How To Call - and Answer - A CQ

How to Call (and Answer) a CQ
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Steve Katz (WB2WIK) on April 13, 2004 View comments about this article!
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Other Recent Articles Amateur Radio Club Ahead of the Curve: Propagation Forecast Bulletin #10 de Steve Katz, WB2WIK/6 K7RA: Join the UK Hub on EchoLink or AllStar: It seems impossible, but it's very true that most new hams don't know how to call CQ. And a lot don't Severe Weather: Become a SKYWARN know how to answer one, either! Spotter: Codes Cracked at City Musuem: We're all to blame for that. There just isn't as much CQing as there used to be, except during contests. One reason might be that we're mostly using transceivers with VFO control - as silly as that sounds. Here's the explanation: Back in the good old days (for me), we used mostly crystal controlled transmitters with separate, tunable receivers. The odds of having a crystal on exactly the same frequency as someone else who was on the band, and within range, at the same time was pretty slim. So, it was common to call CQ, then tune around, looking for answers. ...or even answer one! Well, today, we needn't tune around looking for answers, any answers will be right there on the same frequency we're on. Experienced operators know it's easy to break into an ongoing QSO, if you know how and when it's appropriate to do so. I make a lot of my contacts like that: Just overhear an interesting conversation, wait for a pause, insert my callsign, and join the group. But many newbies, as well as some old-timers, are too shy to do this, or maybe just not very good at it. And it is frowned on by most to break into a conversation when you've absolutely nothing to add to it. So, I only break in when I do think I have something of value to add. It's also acceptable to break into a non-emergency contact (which is about 99.9% of all QSOs) to simply ask for a report, like, Hey guys, Steve in L.A. here, with a new antenna. How's the signal? Nobody with a heart can begrudge another ham a signal report when he's using a new antenna. Ditto goes for a new rig, microphone, or a new almost anything. Still, tuning the bands reveals a lack of CQs, especially on phone. On CW, the common way to garner a contact is still by calling CQ, and it's very common. But on phone, it can seem like everyone already knows each other, everyone's already in a conversation, and nobody's calling CQ. So, how do you make a contact? Simple. When you don't hear any CQs, call one! Problem is, if you don't hear many good, experienced operators calling CQ, how do you know to do it right? This obviously is a problem, since most newbies calling CQ really aren't doing it right, at all. No sweat, we were all newbies once. Here's a good way to call CQ and actually get answers: Pick what you think is a clear frequency, within your licensed band limits. (Always stay about 4 kHz clear of any band edge (or license subband edge), as using standard bandwidth SSB, it's easy to have sideband energy at least 3 kHz from your carrier (center) frequency of operation there may be no carrier with SSB, but your dial usually reads the frequency where the carrier would be, if there were one.) Transmit, and ask, Is the frequency in use? Stop transmitting, and listen for an answer. If you hear no reply, after about five seconds ask one more time, Is the frequency in use? If you still hear no reply, consider the frequency fair game for a CQ. If you hear a reply like, Yes it is! or more politely, Yes, thanks for asking, tune to another seemingly clear frequency and start again. Call CQ. Always include your callsign and your location in the CQ. And always make a CQ last at least 20 or 30 seconds. Enunciate clearly, and use phonetics at least once or twice. Although it seems silly, it's common to also announce the band you're on when calling CQ. This really isn't so silly when you think about it: You're actually calling the band, since you're not calling any station in particular. So, don't laugh when, on 20 meters, you hear someone calling, CQ 20 meters. It makes sense. Here's a good CQ format, for general purpose work. (Note: None of this pertains to contesting.) CQ, CQ, CQ calling CQ 20 meters. This is WB2WIK calling. Whiskey Bravo Two Whiskey India Kilo, WB2WIK in Los Angeles calling CQ 20 meters. Hello CQ, CQ, CQ 20 meters. This is WB2WIK calling. Whiskey Bravo Two Whiskey India Kilo, WB2WIK in Los Angeles calling CQ 20 meters and standing by for a call. Perfect. That CQ takes exactly 30 seconds for me to say crisply and clearly, not too fast and not too slow. It announced my callsign six times, including twice phonetically. It announced my location twice. There should be little question, for anyone who tuned across my signal, who I am or where I am. It's important to give your location during a CQ, unless you happen to be in, for example, a very small
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country. If I were operating from Liechtenstein, and had a local call there, I probably wouldn't bother announcing my town or city - it's a small place, and the same beam heading for anyone, anywhere, regardless of what town I'm in. But operating from the U.S. or Canada, or other large country (China, Russia, Brazil come to mind), the distance between one town and another can be thousands of miles, and require vastly different beam headings. Another reason to announce your location: Many hams tuning the bands are County Hunters, or looking for a new State for WAS, or whatever. The more information you provide with your CQ, the more likely you are to receive an answer - period. On the VHF bands, weak signal enthusiasts (using SSB) call CQ, and usually include their grid square in lieu of other location data. This is because the grid square tells anyone listening all they need to know about your approximate location, and whether they need your grid or not, for an award or contest point, or whatever. Because 4-digit grid squares are quite large (1 latitude by 2 longitude) and VHF antennas quite sharp, when I call CQ on VHF or UHF, I include not only my grid square but other location information as well, to help a station hearing me weakly determine which way to turn his antenna to hear me better. It helps. Important note: Repeat Step (3) above if you receive no reply to your CQ! If, after five or six tries (CQ calls) on the same frequency, over a period of a few minutes, you still have no replies, try tuning up or down the band a little bit, and try again. It sometimes happens that even though the frequency sounds perfectly clear to you, and no one answered your frequency in use? call, the frequency may indeed be busy for listeners in other areas, and might be tied up by a very strong signal emanating from a station too close for you to hear via sky-wave (and too far to hear any other way). Now that I've taught you how to call CQ, do you really know how to answer one? Many hams evidently don't, as I can tell by the answers I receive when I call CQ, myself! How to answer a CQ: First, use the callsign of the station you're calling. Follow that by your own callsign, and your approximate whereabouts. If the station you're calling is very strong, just once will do. If he's very weak, you might double up the call. If you're calling in a pileup, timing, frequency and articulation are more important than signal strength. I'll explain. Typical call: WB2WIK this is K2OWR, Kilo Two Oscar Whiskey Romeo in New Jersey calling. Bingo! Perfect. He told me his call, twice, once phonetically, and also where he is. Can't ask for more than that. His call took six seconds, and gave me all the data I need. If I didn't hear him well, I might say, QRZ? Is someone calling me? Try again please; this is WB2WIK. And he could try again, maybe twice this time, that is, doubling up on the call, like this: WB2WIK, this is K2OWR, Kilo Two Oscar Whiskey Romeo, K2OWR in New Jersey calling. Copy now? That takes about 2-3 seconds longer, but repeats the call once more. If his signal's weak or I have a high noise level or other distraction, that should still be sufficient. I might not hear him because I'm beamed towards the Pacific, and poor K2OWR's off the back of my beam. So I'll usually say something like, This is WB2WIK in Los Angeles, beaming Pacific. Weak station, where are you? To which he should reply, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, QSL? or something like that, to advise me that I'm beamed the wrong way. For those who don't have beams, remember it usually takes 60 seconds to rotate a beam all the way around, and 30 seconds to go 180 degrees. If you make your transmissions too short, we'll never be able to peak you. Those with Fluid Motion SteppIR beams can change directions 180 degrees in about five seconds, but the rest of us take longer. Now, in a pileup, as often occurs on any rare station (DX, or maybe not even DX, but a special event station, rare IOTA island, whatever), it is very poor practice to make a long call. So poor, in fact, that if you are actually heard by the rare station making a too-long call, he might blacklist you, to be sure to never work you the entire time he's operating, just as punishment for your crappy operating. Don't be blacklisted. Many pileups operate split, of course, and I won't go into a whole seminar on working DX and split frequency operation. But assuming you're able to transmit on a frequency where the DX (or rare station) is listening, timing and articulation are everything, and certainly more important than signal strength in most cases. Your call must be timed precisely to when the other station's listening. Make your call very short and sweet, don't use any fancy phonetics, and although many successful DX operators use last two for a callsign, this really isn't good practice and I wouldn't suggest it. (Last two means saying only the last two letters of your callsign, omitting everything else, just to get through; for example, if your call is KG1ABC, you'd sign BC. Don't do it.) When calling in a pileup, your transmission should be very short, but properly timed. The average call that actually gets through and makes a successful contact is probably in the 1-2 second range. Practice saying your call articulately (very clearly) in just one or two seconds. Crispness counts. If you use phonetics to make a longer call because it seems that's what everyone else is doing, use appropriate phonetics. If you're calling a DX station who has an accent (sounds like he's from a non-English speaking country), try international phonetics, rather than the common American ones. International phonetics are often the names of cities or countries: W1ABC might be W1 America Brazil Canada. J is Japan, and Y is Yokohama, especially if calling a Japanese station! I is always Italy when calling an Italian, and G is always Germany when calling a German. Make it make sense. Great practice: Use a tape recorder, or a digital voice recorder, and listen to yourself. Only when doing so will you know how you really sound. Most people don't sound nearly as good as they think they do. Which is why many people cringe when they hear their own voices played back! When calling in a pileup, follow a few simple rules: Be really sure you can actually hear the station you're calling! It makes no sense to call someone you can't hear.
