Are You New To 2m?

Are you a new ham radio operator like me? 

I've been talking to a few people and the same analogy keeps coming up.

"Taking your first ham radio course and license exam is like going to college to learn to drive. You learn a lot about cars, you learn about engines, and electronics, you learn about physics and the science of motion, etc. At the end you take a long scary exam. You pass and someone gives you your license and you get into your first car and have no idea how to drive it?"

The point being made is that in an amateur radio course you learn lots about antenna theory, electronics, amps and receivers, propagation, etc. But very little time is spent telling you HOW to operate a ham radio, how to do something as simple as key the mic and talk.

Here is a new YouTube video from Tyler, N7TFP, showing us how to make our first contact using a local 2 meter VHF repeater.

I've watched a couple of Ryan's videos before, he does a fantastic job.