Ham Radio Basics - Making Your First Contact on a Repeater 

That is by far the best demonstration of a successul first repeater contact I have ever seen.

I live in Colorado Springs. Just passed my Technician exam! Can't wait to start this hobby! Scott (KF0DRW)

Awesome video I just got my first contact! Thx to you

Good job! Thanks, Matt.

Great advice and demonstration Matt. Thanks. I got my Technician ticket on 4/4 and just upgraded to General on 4/27 and I am still new enough to VHF to be nervous. I do all of my programming through software so all of the offsets and tones are set automatically. That has been a big help. Thanks again for the advice. It has been a confidence builder.

Thank you for such a simple demonstration on practice. : )

About to take my test here in Castle Rock, thanks for the info

Thanks for making this video. I will be taking my test in two weeks and am trying to understand some of the moving parts that make ham radio so useful. How to use a repeater is obviously one important component. Even thought these ideas are points of study on the test, it sure is nice to see how it is applied in real life. Thanks again,you helped me a bunch.

Really good video. Thank you!

Thanks Matt! This was very helpful, both for the technical info and also for reminding me that ham operators are most likely to be helpful rather than judgmental. Nicholas N1KOP out of Portland, ME

Great Video! This is the basic explanation everyone needs! Keep up the awesome work!

Taking my technician exam on march 31st! Thanks for showing me this I probably wouldn't have known about the PL thing. I thought it was as simple as tuning into the repeater. I'll have I'll watch this again in a few weeks. I love my CBs but people on HAM seem a lot more civilized lol. On CB nobody talks to me in this area so I have to rely on DXing and skipping. Maybe I'll talk to you on air some day BIG RED 73S

Great job on the video Matt! You're a natural. Looking forward to many more! Mark K8KZ

Thanks, nice quick, helpful video.

Down here in COS thinking about getting into HAM radio. I'm digging your channel man. Learning a bunch! Keep churning the vids out. Thanks.

Without giving too much info: I am in Northeast Colorado by the big plains counties and will test end of this month for Tech. and will attempt General as well (looking to focus in on HF DXing). Pleasant surprise to come across a video w/ppl from Brighton and Castle Rock.

Working to get my license, thanks for this video, very helpful. I am down in CO Springs, hope to chat with you some day. Thanks Matt.

You have a new subscriber. Thanks for a great video, and positive input. God Bless you and yours.

Thanks for the tip @graywould. I am very new and this is good information.

just taking the course, I am an Emergency Manager and looking forward to learning, thank you!

This is great advice for people just getting started that may be a little reluctant to get going. Thanks!

Informative video. Thanks

Thanks for the helpful info! I’m day 2 studying for technician and plan to go further (in time). My uncle is a Amateur extra ham(KC2OGR) always had a fascination with it so I’m now jumping in! Thanks for the video!

Thanks very helpful

Just found you, retired and just getting back into Ham Radio. NOVBD in Arizona now.

5:30 It's like a key with a lock, but it's like the most simple lock in the world, since you're literally broadcasting the key to anyone listening and able to decode it. 😆

I’m studying for my exam now and plan to take the exam in castle rock. Hope to contact you when I’m licensed.

Great advice. We need Elmers'!

Great video!! Just got my license 2 days ago and still haven’t made a call yet. But getting learned up to do that now. Lol. KJ7KPF out!

Good stuff.

Good information, however you refer a number of times to the CTCSS (aka PL) tone as a carrier, which it isn't. It's a low frequency audio tone added to your signal.

Glad I'm not the only nervous one. For me, the jitters dissapear as soon as I hit PTT.

I scheduled my technician exam in March, got cancelled because of lockdown, scheduled one in April, cancelled. It's now may, I have one scheduled late number, hopefully I'll be able to take my technician, pass and take my general the same day! Listen regularly to my local repeaters, even have some netlogger contact with them,I just can't push that one button!

Great Video. Tod was awesome lol.

Very new to HAM here. Thanks for the video. I'm in Utah and want to contact family members in Nevada, North Dakota and North Carolina. Would I have to contact a local repeater to send a message to their local repeaters? Or would I have to contact their local repeaters directly (which doesn't seem possible given the earth's curvature?). I also only have a 5watt hand radio and will get my license next month when I can take the test.

Thanks for the video! Once you make contact and your signing off(leaving the conversation) what do you say?