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If it's a split operation, be sure you have the split frequencies tuned in or programmed properly, so you're really calling the station where he's listening, or approximately so. Become adept at listening to both the DX station causing the pileup, and the pileup itself. If you have dual receivers, perfect. If not, use the A/B switch on your rig to switch quickly between the DX and the pileup, trying to hear the last station the DX worked and getting a feel for whether the DX station is sticking with just one receive frequency, or tuning around. If he's tuning around, you might note a trend, like, Hey, he's tuning up the band, and every station he works is 200 Hz higher than the last guy. Follow the trend, and beat others to the new frequency. Follow the protocol that seems to be working for others, but by all means remember that a 2-way contact is only made when you and the other station exchange callsigns and another piece of data, such as a signal report. Considering the contact complete because you think you heard the DX utter your callsign suffix is lunacy. Get really good at it, and you don't need to have the strongest signal in the pileup. Having a moderate signal with great articulation, no background noise and no distortion will get right through, if you time your call right. So, there you have it. How to call CQ, and how to answer one. Simple, eh? Now go practice it! See you on the bands. WB2WIK/6 Member Comments: This article has expired. No more comments may be added. How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by N3ZKP on April 13, 2004 Steve:
Mail this to a friend!
Great article. It is a nice reminder to those who have been at it a while and may have fallen into bad habits. :) Lon How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by AK7P on April 13, 2004 Good post on the CQ methods; with the take your call sign anywhere policy, it is very informative for any answering stations to know your QTH; i.e. I'm a 7 residing in 4 land, so I always make a point of stating my location when signing. Good DX! Mike How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by LNXAUTHOR on April 13, 2004 - good tips and quite helpful for newly licensed ops!
- i do have a question though: why is it that some hams will tune up directly on top of an on-going QSO, or in a pileup, right on top of the DX station? i suppose this question relates to using an amp (don't use/have one)? - thank you for the article - i look forward to more courtesy and commonsense-related articles here... good stuff! How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by W3ULS on April 13, 2004 Thanks, Steve. Great article. And thanks to eHam.net.
We need many more such articles on ham radio basics, as I have discovered during the past several years of reentering ham radio after a long hiatus. Too much info is taken for granted in the ARRL publications. Learning by osmosis is not the best nor most efficient educational process. You have to crawl before you can walk. I wonder how this and other such basic subject matter is handled in Ward Silver's new "Dummies" book? 73, John, W3ULS How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by W3FAY on April 13, 2004 Steve, Great article and reminder! I have a question though concerning CW CQs. Since returning to the air after a several year hiatus, I've noticed on occasion operators calling "CQ TEST." Is that what operators send these days to signify they're wanting to make a contest contact and, if so, is this considered good operator practice?
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Thanks, Denis RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by N8IK on April 13, 2004 Good stuff! I understand from the OTs that "CQ 20 meters" was useful for avoiding calling the CQer on a harmonic. How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by K0LEJ on April 13, 2004 Excellent article! I also like the idea of adding your location to the CQ call. I agree with AK7P that with more people having call signs that don't represent the area they live it's harder to know where you are talking. It would also be nice to have an article showing the "proper" method of joining a conversation. It seems that people are unwilling to join because they don't know the people in the group, too shy to speak up, or simply don't know how and are afraid of doing something wrong. In our area we are seeing a good amount of Technicians upgrade to General and they often ask how to get started in HF. Our local club has a good document for those entering the hobby as Techs, but have yet to develop a document for getting started in HF.... Thanks for the refresher! Larry K0LEJ How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by N4ZOU on April 13, 2004 Great article! You did not cover digital modes but thats no big deal but I would like to comment on split operation by DX stations in RTTY mode. Most of the DX RTTY (and other digital modes) sometimes will call CQ and will state 1 to 3 up. This means that they have there second VFO split from the transmit frequency and tune around to copy responding stations. This is fine except when you are the responding station and DO NOT LISTEN to the frequency you are about to transmit on. There might be an on-going QSO taking place there already! This happened to me just yesterday. K7LLC and I were having a nice chat in RTTY mode on 14.083 when a DX station on 14.081 started working split and calling up 1 to 3. This put us right dead in the middle of his listening zone! Don and I had no idea this was taking place at the time so here were all these RTTY stations showing up all of a sudden almost right on top of us. Don runs a TNC and so do I and so to keep chating about using old terminal units with a modern PC we simply switched to ARQ Amtor mode so the QRM problem we started having was no longer a problem at all! We just continued the QSO. The problem then was with all the poor operators that never contacted the DX station because they never bothered to listen to the frequency they were trying to use. The DX station would never copy them through the constant back and fourth chirping of two ARQ linked Amtor stations and our chat continued because the full error correcting link of Amtor would simply send the text across between the times they were trying to call the DX station. So just remember, if your a DX station calling CQ and operating split PLEASE listen to the frequency space you intend to use both transmit and receive and if your going to answer a station working split also listen before you transmit ON THAT FREQUENCY. RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by K0BG on April 13, 2004 And please! When you're asking if the frequency is clear ask it just like Steve suggested. Don't say "QRZ the frequency" which means who is calling me. In all my years in ham radio, I've never heard the frequency calling anybody. In fact, the use of Q signals on SSB is redundant. And please! When breaking in, don't say "break, break, break", as most old timers will consider that you have an emergency. Do as Steve suggests, and just give your call. Alan, KBG RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by K3UOD on April 13, 2004 LNXAUTHOR - I suspect that many of the tune-ups on top of ongoing QSOs are inadvertent. Someone listens with the rig in USB or LSB. Then they tune to a clear spot. Then they switch modes to CW for the tune-up. However, when you switch modes, the carrier freq shifts. Sometimes the shift is right on top of someones QSO. I've caught myself doing this. RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by WB2WIK on April 13, 2004 The tuning up on top of an ongoing contact is an age-old problem, and it's not only people using amplifiers. They could be adjusting antenna tuners, or just the tunable PA stage in a tube-type transmitter regardless of power level. Or they could be practicing being jerks. But this is surely nothing new. I think most of it is not malicious, although some might be. As for "CQ TEST" on CW: Yes, this means the station is soliciting contest contacts. This is nothing new either, and I recall working my first Sweepstakes about 38 years ago...and people were calling "CQ TEST" then, too. And probably long before that! You might also hear "CQ SS" (CQ Sweepstakes), "CQ FD" (CQ Field Day), and sometimes just "TEST" without the CQ. Or any number of possible ways to call for contest contacts. I agree it might sound confusing for non-contesters who just fired up the station for the first time in a long time. It surely pays to listen a while and see what's going on!
