Being Inventive

What use is an F-call? People are inventive, continually trying new things, solving problems, discovering new ones, making and breaking things, scratching an itch. Amateurs are no different. Well they are, but in essence they're no different from people. Amateurs just like to invent more stuff than the average person on the street. Meet any group of amateurs in the wild and before long you'll be embroiled in a discussion about how to solve a problem that is bugging one of you. There will be hand-waving, charts, calculators and good cheer to fill up the room. If you're new to Amateur Radio, you might find yourself overwhelmed by all this interaction. All you did was get your shiny new license and turn up. Now all these experts are jabbering on about stuff you know next to nothing about. Ironically, if you stop and think about it for a moment, you'll quickly come to the realization that this is true for everyone in the room. Some people did this yesterday, others last year, and some have been around since before you were born. The only trick in interacting with these people is to ask questions. Hearing a new Amateur on-air is a similar experience. What do you talk about and how do you avoid looking silly? I can't help with looking silly, but wearing a clown-costume on air is generally not a problem, since we're really only working with audio. More seriously, looking silly is in they eye of the beholder, if your intent is to learn, there can be no place for looking silly. So, my advice to you is to walk into the room or push your talk button and have a go. Ultimately, this hobby contains many different people, some of whom are going to share many of your interests. I'm Onno - VK6FLAB