Your First Contact
You've got the license, the radio is programmed with the local repeater, and you've listened for a week. Time to talk. It's simpler than you're imagining.
Calling on a repeater
When the repeater is quiet, key the mic, pause half a second (keying takes a moment to wake the repeater up — starting to talk instantly clips your first syllable), and say:
"KI5ABC, listening."
Replace KI5ABC with your callsign, in phonetics if you like ("Kilo India Five Alfa Bravo Charlie, listening"). Then unkey and wait. Someone will usually come back within a minute or two — hams like answering first-timers.
When they reply, they'll give their callsign and name. Answer with theirs, then yours:
"Thanks for coming back, N5XYZ. This is KI5ABC — Tom, I'm a new Technician, this is my first contact. How's my signal?"
That's a complete first contact. Chat a bit, and when you're done: "73, N5XYZ, this is KI5ABC clear." (73 is ham shorthand for "best regards," pronounced "seven-three.")
The phonetic alphabet in use
Use phonetics for your callsign the first time in each contact, and any time someone asks for a repeat. After that, plain letters are fine on a clear repeater. On noisy simplex or HF, stay phonetic — that's what it's for.
What not to do
- Don't say "over and out." "Over" means "your turn"; "out" means "I'm done." Together they're contradictory. Just say your callsign when you're finished.
- Don't use CB lingo. "10-4," "breaker breaker," "what's your 20" — that's a different service. Hams say "my location is..." and "QTH" (location) if they want shorthand.
- Don't apologize for being new. Nobody minds. Every ham remembers their first contact.
- Don't monopolize. On a busy repeater, keep first chats short — five minutes is plenty. Long conversations belong on simplex or a quiet repeater.
- Don't forget to ID. End every contact with your callsign (§97.119). "KI5ABC clear" covers it.
A few useful Q-signals
Hams inherited three-letter Q-signals from Morse and commercial radio. You only need a handful for voice:
| Signal | Meaning |
|---|---|
| QTH | My location is... |
| QRM | Interference (from other stations) |
| QRN | Interference (from static/nature) |
| QSB | Your signal is fading |
| QSL | I acknowledge / confirmation (also the name for contact confirmation cards) |
| 73 | Best regards |
| 88 | Love and kisses (used between close friends/family — know what it means before you send it) |
Check: After your first contact, look up the other station's callsign in the FCC ULS or a callsign lookup site. You'll see their name, license class, and location — and they'll do the same for you. Callsigns are public by design.
Next: Antennas — the part of the station that matters most.