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WB2WIK/6 RE: Joining a roundtable/group Mail this to a friend! by W5HTW on April 13, 2004 Someone asked about joining an in-progress group. I do this frequently on 75 meters, and occasionally on 20 meters. First, if this is a group you do not know, and that does not know you, the main consideration is "Why?" Are they having an interesting conversation? Why is it interesting? Do you know something about it? Do you have something to add? Or perhaps a question? If the group is talking about Power Stroke diesel engines, do you want to know something about that engine? Or maybe you want to compare that engine to some other engine. I liken round-tables or 'groups' to a group of men standing at the bus stop. They are talking about sports. You arrive at the bus stop and overhear their conversation. But you know none of these men. However, you do know something about sports, so you want to join in. You wait for the right opportunity and then you say "How about dem Cowboys?" Or whatever sports comment is appropriate. It's the same thing on ham radio. This is a group of people talking about a subject. If you listen for a few minutes, the subject may switch from Power Stroke engines to fishing boats. That's OK. Maybe you like those, too! In other words, be pertinent. Don't pick a group that is talking about digital photography and hop in there with "Any of you guys rebuilding Power Stroke engines?" Having determined you have a reason for breaking into a conversation, you need to pick the time. Some of the round tables go pretty quickly, with none of the operators "dragging their feet" to listen for newcomers. So you have to be ready for a pause that is longer than a second. If not, you are going to be doubling with someone, and that won't earn you points. See if you can pick up the rhythm of the conversation. Usually one fellow, and maybe a couple, will be a bit slower on the uptake than the rest, and you will recognize this. But if not, sooner or later there will be a brief moment of silence. And that's where you fit in! Be ready! Don't be off feeding the dog or fixing a snack. Say your call sign, once only, clearly, and no phonetics! You have only one or one and a half seconds to get it in, so make it count. Be sure you are right on their frequency, and let's pray you didn't tune up there! Recognize that not everyone in the group may have heard you, depending upon propagation, QRN, etc. But someone probably did. If you are immediately acknowledged, great! Someone will say "was there a breaking station in there?" Well, yes, by gosh, there was and you're "it." Now you can return with "This is (call) and the name is (name) in (location). I heard you guys talking about that fishing boat and I have one. (Or I plan to buy one. Or mine sank.)" But keep it short! One sentence if possible. I recommend still not using phonetics for your call sign until and unless you are asked to clarify it. You are in. Next go around you will be included, and someone will probably comment directly to you even at this point. "Oh, your boat sank, Joe? Was it overloaded with fish?" You are on your way. But don't get long winded and tell a long, tall tale. Make your transmissions short, conversational the way they would be if you were standing around the room chatting with these guys. (In AM operation, yeah, make your tale long!) Suppose you weren't heard? Or no-one acknowledged you. Wait a few moments, perhaps through three or four other guys transmitting, then try it again. Still not acknowledged? Wait again, and try it a third time, after perhaps three more transmissions. Trust that if you can hear all of them, certainly some of them, if not all, can hear you. So if you aren't allowed in, or acknowledged, in three tries, find another group. On CW? Similar reasons and similar techniques, except you have to be faster on the break, especially if CW is at 15 wpm or more. The "old" way was to wait for one guy to turn it to the other, and quickly insert "BK" (the prosign) and hope you were quickly enough to be heard. Chances are you were. If not, try it again next transmission. More recently one technique I hear is to use what is generally accepted in net procedures; to simply insert a character. Like as Station A turns it to Station B, and sends "K" you just send "M" for example. Doesn't have to be a letter from your call sign. If they heard you, someone will send "M?" and you are in. If the QSO you want to break is slow enough, you can drop in your call sign instead of a letter. The station who is picking it up will hear you and wait. CW roundtables are not so common anymore, where multiple CW stations are having a common ragchew. In most cases when it was more common all stations were using full breakin (QSK) so any station could hop in at any time, including a new station. I haven't heard a CW roundtable in years, so it probably isn't very applicable today. Tailgating is. That is waiting until a QSO is ending, as as the stations sign with each other, pick the one you want and call him, a one by one call. (his call once, DE, and your call once. No long calls here, either.) Getting into group discussions (yeah, Doc) on SSB can be very enjoyable and can form long term friendships. Remember, those groups you hear every night may consist of some guys who have never met the others in person, yet have been talking for years. You can become a member. You just have to 'fit in,' and that means you have to have something to contribute, something to say that interests the group. Have fun!
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Ed How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by W8AD on April 13, 2004 Hi Steve,
Really good stuff. This is the kind of thing that helps a lot. It is Elmering at its best. Good going!! Don, W8AD RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by KC0MDC on April 13, 2004 Great topic filled with excellent information. Reading an article like this helped ease some of my anxiousness when I first got on a couple years ago. Fine job! 73 Tim How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by NK7J on April 13, 2004 Great Article, it is nice to see good elmering.
I have been on HF since 1990 and still have a problem "breaking into" conversations. Always feel like I am butting in on someone. I have a question, how often do you break into a QSO and the group more or less could care less you are there? I have found this the case several times on 75 meters. Jack RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by K1WW on April 13, 2004 Nicely put together Steve.
I suggest when asking if a frequency is in use including your callsign. It makes you legal with no question. As for phonetics, most foreign operators are taught and use the standard International Phonetic Alphabet i.e., Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, etc, that we should all know. It helps overcome the language barrier. If you feel a foreign operator has a decent grasp of the English language then you will be fairly safe in straying from the standard. One example of why not to use non-standard phonetics is the word Canada for the letter C. In many countries Canada is spelled Kanada. 73, Ray RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by K6BBC on April 13, 2004 Hi Steve,
Thank you for the truly terrible article. You must have search high and low for such a lame topic. Keep up the tiresome work. 73s from K6BBC How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by N4XLE on April 13, 2004 Great article with lots of reminders for us all. Personally, I do not like to announce the band I am calling on when CQ'ing and still consider it redundant and therefore unnecessary to do so. That part about 'calling the band' I still don't get. I mean its no big deal but it just seems.....(I won't be redundant here) 73 RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by KB7YOU on April 13, 2004 Hi, Good article. Its always nice to see tips and tricks for the new ham. I have some extra tips for the new ham. Also I disagree with Steves CQ method. A more appropriate method (in my opinion) is to call a shorter CQ more frequently. This gives you more opportunity to listen. Also it your radio has the ability, use VOX which when properly configured lets you hear incoming conditions between phrases. Even though I prefer a different technique, Steves is OK. Remember, no matter what technique you use, listening first and having respect for fellow hams is key! Here is the technique I prefer and the one recommended in most of the operating guides I have read: 1. CQ CQ CQ this is Kilo Bravo Seven Yankee Oscar Uniform, Kilo Bravo Seven Yankee Oscar Uniform, KB7YOU calling from Kaysville UT. 2. Pause 5-10 seconds.
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3. Repeat. The goal is to make your CQ last 10-15 seconds and have lots of repetition and listen time. Here are some other suggestions: 1. Once you have tuned to a frequency you think is clear, wait a few minutes to see if you hear anything before calling QRL. I hear lots of hams tune up on a frequency then call QRL right over an existing QSO. If they had paused for a few minutes, they would have heard the ongoing QSL. 2. You should use STANDARD internationally recognized phonetics. Variations are confusing and everyone seems to have their own. The standard (alpha, bravo, Charlie, etc) are recognized and understood by all hams everywhere (or at least they should be!). 3. On SSB, be sure to leave at least 3KHz of space (preferably 5KHz) between your call and any ongoing QSOs you hear thats on EACH SIDE of your intended transmitting frequency. Trying to squeeze in at 2KHz or less is simply rude and causes QRM. For CW, 1kHz is a good spacing. Not everyone has 250Hz or 500Hz filters. On a crowded band, during a contest this spacing is not always possible. In those cases, I do not transmit. 4. Get and read a copy of the ARRL Operating Manual for Radio Amateurs. This book does an excellent job of describing proper on air operation. It also describes how to use just about every communications mode and band. This is an invaluable reference and an interesting read. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to operate well on the air. 5. If you hear a bunch of interesting stations (DX) and want to call CQ, tune nearby. For various reasons, communications tend to clump in certain parts of the band. I have had lots of success when I call CQ within 10-15 KHz of interesting DX stations. 