Exchange QSL cards with people you have talked with. QSL cards are postcards with your callsign that show proof of two-way radio contact. There are awards for collecting contacts in different states and countries. Join a local repeater group. Meet new friends and get help learning amateur radio.
Repeaters give reliable coverage from mobile or hand-held radios over large local areas.
Most club repeaters have fancy features including phone calling from your radio, voice message boxes, links to other bands, and more. Transmit and receive packet radio from your computer to someone else's computer across town or miles away using a small antenna on your desk. No phone link required. The amateur packet radio system is a complex nationwide network like the Internet. It has news groups, email, and other services.