New Hams
Amateur Radio is an amazing hobby, there are so many different things you can do in this hobby. However, this can also make ham radio seem difficult to learn because the hobby encompasses so much. I want to use this area of the site to put out some suggestions for new hams that I have learned over the years as well as things others have told me they learned after becoming a ham. Hopefully some of these will assist you in saving some time, money, and headaches. I will later add links to similar sites and YouTube Videos.
If you just passed your Technician or General exam, go ahead and start to study for your General or Extra exam while you already have a lot of the knowledge in your memory. I waited 14 years between Technician and General and 10 years between General and Extra. While I passed them both, it was a struggle having to relearn a lot of the stuff I had forgotten over time.
When you are looking for your first HT or first Mobile/Base station radio don't get a VHF (2 Meter) only rig. A lot of towns and cities have UHF (70 CM) repeaters and you will miss a lot of conversations. While it costs a little more, a dual band VHF/UHF radio will be useful much longer than a VHF only rig.
Ask about digital modes in your area, some areas have Fusion repeater which would require a Yaesu radio, D-Star repeaters which would require an Icom radio, P25 repeaters requiring Motorola, or DMR repeaters requiring one of the many DMR capable radios like Anytone and Connect Systems. While you will find plenty of people locally to talk to on Analog, digital radios offer you the capability to talk to hams in other states and countries via internet linking.
Find a local club to visit and join, most hams are glad to help out new hams. Visit ARRL Club Finder to find your local club.
Join the ARRL, they work hard to support our hobby and they produce a good magazine QST.
Repeater Book is a great resource for local repeaters. While it is not 100% accurate it is the next best thing other than talking to a local ham or club.