I've been told that many people misunderstand the proper etiquette behind ham radio. Many people think that it is a hobby which involves a lot of talking. In reality, I'm being taught that it is more about listening. This makes a lot of sense, and is indicative of the culture I've found in ham radio.

As a new ham licensee, I obviously want to learn the proper procedures and protocols... as well as follow the above suggestion. I wanted to find a way to be able to quietly listen to Kenwood TH-D7A/G [1] without annoying my co-workers. I found a great adapter to go from the 3/32" mono phone jack on the Kenwood, to 1/8" stereo headphone (RadioShack PN# 274-381 [2]). What I really like about the adapter is that it takes the mono and makes it stereo... so I can listen with either side of the headphones... or both.

This should help me learn more about the hobby, and discover which repeaters match my interests!