6. If you hear an ongoing QSO and decide to break in please do not tune up on top of the QSO. Instead, tune up or down a few KHz to a quiet part of the band, reduce your power to minimum (whatever your tuner needs to function) and tune up. Then return to the frequency with the ongoing QSO. I hear too many people tuning up on top of others and this is very rude behavior. For those with auto tuners, be careful. If you have been moving around the band, many tuners will auto-tune the first time you transmit. Out of all of these tips, I would say that number 4 is the most important. It will lead you to all the other good operating practices. Plus, its an interesting read. Again, great article Steve. Look forward to hearing everyone on the air. 73 Chris KB7YOU Chris Levin Check out my web sites: Amateur Radio: http://cmtdigital.sytes.net/HamRadio My Resume: http://cmtdigital.sytes.net/RESUME Family Pictures: http://cmtdigital.sytes.net/ToriBaby Or, visit the main site and see whats new: http://cmtdigital.sytes.net Kaysville, UT 84037 N 41d 01m 29.9s W 111d 55m 41.0s http://cmtdigital.sytes.net mailto:chrisweb@cmtdigital.sytes.net RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by WR8D on April 13, 2004 Very nice article. One thing that really gets on my nerves is someone wanting to break into your qso will just key up and say CONTACT. I'm not in an old aircraft with the ignition switch turned on and no you are not about to swing my prop around for me. You can hear this a lot on 40 meters, i think this is common net lingo. I also hear a lot of new folks using this to get into a qso and i guess they have listened to nets and just don't know how to talk. Please folks if you want to get into a qso just key up and say your call, or just give your call and say you need a radio check but please drop the CONTACT crap! 73 John WR8D RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by WB2WIK on April 13, 2004 Hmmm...I probably should have added something, and was remiss in its omission: Before you call CQ, and before you call anybody at all, make sure your RIT (Receiver Incremental Tuning) or RX Offset control is turned *OFF*. Also of reasonable importance: When you do call someone, unless you're intentionally working "split" as required for a pileup, make sure you're really on the other station's frequency. Without a carrier to tune in (on SSB), this can be tricky -- especially if you really don't know how the other station's voice is
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supposed to sound. You can tune in an SSB station several hundred Hz off the correct frequency, and usually still understand what they're saying, but you're not on the correct frequency and the other station may not recognize you, or simply be annoyed that you're calling him so far off. One way to "find" the correct frequency for an SSB station is to tune above and below his apparent frequency and zero in on what you honestly think is the zero beat frequency, where the other station's voice sounds as natural as possible. Unless you tune *through* zero beat (from too high pitched to too low pitched, or vice-versa, depending on which SSB mode is used), you can never be sure you've done it correctly. Take a few moments to zero in as best you can. This is one reason I recommended the longer CQ format which takes about 30 seconds: It provides prospective callers to really tune you in properly. A repetitive 10-second CQ does not provide this opportunity. In SSB contests, it is common for nobody to ever have anyone tuned in fully since the CQs take about one second, and so do the replies! Doesn't matter much, as long as you're making contacts, since each contact takes about two seconds anyway. But for general operating and "rag chews," it's really nice when you're "netted" on frequency correctly, and this takes more than a second for most people. WB2WIK/6 RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by KJ7XJ on April 13, 2004 Right on the money Steve! I like calling CQ on 29.6 FM Being the "edge" of HF, I still use my grid CN87 when calling CQ along with Tacoma and Western Washington. This way DX can hear a callsign,grid, and city/state. FM DX is exciting, but the QSB (fading) can be really annoying, so the more info I can get out there, the better I can snag someone. See you on the bands! Eric How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by K3GI on April 13, 2004 Good article. I heard an older gentleman once calling CQ on 20 meters. It went something like this, "Is the frequency in use?" [pause] "This is <callsign>. Is the frequency in use?" [pause] "Is there a net about to use the frequency?" [pause] "Is there anybody who has a sched on this frequency at about this time?" [pause] "Is there anybody who is going to get mad at me for using this frequency now?" [pause] "I guess it's okay for me to call CQ. CQ, CQ, CQ,...." RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by K3ESE on April 13, 2004 Great article and thread! Just a note for CW CQers...remember that the most critical skill in all of hamdom is listening, so make your CQ's short, and your listening frequent. When not in a contest, I'll usually send "CQ CQ de K3ESE K3ESE K," and then listen for 6-8 seconds before repeating. When I hear (and I do, too often,) twenty CQs, then a few calls, then twenty more, then more calls, I'm usually disgusted enough to not even want to wait around for a QSO. How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by KE4ZHN on April 13, 2004 Its better to remain silent and let people believe your stupid, then to open your mouth and remove all doubt. Right Steve? Its a shame that when he moved to 6 land, he took his arrogant NY attitude along for the ride. RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by NN6EE on April 13, 2004 Good post Stevie!!!
Though typically when operating on any one of the VHF or UHF Simplex frequencies what I do, and many others do as well is NOT call CQ but to ask: "Is anyone around on this channel?" a couple times and then sign your call a couple of times and that's it!!! Why call CQ on a Simplex channel when somebody answers you they've been listening anyway!!! :-))) Jim/ee How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by G0GQK on April 13, 2004 How sad that it is thought neccessary to advise a radio amateur who has supposedly passed a radio knowledge proficiency examination and obtained a licence on how to call CQ. Good grief! What next! If the mutt is so dim how would he/she know about receiver incremental tuning or receiver offset control ? Are the next lessons to be "How to switch on your new tranceiver " Does anybody read books in the States these days ? How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by CWTITAN on April 13, 2004
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Nice info. My pet peeve with two meter jocks that come down to HF are the ones that call CQ and say "n7xwy HERE IS KW7PV" what ever happened to "this is". Are they supposed to be cool or what??? sounds hinky to me and I won't answer them. I have correctely some, very nicely in manner, only to be cussed at or told to take a hike....Just my thoughts!!! RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by K6BBC on April 13, 2004 G0GQK
What are you talking about? Look at how many wonderful comments this pabulum has generated. One would think a great work of thought had just been published. This is why we need the no-code license; to get fresher, more enlightened brains into the hobby. RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by NN6EE on April 13, 2004 AH GEEEZZZZ "BBC" look at what you just said!!!
Brains does'nt have a darn thing to do with Ham Radio anymore!!! No-Code Techie thru Extra-Lite!!! :-))) Jim/ee RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by WA5ZNU on April 13, 2004 >My pet peeve with two meter jocks that come down to HF are the ones that call CQ and say "n7xwy HERE IS KW7PV" what ever happened to "this is". Are they supposed to be cool or what??? sounds hinky to me and I won't answer them. I have correctely some, very nicely in manner... Pardon me, but even if you were nice about it, it doesn't sound like it's the kind of thing worth "correcting" someone for. Now, if it were people who say "fahv" instead of "five" ;-) RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by KD5UJX on April 13, 2004
Quote: "How sad that it is thought neccessary to advise a radio amateur who has supposedly passed a radio knowledge proficiency examination and obtained a licence on how to call CQ. Good grief! What next!" Gordo's study book and the 35 question test DID NOT prepare me for HF. (no suprize there) Proper on air operation is woefully covered. I spent many hours listening before I This piece is great! I have picked up most of the items disscused by "on air" schooling (sorry anyone offended) but, the new ham needs to know these things.
RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by K6BBC on April 13, 2004 How can one not be prepared for HF? How does anybody get interested in the hobby anyway. Is it not by listening? Do stamp collectors just start collecting without ever seeing a stamp. Come on guys. This nonsense is a result of 13 WPM thinking. How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by K3BZ on April 13, 2004 Outstanding article, Steve. Only one correction, if I may be allowed.... we SteppIR users are indeed blessed with a 180 deg. turn time of much less than 5 seconds... I find it to be more like 3 seconds ;-) Thanks for your continuing excellent contributions to the hobby. 73, Jerry K3BZ RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by W9GOC on April 13, 2004 Thanks for a thought-provoking article. It seems to have generated both kudos from those who were enlightened on this subject and some snide remarks from those who already know it all. :-) There were some comments about '...read a book' and such - - while research is useful, I mention that ham radio has now been around for a bit over a century, and 'best practices' have undergone some subtle shifts in that time. (operating recommendations in my latest ARRL operating manual are significantly different in the details than those recommended in my mid-60's version of the publication, for example.) This forum serves as a form of peer review for the written word. There have been several constructive alternatives proposed in previous replies, suggesting refinements to the techniques. And we can hope that the A-1 Operators out there will patiently guide those of us who'd like to emulate their good example. Again, thanks for putting your recommendation out here for all to see and comment upon. Best regards, Frederick/W9GOC RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by K7JBQ on April 13, 2004
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Thanks for the piece. And sorry that it "insulted the intelligence" of a few who were obviously born with this knowledge. Did it tell me anything new? No. Would it have been helpful lo those many years ago when I first fired up a rig? You bet. One sneaky bit of advice on split DXing that I may regret giving, but this is aimed at the low power/lousy antenna op: If the DX is listening progressively higher with every QSO, eventually everyone will get the point and fall into line, leaving the little guy's signal swamped. But here's the deal: At some point the DX is either going to head back down frequency, or start over aways down the band. If you can anticipate that, he might hear your little signal, in the clear. Takes time, but it sure is fun when it works, and I've worked more than a few new ones exactly that way, both on phone and CW. 73 es DX, Bill RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by N9FIK on April 13, 2004 Many thanks for the article.
RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by K9COX on April 13, 2004 Nicely done Steve, however I bet you can rattle the aforementioned CQ in 15 seconds or less! You are a great enunciator and a very fast talker! How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by KB9YKG on April 14, 2004 Great article Steve, I think many hams (including myself) will benifit from it. It's amazing how many people are so arrogant that they will bash someone else for trying to help out the new guys - but then again we don't deserve to be here. No wonder it's a dying hobby. 73's KB9YKG How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by NA6Z on April 14, 2004 Perhaps we might want to consider using the approach from the last Novice question pool: N2A17 Say "CQ" three times, followed by "this is", followed by your call sign spoken three times. Much shorter than 30 seconds. RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by K6BBC on April 14, 2004 Writing an article to fellows hams instructing calling CQ is like an auto mechanic writing an article to fellow mechanics on changing oil. Is this perhaps a little insulting or is it just me? RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by KD5UJX on April 14, 2004 It's you. As you can see by the number of people that prased the article you and the few others that took offence are in the minority. Keep up the good work. How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by WA2JJH on April 14, 2004 Another nice one steve. Few pet peeves of mine, bet this one bugs you too. 1)Ultra rare DX. Must be 40 stations in the pile up you can hear. I hate these slick guys that wait for everyone to put in their call and are waiting to be picked up be the RARE DX. Some station(almost always US) will then go hard and fast with his call sign for about 10 seconds, This wat he IS the last staion heard! Guess what he will be the 1st or second to get the contact fom the DX! OK, Steve am I wrong for putting my call sign at the right time, or is this lst second trick considered fair????????? I have not done this trick yet. Howvever is it liddy behviour or just hard contesting. 2)Pet Peeve 2--If you cannot work that DX on this pile up-----THIS IS A GOOD TIME TO TUME YOUR AMP! B)let me adjust my RF CLIPPER---hello five five five five!
GOOD POINT- using the international phonetic alphabet. I have been using the U.S.A.F alphabet for over 25 years. Time to change! BAD HABIT(I have to break) I watch my power output meter while I send a voice CQ. I know my voice and rig response very well. I will stretch certain words and change pronunciation to get maximum peak RF out. I always think when I am not using an AMP, this will make my voice stand out in a pileup. It is a hard habit to break! I also soflty go QRZ, IS THE FEQUENCY IN USE. after 2 TIMES, I will do a QRZ with the rf speech proc in.
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No response....CQ,CQ MY CALL REGULAR 2x, phonetic 2X, 1 long regular. I think reily says thats A-OK. A Brush up on the basics is always good to do. 73 MIKE RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by N6AYJ on April 14, 2004 As always, a masterful discussion, Steve! I think you are the most knowledgeable ham that I've ever met. It was great speaking to you on 75 meters awhile back. How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by GM7CXM on April 14, 2004 Although I agree it's surprising that people do not know how to call or answer CQ calls, to my mind the answer is as ever: kindly help your fellow hams the way you were once helped. Steve, you missed out one point which is a bugbear for me, and that's replying to a CQ DX call. I often call CQ DX when I know/think the band is open, and constantly get replies from stations who I do not consider to be DX. I was taught that, on HF, DX is anyone who is not on my own continent. It would seem however that not everyone shares this view. In fact, the other day I was rebuked by a ham in the UK, who said that he was answering my CQ DX call, and that if I wanted to work outside europe, I should call CQ DX OUTSIDE EUROPE. I have always considered this a redundancy but since this is a recurring situation... maybe not? Your opinions on this particular point? 73 de Duncan EA5ON / GM7CXM RE: Joining a roundtable/group Mail this to a friend! by W8JI on April 14, 2004 Someone asked about joining an in-progress group. I do this frequently on 75 meters, and occasionally on 20 meters. First, if this is a group you do not know, and that does not know you, the main consideration is "Why?" Are they having an interesting conversation? Why is it interesting? Do you know something about it? Do you have something to add? Or perhaps a question? If the group is talking about Power Stroke diesel engines, do you want to know something about that engine? Or maybe you want to compare that engine to some other engine.>>>
I have a policy of being direct and to the point when someone breaks in for a signal report in the middle of an intense discussion, or who breaks in and can't hear the station I am working. I simply point out if they don't know what is going on and have nothing to contribute, they should wait. If they can't hear the other guy, they should also wait. It is rude and Liddish to break in to a conversation when you don't know what is going on or you can't understand both sides of the conversation. A person should use the same common sense as he would use in person. If two or more people are in a conversation about some specific topic, would you really walk up and say "hey, how loud is my voice"? If you couldn't understand one or hear him at all, would you join in? I've been criticized for pointing out to people who are rude enough to break in when they don't have anything at all to add that they are being rude. I still remember way back to 1962 or 63 when I broke into a roundtable and said "I don't know who is here or where you are at but I want to join in". I was politely educated! I learned a very good lesson about manners, and still respect and value having it explained how rude it was to break in without being able to contribute or knowing who was there. Nothing wrong with joining in or asking for a signal report from strangers as long as the TIMING is correct. 73 Tom How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by W4ROT on April 14, 2004 Great post/responses. This one is going to be added to the shacks quick reference HOW TO's going forward. Thanks, w4rot RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by KA4KOE on April 14, 2004 BBC: Its you. We all need to lighten up a bit a times. As I am wont to say...
Relax, its only radio.
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RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by AF4KK on April 14, 2004 GREAT article!! It's not too often that we return to the "basics" for a little refresher. Ever seasoned HF'ers could use a brush-up once in a while!! THANK YOU!! Scott Heath (AF4KK) RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by N3CAZ on April 14, 2004 BBC noted Writing an article to fellow hams instructing calling CQ is like an auto mechanic writing an article to fellow mechanics on changing oil. Is this perhaps a little insulting or is it just me? If you were going to draw an analogy, a better one would be an article to fellow mechanics instructing them on how to talk to (with?) their customers and associates. WB2WIK wasnt telling us how to repair or perform maintenance on our rigs; he was addressing good manners and proper protocol, which arent readily apparent to everyone in every situation. Good article Steve, really appreciated.
73, Ron Brown/N3CAZ RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by WB2WIK on April 14, 2004 Opinions...
-"DX" means "distance," and on HF is generally interpreted to mean outside the continent; however, this surely varies a lot. In a DX contest, for example, if a "lower 48" station works Alaska (same continent), Canada (ditto) or Mexico (ditto), it counts as a DX contact. It's possible that in some cases, "DX" is a mile away, across the border. Florida to Cuba is 90 miles, and Cuba is "DX." And so it goes... -Don't watch a wattmeter while operating, other than to take an occasional glance to see if your transmitter's still working. What's the point? You can't control PEP with your voice. If your transmitter's so undermodulated that you have to scream to create normal output power, something's wrong. Sustaining a l-o-n-g syllable doesn't increase output power at all; it only makes an average-reading meter indicate higher because it gives the needle a chance to move up scale. On a PEP meter or a 'scope, a single, very short syllable will indicate the same output power as a long sustained one. -I don't think the military standard phonetics, nor the "international" ones regularly published for decades, are particularly good for working DX. I follow what I hear a lot of the DX do, which is use international city and country names that are instantly recognized. The last letter in my call is "K," which should be "kilo" (sounds pretty international to me), and DX often just can't get it. If I change to "Kentucky" -- bingo -- they get it immediately. WB2WIK/6
How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by N3DRK on April 14, 2004 Listen, Listen, and Listen some more before transmitting. RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by AD7DB on April 14, 2004 Hi Steve,
I think you wrote a good article here. It's bound to be helpful to newer hams, and some of us long time hams can get something out of it. However, your instructions for breaking into a QSO... You said to wait for a break. HOW? They only wait a tenth of a second before replying! If mike buttons had been triggers back in the Old West, they'd have outdrawn Wyatt Earp! RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by WB2WIK on April 14, 2004 If I hear stations who leave microseconds between transmissions, this isn't a conversation I'd care to break into...
