![]() ![]() If they do speak good English you can always tell them a little about yourself and your local area and ask them about theirs. At this point you have two choices – you can go on to give them a few more details about your station, such as the radio, power and antenna.īut with many QSOs you may find that the other station wishes you 73 and goes – it usually means that English is not their first language and they are likely to get tongue tied. If lucky, they should come back to you with your report, their name and QTH. Note you don’t need to spell things out phonetically more than once usually. Good evening/day, your report is 59 (or whatever it is), my name is Dave – Delta Alpha Victor Echo – and my QTH is London – Lima Oscar November Delta Oscar November.” If a station comes back to you say: “N1ABC (or whatever) N1ABC, this is Mike Six Alpha Bravo Charlie. So it is: “CQ CQ CQ this is Mike Six Alpha Bravo Charlie, Mike Six Alpha Bravo Charlie, Mike Six Alpha Bravo Charlie standing by.” Now call CQ using the three x three method. So, “Is the frequency in use? This is M6ABC.” If nobody replies, you’re clear to call. ![]() If, after a reasonable time, the frequency seems clear, ask “Is this frequency in use?”, followed by your callsign. Make sure the frequency isn’t being used before you go barging in. This may not be easy, particularly in crowded band conditions on HF.Īlways listen before transmitting. It is the traditional way of seeking random contacts.īefore calling CQ it’s important to find a frequency that is not occupied by any other station. A CQ is simply a general call to no one in particular. To conduct a voice or phone QSO you have two choices: You can call “CQ” or you can answer someone who is calling CQ. ![]() If feeding it directly, make sure that it presents a low SWR to your radio – that is, that you installed it correctly and it is working fine. Then you need to make sure that you are using the correct antenna and that it is matched properly, either by using an ATU or by feeding it directly. Generally, we should use the minimum amount of power required to guarantee a good contact. For this reason it might be easier to arrange the QSO on 2m FM rather than HF SSB, which will be noisier and more prone to interference.įirst thing to do is make sure your radio is set up properly – that it is on the right mode, that you have the microphone gain set correctly and you have selected the right amount of power. That way it will be less stressful and if you make a hash of it it doesn’t really matter. For that reason it might be an idea to arrange a QSO with a friend, or someone else in your radio club. ![]() Your first contact or conversation (QSO) can be quite daunting. It was always unclear to me how strategically placing a tobacco can lid near a sounder would make it louder or more intelligible.Jim Bacon G3YLA operating special event station GB0CMS These fellows were, in general, poor operators, and “lid” became the designation of any poor operator. The story that most often makes the rounds in amateur radio circles is that some telegraphers used the lid of a Prince Albert tobacco can to better hear the sounder. Over time a poor or incapable operator that had been or was about to be “lifted” became known as a “LID”. In telegrapher parlance, when discussing such events over the wires, other operators shortened the word ” lifted” to ” li’d”. One explanation was that when a relay office Telegrapher couldn’t handle the work on the wire he was assigned to, he was “lifted” off the job and reassigned or let go. On the mailing list of the Morse Telegraph Club, someone asked:ĭoes anyone have any history on the term “lid” when referring to a telegrapher’s capability? How did it originate and what is the significance if any of each letter? ![]()
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