Yes, that's how I do it though I really only listen for the first crack and then time off that. I've found that for me, a rule of thumb between 1:45 and 2:30 from first crack works best. It's probably because I don't have a long enough roasting time to take advantage of second crack subtleties. Or I'm still just a piker after about a year and a half.
So what got you started? I started by looking for cheap coffee beans on eBay three years ago and finding green beans which were cheap but I knew not quite right though I didn't know why. When I googled that green beans required a roaster and looked up roasters and the cost, I put the notion aside. About a year later I decided to look into it again and came across Sweet Maria's video on using a popcorn popper to roast beans. I figured it was worth a try considering the low cost. Definitely glad I did!
IF you get the bean to float around then you’re probably getting a great roast!
If you go to the Coffee Captain’s page he talks about the different roasts. The roasting depends on your preference. I used to roast all my beans to the second crack, but I think it depends on the bean and actually for me I like the taste just when you hear the second crack and you turn off the heat.
I vacuum pack the beans and they’re great. I drink the coffee black. If you add sugar and cream etc. I don’t think it makes any difference what you buy as you’re hiding the flavor.