I think there’s an EchoLink repeater near me? I just have a baofeng. I’m planning on building a QMX soon because I feel like CW and digital modes would be fun and I kind of want to go on bike trips and do radio or something. I think I need to look up how POTA and SOTA work. I’m not a big talker in real life, I’ve always kind of preferred written communication, so I’m hoping Morse code helps, haha.
The other thing is I’m just kind of worried about getting the etiquette wrong or doing something wrong, even though it doesn’t really seem that complicated.
Don’t worry about getting anything wrong. Most people are pretty excited to speak with someone new or that doesn’t come on air often.
We’re all just normal people, done of use are even a little introverted.
Just say what’s on your mind.
“Hi, I’m Joe, happy to be speaking with you, in kinda new to this and am a bit nervous. Anyhow how are you and where are you from?”
Chances are that will spawn a conversation that feels less forced and more natural as you move forward.
I’ve messaged you my email address. Never private messaged on Lemmy before so I hope it works. Just say hello and we can maybe catch up on echolink or discord.
Yeah, I had a couple of good conversations on repeaters when I first got my license, but I’m a bit of an introvert so I always feel a bit weird after a conversation like “did I fuck this up?” haha. And the extra rules and unspoken etiquette around radio is a bit intimidating, but I think as long as you identify every 10 minutes or whatever and stay in band nobody will get too mad at you.
I’m really excited about getting into CW actually, and QRP seems interesting and like a really fun challenge. I actually built a pixie kit recently, but I used it as soldering practice before building the QMX mini that I got recently. Hopefully I’ll have some time to build that soon :). I can mostly copy short 5 or so letter words in my head now at 40 WPM, but I haven’t practiced in a few weeks (and obviously I fall behind on complex words or longer ones). I’m a bit nervous about trying to actually send and receive Morse in the wild though, and I REALLY don’t know the etiquette and q-codes and shorthand associated with that yet, but I guess I’ll learn!
I was wondering if I should get into this. I’m more interested because it seems cool and I need some kind of backup means of communications in case communication is down or something
The exam is relatively easy, and you can find lots of resources for practice exams and stuff. At first you’ll have a hard time with some specific questions, but you’ll get the hang of it. If you want they usually let you write the general and the extra exams after the technician for no extra fee (they’re harder but give you a better license with more permissions. Technician gives you a lot, though)
If you’re at all interested you should do it! Getting licensed doesn’t take much time, even if it seems a little daunting at first. Then you’re ready to go when you get the itch!
Game development. I do the coding, 3D art and animation, everything. I don’t know if I’ll ever even finsh another project, and it’s incredibly time-consuming, but I enjoy it.
Same, but honestly for me it is such a lonely existence. Even when I show off my projects to friends/family they can’t understand the effort that went into it… many seem to think there’s a “make racing game” button or something and I just added some textures or built a track.
I often wonder if I should pivot into wood working or something else, at least I’d have something tangible to gift or sell at the end. People just seem to appreciate things they can hold in their hands more.
I have a GIF of a quick placeholder character I made a while ago (I kinda want to keep it though). I’m also hoping to make it multiplayer, but not sure if I’ll be able to optimize it enough to make it playable. https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/pyvdc8opqay.gif
I’m really curious about bonsai but it seems hard to get into! I also worry that I don’t have a good eye for aesthetics, and that might be a problem too, haha. It seems really cool though.
… also maybe this seems like a stupid concern, but sometimes I wonder if it’s cruel to the tree? I know little actual details, though… and also most people wouldn’t care about a tree’s feelings, haha.
3D Printing and homelab. I run a lot of services at home on my server (things like a personal streaming service, smarthome, security camera software, and more).
Boardgames. Especially big, rules heavy games like Mage Knight and Twilight Imperium. I’ll happily spend a day playing a boardgame and my family just don’t get it at all.
My family were doing a dog sledding trip and my brother came off and hit his head. We ended up putting him on my sled, with my job being to keep him awake in case he had a concussion. So I asked him to explain the rules to Twilight Imperium to me which, luckily and unluckily, took. Hours.
I’ve never hated, but been glad for, a game I’ve never played more…
(but I’m glad that you, and my brother, and other people get so much enjoyment from them!)
It’s not a big game, but I fell in love with Nefarious (specifically a translated version) after encountering it in the wild. Fast pace, simultaneous turns, short games, simple rules, no eliminations leading to people waiting for others to finish, and at the same time has some interesting decisions leading to multiple strategies… And then you add two twists every game, changing the rules, meaning you have to adapt your strategies, keeping it fresh.
I’ve lost… Too many this year and I cannot imagine being more immersed in that absolutely depressing industry (pet death and grieving in general). Well that and I can’t draw
Important work though, I’m sure it helps people immensely
As someone who has more hobbies than time, I seriously don’t understand how people can have no hobbies. How do these people live? How do they find fulfillment? What do they do in their spare time, only entertainment?
We’re too tired. That’s the answer. It’s not that watching TV is my hobby, it’s that I’m burnt out and don’t have the mental energy to do anything. My old hobbies feel like chores. New hobbies seem like so much work
I feel you and I’ve been fighting this. I feel like personally I’m a lot happier and find it easier to do things when I actually do my hobbies… It’s kind of like exercise. You often don’t want to do it when you’re busy and tired, but if you do it consistently you usually have more energy and feel better in the long term. Totally understand it can be a luxury to even consider doing a hobby, and I definitely don’t know your situation, but I hope you can push through and get to a better balance! Life’s too hard sometimes :(.
I’m also a person with a million hobbies. I’ve got TV or audiobooks on in the background as I do woodworking, smoke meat, play instruments, record music (ok, there’s nothing on in the background while I’m recording), go sing karaoke, rock climb, work on motorcycles, garden, or one of the other million things I might be doing. My family passively sits and watches television.
As far as I’m concerned, that’s fine. If it makes them happy then I’m happy for them. I couldn’t be content that way but it takes different strokes to move the world.
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