How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by KZ1A on April 14, 2004 Steve, RIGHT ON........ RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by KZ1A on April 14, 2004 I LIKE THAT >>>>> RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by K0RFD on April 14, 2004
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WA2JJH Wrote: >OK, Steve am I wrong for putting my call sign at the >right time, or is this lst second trick considered >fair????????? I have not done this trick yet. Howvever >is it liddy behviour or just hard contesting. It might or might not be an effective way to get the QSO. It all depends on the DX op. Some Ops take the first guy they hear, some take the last guy they hear. Others take the loudest guy they hear. And maybe he's listening to a range of frequencies and moving up or down, in which case neither "early" nor "late" is as good as being on the right frequency at the right time. That's why you want to listen to what's going on before you adopt a strategy. If he's working split, use your A/B button frequently to listen to the DX *AND* the pilup and see if he's got a pattern of taking early or late callers, or to see if he's moving up or down a range of listening frequencies. Listen Listen Listen. It's "liddy" behavior in one respect. The guy who waits REALLY long to call will often bury the guy the DX is trying to come back to. This slows down the whole process by forcing the DX to have to ask for the caller's information again. It's really a question of how well the DX op manages the pileup. If he lets late callers disrupt his own operation, it's his own fault. If he answers a lid just to get rid of him, then he's rewarding bad behavior and might start a stampede of similar bad behavior. >GOOD POINT- using the international phonetic alphabet. Again, let the DX lead you on this. When you're listening to the DX, see what abbreviations HE uses when working other stations. If I hear a DX using "Kilowatt", "Radio", "Florida", or "Denmark", I'll use these rather than "Kilo", "Romeo", "Foxtrot", or "Delta" when I give my own callsign. If I use what HE uses, chances are better that he'll understand me. The whole point is to be understood. International Phonetic Alphabet is the starting point, of course, but if you're not understood you're going to be repeating your callsign all day long. RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by WB2WIK on April 14, 2004 Really good expedition (or other rare location) ops exhibit excellent pileup management and usually won't answer a tail-ender other than possibly to get him out of the way; they usually won't answer someone who calls too long, either. Expeditions I've been on always kept lists of ops we would intentionally refuse to work after listening to crappy operating, and we'd call these "the black list." I wouldn't care if a blacklisted op had the strongest signal on the band: No contact. Now that most expeditions use computer logging with networked computers so the station ops can send little real-time messages to each other, this is even more effective, as a black listed station will appear on numerous black lists all at once! Then, some DXpedition ops are not so wonderful themselves. A great example of terrible operating, which leads to bad pileup management, is to not use the DXpedition callsign frequently enough. Technically, for a contact to "count" for a QSL card or award, a 2-way exchange is required, and that includes each station sending his complete callsign and another piece of data (like a signal report), and having the other station acknowledge receipt of both. A DXpedition who ID's once every ten minutes and then runs a hundred contacts between ID's technically shouldn't count for the 99 contacts where he didn't ID. WB2WIK/6
RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by G0MZS on April 14, 2004 CQ 20m??? What sort of lesson is that? Learn how to speak English before you try to tell LICENCED Amateurs how to call CQ!! Standards must be rock bottom if you feel the need to teach Amateurs how to call CQ, wrongly at that. It is bad practice to tell people who already know what band you are on that you are calling them on that band! If you do then at least do it with correct English. Are you calling 20m or are you calling on 20m? CQ 20m Hi Hi what a laugh! Not got 20m on my dxcc list of most wanted, have you? Seem like the USA have sub standard licence structure and all this dumbing down of the licence has happened, in America, a long time ago.
RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by K6BBC on April 14, 2004 G0MZS,
I agree, this is perhaps the lameist posting I have ever read on any ham site. What is more disturbing is the amount of glad-handing coming from the peanut gallery. But, your insult to sub-standards was uncalled for. Dont mess with the USA! RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by K3ESE on April 14, 2004 ...or there'll be another pre-emptive strike! RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by K3ESE on April 14, 2004 <KIDDING> RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ
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by NI0C on April 14, 2004 Mail this to a friend! I was glad to see your article, Steve, and I see it as an informative bit of "elmering." Steve observes that there aren't as many CQ calls on the bands as there once was, and that there are effective and productive ways to issue a CQ. I find that newcomers to the hobby are very anxious to learn good operating practices, but some of the ops you hear on the bands are not setting good examples. Here's where a friendly dose of "elmering" comes in, and Steve focused on this one aspect of operating. A few months ago, the eHam articles Editor put out a plea for more technical and operating type articles, and fewer opinion pieces. How many articles have we seen from some of those who are snipping away at Steve here? Why don't you folks submit your own article on some aspect of the hobby you enjoy? 73 de Chuck NI0C RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by K4JSR on April 14, 2004 ESE, The G0 ain't a DUDE!
RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by K0RFD on April 14, 2004 I don't know about "CQ 20M", but several of the RadioSputnik series of amateur satellites had uplinks on the 15M band and/or downlinks on 10M. As I recall, it was good practice to call CQ 10 or 15 or CQ Satellite just to let people know WHO you were trying to call. Maybe old habits die hard. As far as the Ham who considers this particular article "lame" -- the subject of the article was clearly stated in the title. If you thought the subject was beneath you, you didn't need to click on it. You've made your point, several times, even slow people like me get it. You think the article is lame. Now give it a rest. RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by KA4KOE on April 14, 2004 "What is more disturbing is the amount of glad-handing coming from the peanut gallery." BBC, I done toldja, relax, its only radio. No need to be disturbed. I recommend a good pint of Guinness from your buddy across the waters in Merry Ole' England. Never had Guiness with peanuts, though, so I can't vouch for that. Don't drink nasty American beer anyway...that is ONE thing the Brits did get right (no offense Steve, HEU). I love it with that vague aroma of peat moss just on the verge of perceptibility, but I digress. After about 20 pints, I guarantee your brain and bladder will be thoroughly cleansed and you won't have nary a worry, laddie. P :) RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by K6BBC on April 14, 2004 Thanks KOE,
I think I'll have a few pints, fire up the rig, and call CQ 20, CQ 20, CQ 20 meter phone. The next step is to be lectured by a few of the enlightened. I guess after being licensed for 37 years I have have been calling CQ all wrong. Why do I have the feeling this posting was a cover for the "save the code" crowd. How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by WA2JJH on April 14, 2004 lOVE THT GUINESS...TIME TO BAIL....EJECT,EJECT! RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by W2DUG on April 14, 2004 G0MZS wrote: > Seem like the USA have sub standard licence structure and > all this dumbing down of the licence has happened, in America, a long time ago. Please refer to the other thread on the topic of trolls. Here is an excellent example. REMEMBER: Don't feed the trolls. RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by KA4KOE on April 14, 2004 I guess calling CQ on a band is basically very simple and has many parallels in life.... It should be neither too long, nor too short, and not currently occupied by another user. Figure that one out. ARF ARF!!
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RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by WB2WIK on April 14, 2004 Philip, you're wise beyond your years.
When the young boy asked the wise man, "How long should a man's legs be?" and he received the answer, "Long enough to reach the ground," he learned the first rule of radio operating. How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by G0GQK on April 14, 2004 There is a new book available for apprentice radio amateurs called "Ham Radio for Dummies" by N0AX. That's a good title for people who need instructions on how to call CQ. As some of you say, Sheeeesh ! How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by NA5XX on April 14, 2004 And don't forget to pause long enough to allow someone to answer your CQ. I can't count the number of times that I have tried to answer a CQ when the caller pauses his call only to find that when I unkey the mike, the caller has started his oration again. You can't get an answer to a CQ if you don't take the time to listen for one. RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by K6BBC on April 14, 2004 Tune in next week for how to say seventy three posting.
RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by NI0C on April 14, 2004 K6BBC: Tony, you may be interested in AA0MZ's research on the topic of "73'S" at: http://www.qsl.net/aa0mz /73s.htm While you're on his page, check this one out, too: http://www.qsl.net/aa0mz/qsl.htm 73 de Chuck NI0C
RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by NN6EE on April 14, 2004 BBC!!!
I guess it's you!!! ***************************************************** RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Reply by K6BBC on April 14, 2004 Mail this to a friend! Writing an article to fellows hams instructing calling CQ is like an auto mechanic writing an article to fellow mechanics on changing oil. Is this perhaps a little insulting or is it just me? ***************************************************** Jim/ee RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by WB2WIK on April 14, 2004 G0GQK, quite a comment coming from a completely "unlisted" licensee-? No info in worldwide data base, no credibility...
RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by KA4KOE on April 14, 2004 My next humor article after the DED's wrap up will be...
"Recommended Modulation Techniques for those with Excessive Drool, OR How I Almost Ruined Me Heil With Me Spit" RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by X-WB1AUW on April 14, 2004 As always, great prose Steve. Nice concise, useful information for people just starting out.
