You got your callsign.
Now the fun starts.
Passing the exam got you licensed. Now it's time to actually use it.
Make your first contact. Join a net. Try POTA. Meet other hams. Experiment with antennas. Find the part of amateur radio that makes you want to keep coming back.
Don't just put the
license in a drawer.
You don't need to know everything before getting on the air. Give yourself one simple goal: do something with your new license this week.
Get your radio ready.
Program a few local repeaters, learn the basic controls, and make sure you know how to use your callsign.
GSARA REPEATERS →Make a contact.
Don't wait until you feel like an expert. Put your callsign out there and say hello. That first contact is a lot easier after you've made it.
YOUR FIRST CONTACT ↓Check into a net.
A club net is an easy way to practice using your radio, hear familiar callsigns, and get comfortable talking on the air.
GSARA NETS →Meet some hams.
Come to a meeting, breakfast, activation or club event. A few conversations can answer questions that would take hours to figure out online.
SEE THE CALENDAR →Pick an adventure.
POTA. Morse code. Antennas. Building. Field Day. Emergency communications. Find something that sounds interesting and give it a try.
EXPLORE ACTIVITIES →You don't have to do all five.
Pick one or two and start there. The goal isn't to become an expert in your first week. It's to get past the hardest part of being newly licensed: actually using the license.
Pick something
that sounds fun.
You don't need to choose your lifelong specialty. Try a few things. See what grabs you. Amateur radio is a much bigger hobby than the radio you bought to pass your test.
Start with a repeater.
One radio and a local repeater may be all you need to start meeting other operators around New Hampshire.
FIND GSARA REPEATERS →Join a net.
Listen first, check in with your callsign, and start recognizing some of the voices you'll hear around GSARA.
EXPLORE GSARA NETS →Try POTA.
Grab a radio, head to a park and discover why portable operating has become one of amateur radio's most popular activities.
DISCOVER POTA →Give Morse a shot.
Morse code isn't required for your license anymore. That doesn't mean it stopped being useful — or fun.
EXPLORE MORSE & CW →Build something.
Antennas, cables, kits and experiments are a big part of amateur radio. You don't have to start with anything complicated.
SEE GSARA ACTIVITIES →Come to Field Day.
Radios, antennas, portable stations, food and a lot of operators in one place. Field Day is one of the easiest ways to see several parts of amateur radio at the same time.
LEARN ABOUT FIELD DAY →That's kind of the point.
Your license gives you permission to experiment. You don't need to decide what kind of ham you're going to be before you start trying things.
Eventually, you have to
press the button.
That first transmission can feel like a big deal. It doesn't need to be. Listen for a moment, take a breath, use your callsign and say hello.
“This is KC1XYZ, new ham monitoring.”
“KC1XYZ, welcome! This is N1ABC. How are you doing?”
“Doing great. You're actually my first contact!”
Listen first.
Make sure the frequency isn't already in use before jumping in.
Use your callsign.
Speak clearly. Nobody expects your first transmission to sound like you've been doing this for 30 years.
Don't overthink it.
You're talking to another person. Say hello, introduce yourself and let the conversation happen.
Usually the first one.
After that, your radio starts feeling a lot less like an expensive object sitting on your desk and a lot more like what it was meant to be — a way to connect.
buy it all yet.
You don't need a shack full of gear.
Getting licensed has a funny way of making every radio, antenna and accessory suddenly look necessary.
Give yourself some time before deciding what you really need. The equipment that makes sense for someone chasing DX from home may be completely different from someone who discovers they love portable operating, repeaters, digital modes, building antennas or CW.
Try the hobby first. Let the equipment follow the things you actually enjoy doing.
See what interests you.
Go to an activation. Visit Field Day. Listen to HF. Check into a net. See different stations and antennas actually being used.
Talk to people using it.
Ask what they like, what they would buy again and what they probably wouldn't. Other hams have already made plenty of expensive experiments.
FIND A MENTOR →Then choose your gear.
Once you know what you actually want to do, choosing a radio or antenna becomes much easier — and usually much less expensive.
Start with what gets you on the air.
- × Every radio you've watched a review of
- × A complete home station on day one
- × Every accessory made for your radio
- × To copy someone else's station
- ✓ A way to get on the air
- ✓ Something you want to try
- ✓ People you can ask questions
- ✓ Permission to experiment
Other hams.
Come see what GSARA members are using before you decide what belongs in your station.
the other end.
Ham radio gets easier when you know other hams.
Your callsign got you into amateur radio. The people you meet are what can keep you involved.
You don't need to figure out radios, antennas, repeaters, operating or your next project by yourself. GSARA gives you plenty of ways to meet people who have already been where you are now.
Come say hello. Ask the question you think is too basic. See somebody else's station. Bring the radio you can't figure out. That's what a club is for.
Four easy ways to meet GSARA.
01
Wednesday Breakfast
Coffee, breakfast and conversation. No presentation, no agenda and no need to know anybody before you walk in.
FIND THE NEXT BREAKFAST →
02
Monthly Meetings
Meet members, hear a presentation, learn what's happening around the club and start putting faces to callsigns.
ABOUT OUR MEETINGS →
03
Find a Mentor
Have a specific question or need someone to help you work through something? Connect with an experienced amateur.
FIND A MENTOR →
04
Club Activities
POTA meetups, Field Days, outreach and other club activities give you a chance to learn by actually doing radio with other people.
EXPLORE ACTIVITIES →You don't have to know anyone before you show up.
Tell somebody you're newly licensed. That's a pretty good conversation starter around here.
Don't wait until
you feel ready.
The license gave you permission to get started. The rest comes from actually doing it.
Make a contact. Show up at an event. Ask a question. Try something new. You don't need to know where amateur radio is going to take you yet.