The exact words for the moments that make new operators freeze. Every one of these is a script you can read out loud.
Your first time on the air
- Answering someone who's calling CQ — The easiest possible first HF contact
- When you legally have to identify — The rule that trips up new operators
- Saying your callsign so people get it right — Your personal phonetic alphabet, generated for you
- Talking radio-to-radio without a repeater — Simplex
Repeaters
- Your very first transmission — Announcing yourself on a repeater
- Calling a specific person — When you know who you want to talk to
- Having an actual conversation — The whole arc of a repeater contact, start to finish
- Ending a contact gracefully — How to get out of a conversation
HF and long distance
- Calling CQ on HF — Inviting anyone in the world to answer you
- Giving a signal report — What "five nine" actually means
Parks on the Air
- Working a park activator — The fastest contact in amateur radio
- Running your own activation — You're the one in the park
Nets and check-ins
- Checking into a net — The friendliest room in amateur radio
When it goes wrong
- When you freeze up — Your mind goes blank mid-contact
- What did they just say? — Decoder for the jargon you'll hear in your first week