I get board when hearing loooooong CQs, and just keep tuning. As a result, I prefer the shorter CQ, much like on CW. Since I doubt anyone will be hearing a harmonic, on another band, I skip telling people what band Im on. When I end the CQ on phone, I indicate Im listening, and I still do listen around my xmit frequency. Appending my QTH to a phone CQ makes sense; doesnt take long to say Tucson Arizona. 73 Bob RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ
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by AI3W on April 15, 2004 Mail this to a friend! Wishing the eHam would have a filter that you could just type in a call and they would never be seen. I thought it was a very informative article. One for the OT'ers as well as the newbies to read and heed. Thanks! 73 DE AI3W, Rick How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by AI3W on April 15, 2004 I think another good topic is that you are only supposed to run a power amount that you can establish good communications. I tire very quickly of 11, er 75m dudes with their 2kW. Actually hear a conversation that went something like this: (1st Ham) - My noise level is at s7-8. George, can you hear me? (2nd Ham) - Yes, Sam, you're 20 over here. (1st Ham) - Well, I'm only running 800W, so let turn that up - pause - Heeeeeellllllllo Heeeeellllo One Two Three Helllllloooo, George that's now 1kW. (2nd Ham) - Ok Sam, Now you'43 30 over. (1st Ham) - Okay, I better keep it at this level then... And thus they splatter the frequency 50kc either side of them. That was taught to me when I took my novice class. I think most have slept through that chapter. 73 DE AI3W, Rick
RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by NE1Z on April 15, 2004 "And thus they splatter the frequency 50kc either side of them..." And thus you should shut off your noise blanker if it truly is +/- 50KHz. No way a 1KW signal could be that wide unless it is in your driveway! Bill RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by KD5UJX on April 15, 2004 Rough count: 48 praise the article 10 pan it 23 "other" comments. That says it all. Good work Steve. RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by KA4KOE on April 15, 2004 Count mine as praises, even the non-sequitor asides. RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by KC0LTV on April 15, 2004 WB2WIK: Good article
The rest whining about newcomers to HF: This is a HOBBY, not a PROFESSION. Obviously some newer ops are going to make silly or stupid mistakes. So? It might not be perfect, but it 1) Doesn't qualify them as lids, and 2) Is nothing to get all wrangled up about. Do users of the forums in this site have a higher incidence rate of ulcers? RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by W7COM on April 15, 2004 One note that I would like to add. IRLP and Echolink are NOT SSB. Many times I've heard (mostly EU stations) call up a node and do the 30 secon CQ thing. Most of the Internet stations are FM repeaters people! And they wonder why no one ever answers them. How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by AJ0HH on April 16, 2004 Great article. Took me back to when I put CU3 on the air for 15 months while stationed there in the US Air Force (Jul 93 - Oct 94). The only regret I had to working split operation from there is that I didn't have dual receivers and found out that I had lost my receive freq when someone (US) started tuning and calling cq on that same frequency. I did though get into the habbit of saying I was listening 5-10 up or down as the case was so I could dial the receive frequency around. This worked especially well where we had ssb freqs that weren't aauthorized in the US, but could still listen there. Joe
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How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by WA1KWA on April 16, 2004 Steve, great article. In my opinion, we need more articles like this on things taken for granted. On CW, I generally use the 3X3X2 method: CQ CQ CQ de WA1KWA WA1KWA WA1KWA repeated twice. I usually have fairly good success this way. On SSB I'll usually say "CQ CQ CQ, CQ Ten, CQ Ten, CQ Ten, this is WA1KWA, Whiskey Alfa One Kilo Whiskey Alfa, WA1KWA near Boston calling CQ....." same exchange repeated one more time. Like you said, last about 30 seconds speaking clearly & not rushing it. On VHF/UHF, I'll substitute the grid square for QTH & where my beam is pointed. I'll listen after one series, not 2 like on HF & try it longer on the same beam heading, unless the band is open, of course. Again, good article & you're a real asset to this site. 73, Colin WA1KWA RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by K4JSR on April 16, 2004 Steve, again thanks for Elmering the unwashed messes! Many people forget that ham radio is a dynamic hobby with a continuous flow of people in and out. People complain if you do Elmer them and then complain that you have stopped! I swear(Not on the air!), that most of these people would grouse about getting lynched with a "Brand New" rope! ;-) I have noticed that most of those who are complaining never seem to show up on any of the Elmer threads. I guess that they are just too danged good to stoop to that level. They(and we *KNOW* who *THEY* are!) also are amongst the first to cry for their First Amendment Rights and say, "If you don't like what I am saying, you don't have to listen!" Shame they won't take their own advice. I guess it is all in the categorey that life sucks and then you only have time to ham during contests! (That should stir it!) 73 and stay sane out there on the shakey side! Cal K4JSR Oh yeah, and another thing, Steve. *THEY* are all very jealous because *THEY* know that the voices only speak to us!! ;-D RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by K4JSR on April 16, 2004 Sorry, but I just remembered an amusing story that appeared in Q Street back in the fifties, when AM was still king. It seems that there was a large church that just had a P.A. system installed in their sanctuary. The first Sunday that they used the new system caused a major panic in the congregation. A nearby ham was calling CQ DX. The call came through the P.A. moderately loud, but the congregation thought the voice had said, "Seek you the EXIT!" I guess maybe it is best if only Steve and I hear the voices! :-P 73 again (The voices say "73", also) Cal K4JSR RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by K7JBQ on April 16, 2004 Actually, that happened to me, years ago while mobiling on 20m sideband.
According to the not-so-amused guy in a black robe who came running out the front door of the church, the response he was seeking when he intoned "and the Lord sayeth..." was not: "Rig here is an SB-33." 73, Bill RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by WB2WIK on April 16, 2004 Bill, if you still have the SB-33, those are becoming collector's items now and it's probably worth more than it sold for new. Then, the Lord sayeth: "Bring thy rig to the swap meet and maketh profits aplenty."
How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by KG6PIR on April 16, 2004 Thanks for the grate article it was a pleasure to read. I always like finding out more information than was available in the book I read to get my license. From what I have been reading on this site and others I must be in the minority because I actually red the book before I took my test. Also I did more then just read the book I studied it. KG6PIR john 73
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RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by G7HEU on April 17, 2004 Apologies for my late entrance:
Anyone who has suggested that this article was not required has exposed themselves as someone who doesn't own a radio. Thanks for the post WIK and also the MANY elmer moments elsewhere on this forum. Steve M0HEU / G7HEU. RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by K4JSR on April 17, 2004 HEAR! HEAR! Anyone saying that Steve isn't a great Elmer is just a stick in the Fudd! 73, Cal K4JSR RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by KM5EW on April 17, 2004 It's just you...it's really just you.
RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by N1VLQ on April 17, 2004 I also thank you for the wonderful article, Steve. As usual, it is very informative, and clearly written. What I'm afraid is quite unfortunate is the fact that something so basic, informative and clear has to be ridiculed. Even the best operators can use a refresher now and then. Thanks for all that you do here Steve. Elmering is still alive. How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by KC2ELS on April 19, 2004 This one's getting printed and posted in my shack.
The only thing that would make this complete would be to talk about calling (and answering) CQ via CW. The reference I have been using so far is http://www.netwalk.com/~fsv/CWguide.htm but I can't say that I've had any real success with it. Thanks again for the very useful content! RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by KE6I on April 19, 2004 An important point I'd add, is to not to get discouraged calling CQ. With a modest station, especially, it can take a long time to raise someone calling CQ. This is normal, don't worry, it's not that they don't like you, maybe the radio is working just fine -- it just takes time. I find calling CQ for like twenty minutes or more into the microphone sort of discouraging. My preference is to use the 'voice keyer' option on my radio to record a CQ and then push the button rather than talking for ssb. I think it's just more relaxing to push a button and let the voice keyer send out a signal, while I read a little bit or chat on irc, while it's transmitting. RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by K2LES on April 19, 2004 My butt smells like poop and I can't seem to clean it right. Could you post a detailed article on how to remedy the situation? RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by KB3KAQ on April 19, 2004 by K6BBC How can one not be prepared for HF? How does anybody get interested in the hobby anyway. Is it not by listening? Do stamp collectors just start collecting without ever seeing a stamp. Come on guys. This nonsense is a result of 13 WPM thinking. <<<< i regret to inform you that not everyone has a local ham they can go learn from. my first HF experiences were at my house after i bought a radio and up a wire in my attic. again, not everyone has a person to show them the ropes - you certainly won't get it on the air. when asking if a freq was clear, i was cursed at for not understanding propagation - just because i didn't hear the guy answer me doesn't mean the freq is clear - that's what i was told. as for the "dumbing down" of the hobby - please explain to me how to cut a crystal to 7.033MHz and then how to make a spark gap. the knowledge required for those skills are no longer relevant in today's ham world. if that's your thing, have fun. i'll be busy communicating, you know, the reason the radio's exist. this thread explains the things (and reasons) that are learned from a mentor and passed down. if i had one to learn from, i would. i thought that was why eHam was setup - to help guys like me. glad to see ham radio is full of self righteous operators who have a world view as narrow as my CW filter.
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-steve
RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by K4JSR on April 20, 2004 My goodness K2LES! Do you kiss your mama with that mouth?
RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by K6BBC on April 20, 2004 Ajax thats how I used to change crystal frequencies. Sorry, I cant help you with the spark gap. Warmest regards, K6BBC RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by KB3KAQ on April 20, 2004 by K6BBC on April 14, 2004 Writing an article to fellows hams instructing calling CQ is like an auto mechanic writing an article to fellow mechanics on changing oil. Is this perhaps a little insulting or is it just me? <<<<< it's just you. if you can not see the value in a post like this on a site for helping hams, then you are in the wrong place. i'd like to tell you where to stick it, but that is not a nice thing to say. if you have nothing to contribute and think this is insulting, then go away. bye. if i ever hear you on the air, i'll make sure to bow before your supreme knowledge and operating skill, for you are truly the super ham. as for not being able to help with the spark gap, you must have taken the dumbed down tests in the 1960's. and i'm sure you know the answer to this question taken from the current extra class: what is the typical velocity factor for a coaxial cable with polyethylene dielectric? or how about this one: what type of semiconductor material contains fewer free electrons than pure germanium or silcon crystals? -steve RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by KA4KOE on April 20, 2004 I KNOW STEVE (HAND RAISED IN AIR)!!!! How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by K4KAL on April 20, 2004 Great article, but I do have one comment on this paragraph.
