To quote from "Your Novice Accent" , the classic November 1956 QST article by W6DTY, "People speak a language with the same accent as those with whom they live and work. New hams pick up habits and operating procedures of the gang they chew the fat with." How true this is. I feel that the large influx of Technicians licensees has created some of the same problems experienced by Novice operators of the '50s. I hope that people won't see me as finding fault with my fellow hams. Please take it in the spirit it was intended. It was prompted by my wife's (N0KJH) honest question: "Tell me what you think is correct procedure?"
FM and Repeater Procedure
"KD9XYZ KD9XYZ KD9XYZ this is KE9ABC calling and listening, bye."
"KD9XYZ KD9XYZ KD9XYZ here is KE9ABC are you around Fred?"
"Negative contact. KE9ABC clear."
On FM a single call is all you need. I suppose
in some rare cases the person being called is operating their receiver in
the scan mode and won't catch the more acceptable "KB9ZYX, KE9ABC."
And there is no reason to throw in "negative contact," "clear" and so on.
Everyone who can hear the repeater knows quite well that you have had "negative
contact". I think habit arises from people who spend too much time
listening to police scanners and not enough time listening to proper Amateur
Radio if you are not in contact with a station it is assumed you are "clear".
Let's ditch the Highway Patrol procedures and extra yakking. It sounds
silly.
Endless Calling
You often hear the same long calls repeated over and
over. This is unnecessary. On FM your signal is copiable, or
it isn't. As my friend Toms says, "If you weren't there you didn't
miss anything." If you call and no one responds they will rarely change
their minds two seconds later. Most of the time a general call should
be as simple as "KD0YXZ listening." Once in a while I'll say, "CQ 2
W0VNE." This gives some people the giggles, but everyone immediately
understands that I am calling any station.
Listen!
One rude practice is turning to a new frequency (or flipping
on the power switch) and talking without listening. Listen first!
Before you pick up the microphone for the first time, spend hours, even days,
listening. Learn the proper procedures on your local repeater before
jumping in.
Q Codes, Spelling, RST and The Weight of Correct Operating
"QSL your hamster died, QSL on the good old days, Bob.
Yeah, QSL on your new antenna. You're eight pounds now, Bob.
I suppose you could get a linear for that FM rig and push me 9 or 10 pounds,
huh? The handle here is Frank. F-R-A-N-K."
The dreaded Q codes are making another stab at polluting
the phone bands. Q codes are meant for CW. This habit of "QSL'ing"
everything is a little like the idle character on a teletype circuit.
Please assume that everything is received unless otherwise specified.
It sure makes for tedious listening when every single thing said is repeated.
If you must acknowledge a transmission, you don't need to repeat yourself
over and over. "Good copy, Bob" is short and to the point.
When words must be spelled, they should only be spelled
phonetically. For example V, B, E, G, D and C all sound pretty much
the same. That's why phonetics were created. Spelling your name
on an FM repeater (even phonetically) is questionable at best. The exception
might be if your name is truly unusual, or if your signal is marginal into
the system.
Your handle? When I heard this for the first
time, I thought, what the heck is this goofball talking about? Sorry,
I have knobs on my radio, but no handles. The most important
lesson is to speak plainly, just as you would in person. When you meet
someone new at the radio club you don't ask them for their handle.
You ask for their name.
Signal reports should follow the RST (Readability, Signal
Strength and Tone) system. Not in "pounds", "feet", or "shoe leather"
You will hear old-timers saying "Q5" once in a while (historical note: The
readability or intelligibility scales goes form 1 to 5--see QRK in any list
of signals). But for most voice operations, RST works best. Of
course, you drop the Tone figure unless you hear some unusual noise on their
signal (such as alternator whine). Some stations just give the signal
strength in S units. "Bob, you're S8 now." Others provide the
readability and signal strength by saying, "You were 5 by 8 on your last transmission."
If someone specifically asks for a report, it is important that you give an
accurate report. My minority opinion is that DXers and contesters who
give 59 for everything (while asking for several repetitions of "all after
crackkkle-spffft") is a waste of time. If you give a signal report,
give a real one.
Phonetics
Cute nonstandard phonetics are questionable at best.
My wife sometimes tells people her call is November Zero Keep Jay Hopping.
Kind of silly, but it might help some folks remember her call sign.
The line is crossed when you become vulgar.
IDing
"KD9XYZ this is KE9ABC for ID. Yeah, Bob, we got
our ticket back when you had to memorize the license manual. Our transmitter
is a GadZooks 1001. We like to operate with our feet hanging out the
window."
"For ID?" Isn't it understood that you are identifying?
and the royal "we" is heard so often that "we" have to comment. Who
is the other half of "we" / "our" in your transmissions? When I was
a young squirt and picked up this bit of silliness I was asked by one of the
old-timers who was this "we" ? Me and the mouse in my pocket?
Endless Signoffs
"Well, Bob, may the good Lord take a liking to you and
yours. Have a good day today and a better day tomorrow. We will
be clear on your final and I wish you 73s and a goodnight. This is KD0XYZ
clear and QRT."
Nice sentiments (I do hope the good Lord takes a liking
to me), but let's lose the canned "CB" jazz. The point is that these
sign-off benedictions drag out and otherwise nice conversation. 73s?
Best Regards? Is this a form of sluttering? I won't belabor the
fact that 73 is CW shorthand since everyone (even me) uses it, but let's use
it correctly.
If you avoid some of the operating pitfalls we've just
discussed, I guarantee you more contacts. Best of all, you'll rapidly
earn the respect of your fellow amateurs.
QST
Reprinted with permission from W0VNE and NU0X QST Editor.