waiting for this particular moment in time. The moment of your arrival on the air waves. Wait… no one came back to you after going hoarse calling CQ on simplex? Ok, ok… maybe you need to expand your possibilities by using a repeater.
Here we go… punch in the repeater frequency of the nearest repeater, set the offset and PL Tone, throw out your callsign and wait for the comeback.
Oh, I see. You don’t know half of the things I just told you to do? No worries, that is what we are here for… to help each other out.
Let’s take it back to the basics. Get a cup of coffee or your favorite beverage, sit back in your comfortable computer chair and watch Ham Radio Crash Course’s video on everything you need to do with your new Baofeng UV-5R (or whatever your new radio of choice happens to be).
Josh, KI6NAZ, will show you...
- What a Baofeng is (and what it is not)
- How to program your radio manually
- How to download and install CHIRP to program your radio using your computer
- Fun things to do with your radio like send pictures using SSTV or how to use APRS