[AARA] Visiting / Learning from others?

[Patrick Soileau-home]

Dane,
 
If you're having "anxiety" about talking to "strangers," I think
you're probably in a fairly large group of folks there.  :)
 
A friend of mine expressed the same thing to me recently.
 
He got into contesting...  and he's since made thousands of
contacts over the past year.
 
His thinking...  you don't have to think about what you're going
to talk about...  it's all be pre-determined by the contest organizers.
Also, it's a "shoot-and-move-on" type of environment where you
don't feel the pressure of having to keep a conversation going.
 
So, maybe try a few contests and see how it goes?
 
Just food for thought...
 
73,
 
Pat ND5C
 
 
 
 


--- On Thu, 3/31/11, Dane DeValcourt <dane.devalcourt at gmail.com> wrote:


From: Dane DeValcourt <dane.devalcourt at gmail.com>
Subject: [AARA] Visiting / Learning from others?
To: aaraclubemaillist at w5ddl.org
Date: Thursday, March 31, 2011, 4:03 PM


As someone pretty new to ham radio and who is one month away from getting my
first HF radio "Icom IC-7000" I am very interested in the possibility of
getting to visit others and their stations / shacks so that I can actually
see some of the many things I have only read about regarding antennas,
grounding, power and so on.  I'd also really enjoy the opportunity to maybe
get to watch, learn and listen to others as they actively work HF stations.

I'm not sure if this is an odd request or not but everything I have seen and
learned regarding amateur radio has come from books and what I've read on
the internet.  I have a feeling however that I'm missing out by not actually
getting to see and experience what others have and do.

I am a very shy as well as cautious person, heck I think I still have
anxiety over talking on some of the local nets fearful of doing or saying
something wrong.  I guess what I'm really seeking is maybe one of these
elusive "Elmers" I've read so much about.  :-)

I will do everything I can to be at the next lunch get together
on Wednesday to hopefully meet someone who would be willing to show me the
ropes.

One thing I've noticed since becoming a ham is that I'm now spotting
antennas left and right.  Amazes me some of the antennas people have in
their yards like at N5AN and just this week on my way back from Baton Rouge
I saw a ton of antennas off of I-10 that I ended up tracking down and
discovering they are part of what seems like an amateur radio mecca of sorts
for W5WMU.

For someone new like me I was mesmerized by what I was looking at from a
distance.  I can only imagine what all I can learn and see from these
stations.

Appreciate everyones time and hope I meet others soon.

Regards,

Dane DeValcourt - W5DLD
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