Just got my tech. Finally figured out how to manually config the wouxun kg-uv6d and save freq’s by name. Whoof! Going to cycle through a few local repeaters tonight and try and make first contact! Just getting the kerchunk was a relief!

I guess handled radios have a PL function to input? I'm waiting to "appear on the FCC database" at the moment, haven't bought an HT yet.

So I tried the “monitoring” statement as suggested by you any many others. I guess I keep finding the jerks on Ham. I get back not a “hello” or call sign the response I get is “monitoring for what”!

I just ordered my first ham radio, a Baoseng BF-F8HP, it is on its way in the mail. I also ordered a study guide for the technician class license, No Nonsense Technician Class Study Guide by KB6NU. this will be my first time doing anything with ham. I have used sw radios before, though. I am excited but the basic circuitry and some of the math is daunting to try to have to memorize. Any advice for studying for the license?

Morning sir! Any tips for someone very interested in obtaining their license as soon as possible, books or websites to use. Look forward to hearing back and getting on the air. Kyle Golden, CO.

Just got my gmrs license and curious what you recommend or tips for starting out. I’ve got a baofeng UV5R radio

Hello sir how do I use my baofeng radio to call other countries. Like using Allstars or echolink. Can I program my boafen to dothat without using a computer

Are there any VHF/UHF frequencies that you can't get on as a technician? Thanks

Nice job. But... 4:26: six HUNDRED kiloHertz, not six kiloHertz :-) Before that, though, you didn't explain WHY there is an offset in the first place. It might be blatantly obvious to experienced users or engineering types, but it isn't necessarily so to newbies. The reason is simply this: if the repeater transmitted on the same frequency as it listened to, it would hear itself talking and retransmit its own original output, swamping the incoming signal, and resulting in an awful, unstoppable howl. The choice of offset direction is a function of the overall "band plan", which allocates different areas of the band for different purposes. Here in Minnesota almost all of the repeaters with output frequencies in the low end - 145.11MHz to 146.985MHz use negative offset while almost all of them in the higher group - 147.0MHz to 147.39MHz use positive offset. To be more precise, check this out... www.smeter.net/slc/stations/vhf-amateur-repeater-input-offsets.php for more information. The "PL" stand for "Private Line", which is a trade mark feature of Motorola phones. In the broader sense it is a feature of "Continuous Tone-Coded Squelch System ("CTCSS"), which Wikipedia describes well, so I won't. I suspect the term "PL" is still used over "CTCSS" is simply because there are less letters :-) The tones are in Hz, and are at the bottom of the audible range so as not to interfere with speech. Note that some repeaters have CTCSS tones for the output as well as the input. That's so that your radio can ignore anything on the output frequency that is NOT the repeater. Note: the published frequency of a repeater is always the output frequency. Note, too, that modern VHF transceivers handle the offset for you by means of an offset control. Those devices with memory remember everything for you, including CTCSS tones. I would encourage newcomers to look at repeaterbook.com, where they can find detailed lists of repeaters per state. Newcomers will also note that different bands have different offsets: 1.25Meters uses 1.6MHz offsets, and 780cms uses 5MHz. Lastly, a point of etiquette: it's a bit presumptuous to ask people to "Like" your videos, especially before they've listened to them :-)

Just starting to get into amateur radio and have some questions. So with repeaters, their purpose is to increase the TX and RX distance of your radio and allow you to overcome obstacles? So say that you wanted to talk to a friend in Vail, CO, is your conversation going to be on 146.670 and 146.070 Mhz? Doesn't he likely need to use a repeater, as well? And if so, what if his local repeater is a different frequency? Lastly, if you are using a repeater and conversing, aren't you preventing others from using the repeater?

I just got my first radio. I'm pretty experienced using my marine vhf but this is so much more complicated. I'm so lost. No clue what I'm doing. Not going to transmit until I feel more confident. For instance. How do you get a call sign? Do you have to get an FCC license to be able to transmit on open frequencies?

HAM radio wasn't too difficult to figure out. After watching some videos and doing some reading, it took me all of one day to set up my radio, and make contact on a local repeater. Granted I have some background in IT so understanding electrical components and frequencies was a bit easier. Truthfully I am not yet licensed, and I have only made contact through radio check, and used a fake callsign. I know that's not great but I was super eager to see if my equipment was set up correctly. I'm very excited to get my license and will be taking the test next Tuesday. Looking forward to making my first legal contact lol, I hope I'm not incriminating myself.