Many pileups operate split, of course, and I won't go into a whole seminar on working DX and split frequency operation. But assuming you're able to transmit on a frequency where the DX (or rare station) is listening, timing and articulation are everything, and certainly more important than signal strength in most cases. Your call must be timed precisely to when the other station's listening. Make your call very short and sweet, don't use any fancy phonetics, and although many successful DX operators use last two for a callsign, this really isn't good practice and I wouldn't suggest it. (Last two means saying only the last two letters of your callsign, omitting everything else, just to get through; for example, if your call is KG1ABC, you'd sign BC. Don't do it.) Before calling on the frequency, take the time and see if there is a QSO on that xmit frequency. It amazes me that people just call, and don't bother to check. The DX station in most cases doesn't know if the frequency is in use, and many times they use such a large gap. Like 14.195 and QSX 200 to 210, they are causing problems with other hams who could care less about the DX station and just want to have a QSO. RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by AB5XZ on April 20, 2004 Observation on phonetics:
Over the last several years, as I operate in SSB contests, I have had occasional trouble getting my call sign across to people. It shouldn't be a problem, but it is. My call is Alfa Bravo Five X-ray Zulu. Is that Alfa Bravo Five Victor Zulu? Is that Alfa Bravo Five Echo Zulu? I've tried alternate phonetics, but in most languages there is just no good substitute for X-ray. Xilofono? Xenofobia? nope.
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In the last WPX contest, I found the answer: Alfa Bravo Five X-Raaaaaay Zulu. Don't laugh. It worked! 73Tom RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by WB2WIK on April 20, 2004 K4KAL, I agree with you completely. I did mention later in the article to be sure to listen on the QSX frequency, and if possible, continue to listen there the entire time you're trying to work the DX station. The best defense is a strong offense, and knowing exactly what the competition's doing every second of the game is what makes winners. Good comment. WB2WIK/6 How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by K3YD on April 20, 2004 Hi Steve,
I sometimes work with prospective and new amateurs in a local club and think your article is a really good training piece. I've heard many "newbies" bring VHF-FM operating procedures to HF. I.e. "This is KD3XYZ listing fourteen-268." If they're lucky, they meet a helpful mentor. If they aren't, they might meet a latter day re-incarnation of the original W2OY. (Having just read through the comment thread, I have a few nominees.) Any objection to my copying your article as a license class handout? 73, Blair k3yd
Village people. by G7HEU on April 20, 2004 K2LES
I can't help you with your personal hygiene. I was wondering though, ( having checked your Eham profile ), didn't you used to be in a band ? Steve M0HEU / G7HEU
>>>>"RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Reply by K2LES on April 19, 2004 Mail this to a friend! My butt smells like poop and I can't seem to clean it right. Could you post a detailed article on how to remedy the situation? " <<<<<
RE: Village people. by G7HEU on April 20, 2004 p.s. Good luck with your general license 'in the next ten years'. :-)
How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by NL7GB on April 20, 2004 Thanks for the operational etiquette pointers Steve! As an idiot who has let 3 ham licenses expire and who has never worked anything other than HF CW, I found this message thread informative. Studying for my fourth exam and looking for online Elmers drives home the point that it is definately getting a little easier to get a license -- but much harder to please everyone. 73 DE (Don't know what my next call will be -- meeting with VE in May) Dave in Alaska RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by KA4KOE on April 21, 2004 -And the answer is "P" type, with holes as the majority current carriers. RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by KB3KAQ on April 21, 2004 by KA4KOE on April 21, 2004 -And the answer is "P" type, with holes as the majority current carriers.
you need to brush up on knowledge, your answer is not correct per the FCC extra exam.
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and what about the velocity of the coax??? more light, less heat. -steve RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by K4JSR on April 21, 2004 HAY! KAQ AND KOE!!! I took a "straw poll" and found out that the Majority Carriers of a 2 X 4 was; 1)Sheriff Buford Pusser and 2) KNOT HOLES! What are they, then? 73, Cal K4JSR RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by LU1ARV on April 21, 2004 Excellent found!!! 73, Jos
RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by KI4EFO on April 22, 2004 As a new ham I would like to count in on the "thanks for a helpful mentoring article" side. I learned a lot from reading this and I'm not ashamed to admit that. I've spent a *lot* of time listening and I think it's pretty apparent there are many valid ways to call a CQ. Hearing about the reasoning behind these different approaches has helped me make an informed choice as to how I want to call CQ. Last night I extended my calling time just a bit, repeated my call more, included my location, and also waited a little longer between calls. It seemed to help and I felt I got more responses. I have a follow-up question. How clear is clear enough? There are times when I can hear extremeley faint signals all up and down the band if I listen really hard with a headset on. I'm not sure how I would even rate them on an S scale but they are so low as to be completely unintelligible. Does it make sense to ask if the frequency is in use given that they could hear me but I might not be able to hear anyone in their conversation? Thanks, Eric KI4EFO RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by KI4EFO on April 22, 2004 Just for clarification -- I always ask if a frequency is in use. My question is simply whether I should transmit at all if I hear extremely faint signals. Regards, Eric KI4EFO RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by WB2WIK on April 22, 2004 Always ask if the frequency is in use, and more than once. I usually ask two or three times, waiting a few seconds for any replies in between. If signals I hear are so faint they're unintelligible and nobody replies to my "in use?" query, that frequency should be fair game for a CQ; although I'd prefer to pick a frequency where I hear nothing at all within my IF passband if possible. Sometimes, that's just not possible, period. Especially during contests! Remember 99+% of all amateur communications is non-emergency in nature, so if you interfere with anybody unintentionally, it would be extremely unusual for that to do any harm. I can accept occasionally being called a Bozo...I've been called worse, even by family members... WB2WIK/6 How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by KA3POY on April 22, 2004 Steve - great article. Thanks to eHam for publishing it.
One growing mode that has not been discussed in depth here is...AM. On AM, phone operating technique is possibly even more important because there is a large number of signals confined to very narrow windows - in some cases these windows will only accomodate one AM qso at a time. While you may occassionally get to send a CQ, odds are that if a band is propagating, the AM window may already be inhabited. For that reason, it is very important that ops leave time between transmissions for breaking stations to identify themselves. Also, ops in QSO should be even more accomodating to breaking stations because the reality is, more often than not, that the bandwidth they are occupying may be the only AM game in town for the moment. I have had largely great luck joining AM roundtables and encourage anybody else out there who is thinking about it to take the plunge. Don't worry if you can't run plate-modulated tube gear, run what you've got. 73, N5IIT
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RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by WB2WIK on April 22, 2004 N5IIT: Good comments. AM is fun, and I find that the operators do leave l-o-n-g pauses, usually, between transmissions, which accommodate even rather slow-reflexed breakers. Now, if I could only convince them to make each transmission a bit shorter! Since the channelized nature of HF-AM operations does encourage "round tables," as opposed to "one on one" contacts, if each station in a 6-member chat makes a 10-minute transmission, it takes one hour to go around once. Which is why by the time it comes back to me, I'm always gone! WB2WIK/6 RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by KA4KOE on April 23, 2004 KAQ: N type - majority current carriers are electrons P type - majority current carriers are holes Either Si or Ge can be doped to be P or N type material. Note that the FCC exams have been known to contain errors in the past. Please refer to Electronic Devices and Circuit Theory, Boylestad and Nashelsky, 3rd Edition, Pages 6-8.
RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ by K4JSR on April 24, 2004 What about the KNOT HOLES? 2 X 4's are generally PINE which makes them P material! Gee, KOE, sometimes your a grouch! :-P 73 Cal K4JSR
RE: How to Call (and Answer) a CQ Mail this to a friend! by W9OY on April 26, 2004 I knew an old boy down on 75 and 40 a zillion years ago who really knew how to call CQ. CQ CQ no lids, no kids, no space cadets, no phonetic phonatics, NO SCHOOL BUS RIDERS, only class A operators need apply this is W2OY Now this guy knew how to call CQ. He died a true hams death. Strapped in at 75 feet on his tower he had the big one. I can almost hear those dulcid tones wafting through the celestial ether on a quite night nolids...nokids...noscpacecadets.....
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