I am a new subscriber! I appreciate your videos!! I have a baofeng uv 5r and have been trying to make contacts and no one can hear me on the repeaters. I was able to make contact on the national simplex channel after arranging with another ham to call him. I tried checking in on a net tonight and I was never heard. I have been calling on all the repeaters and no one ever answers back. Do you think it is because the radio is so small and only 5 watts?

Hi, a very new newbie here(like just started studying yesterday). I’m using online study materials and trying to understand repeater offsets. From my materials, I understood repeater offsets on a 2 meter band is +/- 600 kHz. I noticed you said 6khz? Is there something I’m not quite getting? Thanks in advance

I have a question: when you program a handheld with CHIRP, and add most of the local repeaters and such to the radio, and upload, does it set up the transmit/CTSS/Sidetone info. as well, automatically, or do you have to check any repeater or channel you want to transmit on, individually, before you ever attempt to transmit? And what if you cannot find the complete info. online for a particular local repeater?

I have a question. Is it possible to broadcast with encryption PRIVATELY since the police are allowed to do it?

What was the N0 something something you said before your callsign?

It would really be nice if you explained exactly how to do the offset. I truly am starting to think that HAM is dead, My local repeater is crickets, no one returns my cq. Kinda sad how so many people across the country can pass the test but not use a radio.

Would you call CQ on a 2m/70cm repeater like you normally would on a HF DX?

hi,im 9w2hdk,tq for this video

Are you able to monitor on a repeater if I don't have a call sign yet?

What if the Tone for the repeater has two values? A repeater in Evergreen CO says 103.5/127.3, in/out. I have the Baofeng UV-5R and it looks like you can only input one.

Very confusing on the Repeater Offset and Transmit portion. The repeater in my area, Arlington, VA, only shows "RX: 146.62500" and "TX: 146.02500" and the "Downlink Tone: 107.2 " and "Uplink Tone: 107.2". Cannot connect to the repeater.

So, the frequency listed is the frequency the repeater is listening on and the offset is the frequency that the repeater transmits on?

What is that devise on top of a mobile radio behind the hand mic ?

Do you have to have a call sign to access a repeater?

I just got my technician's license 2 days ago

👍👍👍

How do I sound like an operation on radio?

How do you remember the call signs so fast?

I have pair of motorolla cp200 . I have set and programmed a repeater close by to me. The radio has 2 side buttoms below the PTT buttom on the same side. When i prss one of the bottom side monitor buttom , i can hear conversation non stop but when i let go i dont hear anything, however . Im able to talk to my second radio couple milles away with the repeater and the comunication is good but again i dont hear people talking on the radios unless im pressing the side bottom monitor button on the side. Why is that do you know . I mean is great because i dont hear other people talk but why is it that only when i press the side buttom i star hearing people talking. ..? Do they have like a different TPL tone or how are they not cross crossing conversation on my cp200 . When i speak to my other radio using the receiver i get good contact but i dont have to hear people talking when im not using radio

This is something everyone should learn how to do in case shit hits the fan. It could be the only way to communicate.

Can you use a repeater to extend the range to another handheld ?

Forward Repeater and Reverse Repeater.

question: just did a personality test and im an 87% introvert. i disagree with the test, i think it should be higher haha. i dont like to talk but i want to be involved in the HAM community. what can i do? -KD4WTF

I'm in Chicago and all repeaters are desolate here :(

Ready to take my exam, but in a holding pattern due to covid-19

Ok now im really confused...my radio doesnt say plus or minus anything.

What is a call sign?

A

I am so confused!

Dude, no one wants to like a video prior to watching it. That would be like tipping in a restaurant before service is provided.

I have an old ham radio I know nothing about hams and don't have a clue as to where and how to start to learn. This video is no help to me. It's like listening to another language. It is called ham radio basics but it doesn't help a real beginner.

why should people like a video before they have even seen it. 0:05 I dont get that logic? shouldnt it be the quality of the content that decides peoples feedback?

Wow, this explained nothing for a newbie. Wish you would go step-by-step and explain in very detailed information.

first thin to do is shut the fuck up and listen! WV8EZ

Yeah I really don’t want to talk to anyone. It’s just a waste of my time. If i say i’m listening/monitoring I’m not asking for a conversation.

New ham here in southeast Colorado KF0OMB