Different Characteristics of Hams All Over the World

[A71AN]

How would you scale other Hams from the different countries of the World, for example I believe that the Japanese are very polite and shi, the have all the qso written in a piece of paper, they call you and they read what’s in that piece of paper and then say 73, but if you try to stop them and ask them any other thing not on that piece of paper they will never find a way to answer you because of their Poor English understanding, other wise they are the most polite Hams on the Bands.

Americans are also very shi but very well in control of them self, they will not answer the caller unless he state their call sign correctly and when one of them been called, the other just go quite, never creating qrm.

VK Ham are very hot, quickly they get angry, especially if their call sign not been picked from the first time.


I do not mean any impairment to any one and I do respect every one behind the key or phone, this is just for us to see how we all look at each other.

Please let see if some one else having the same experience about other Hams.


Best regards to all and 73

[N2RJ]

Americans are also very shi but very well in control of them self, they will not answer the caller unless he state their call sign correctly and when one of them been called, the other just go quite, never creating qrm.

I don't think that is universally true.

There are many American hams who create QRM during a pileup or other ham activity.

As for hams from other countries, I've noticed:

The British love to chat. They aren't interested very much in just a simple "5/9 QRZ?" type of contact. They are also very polite, most of them anyway.

Caribbean hams love to chat, but they love to talk and talk and talk. In fact one net I remember on 40 every Sunday morning in the Caribbean was "talk shop."

South African hams also like to chat. They also don't tolerate nonsense in a pileup. They like to keep it orderly.

I won't bother to point out bad behavior as I want to keep this thread positive.

[K8MHZ]

Brazilians seldom send QSL cards, while the Japanese do almost exclusively every time.

Germans, Russians and Brits like to chat a bit.

Canadians run the gamut, from cheerful and friendly to psychotic lunatics. OK, *one* psychotic lunatic.

Americans are tight with the cards too, vary in personality and have a penchant for jamming people.

6 landers are as varied as colors in a box of Fruit Loops, and I love them for that.

North and South Dakota.....does anyone have a radio there??

Galapagos Islands...one contact, one card. What more can I say??

Aussies. Great for e-mail contacts, but can't hear my less than tree height antennas....my bad.

Senagal. Two contacts. Two cards. Life is good.

Italy. Pretty good return. Great food. One lunatic. I can live with that.

Poland. Spot on for both QSOs and cards. A pleasure to hook up with them. Lech Valensa is a hero for many Union Electricians such as myself. (My apologies if I messed up the spelling of his name)

Mexico. Many cards and great chats from our friends south of the Rio Grande. Great artistic cards, too.

Luxembourg. Not bad for a country the size of a mall.

Serbia-Herzegovina. Great in all aspects. Tesla is one of my true, real life heroes. I named my daughter Nicole after him. She holds the call of K0LEY.

Azores. Worked 'em. First time. Got the card for proof. Thanks.

I didn't cover all the bases and would like to make sure that all of you that sent cards and stamps for my dad are appreciated to the fullest.

Next stop, lunar DX. Then my shot at Mars. I just hope the neigbors understand all the aluminum casting shadows in the twilight on their grills, decks and festoon lights. If they get over it , great. If not I guess hams bearing T-bones and Oberon are in order.

[VO1GXG]

Canadians run the gamut, from cheerful and friendly to psychotic lunatics. OK, *one* psychotic lunatic.



I am not a Psychotic Lunatic! If you're talking about who i think you are talking about he is polish not Canadian. He is just a Canadian resident.

Canadian hams and VO hams are two different breads. VO hams don't leave 20 and 80 meters and do not shut up. Hate to contest and all run G5RV's and are highly proud of their VO call.

Personally so far i have found all my contacts to be highly respectable and polite. I prefer to chat then to give a quick call and hang up so to speak. Most of my contacts have been simple " 59 , 73 " some contacts ( 2 US , 1 Canadian and a Irish station ) have given my long QSO's which were great.

There are bad apples and good apples in this hobby.

[K8MHZ]

If you're talking about who i think you are talking about he is polish not Canadian.Indeed, but with a VE7 call. A Capitan in the Canadian military and the rightful owner of 'Radio Canada', undisputed by any authority having jurisdiction in the matter. If none of this were true, Industry Canada would have intervened by now. Unless they are like a boat....a hole you throw money into. Needless to say, I am far from impressed by their performance. Pigeons could have done a better job. At least their excrement on his antenna would have affected the SWR to the point of possibly damaging his toob with handles.

[w2ajw]

North and South Dakota.....does anyone have a radio there??



I did. Then came to my senses again and moved away for the second time. :cool:

[VE7NOT]

Indeed, but with a VE7 call. A Capitan in the Canadian military and the rightful owner of 'Radio Canada', undisputed by any authority having jurisdiction in the matter. If none of this were true, Industry Canada would have intervened by now. Unless they are like a boat....a hole you throw money into. Needless to say, I am far from impressed by their performance. Pigeons could have done a better job. At least their excrement on his antenna would have affected the SWR to the point of possibly damaging his toob with handles.


As I have stated before Industry Canada's office only a few miles down the road does NOT monitor communication anymore.. when i got my licence in 98 there there were probably 12 people in that office.. in 2003 there were 3....

[kb2vxa]

So what? This is supposed to be a positive discussion not about a boob with handles. Anyway, most of my contacts have been favorable one way or another, few problem people but no big deal since it's a big sandbox and a lot of kids playing in it. I'm just not happy with cookie cutter contacts, aside from DX working a pile up I'd rather chat.

[aa5te]

VK's, ZL's, ZS's = the nicest, longest QSO's, followed closely by the English and Irish - the English can also be the rudest (next to northeastern US and California stations), but only if you make them mad or catch them in a bad mood

JA's = the most (and quickest) QSO's, quickest and most QSL's

LZ = can never get a QSL card from Bulgaria, no matter how much money I send

French - seem friendly for the most part, but I just recently got around to making some of my old logs electronic and I uploaded them both to eQSL and LoTW; I got an email from a F6 station a few days later saying how he didn't need or want my QSL after 10 years and rejected it - like I really inconvenienced him.

[m0dcd]

Everyone on PSK seems to be your friend.

I do actually find most ops to be polite outside of the usual DX pileup. A smattering of greetings in their own language also improves this no end.
eQSL? Apart from the odd spurious entry I've had no problems.

Hint: Want to work France? Conduct the QSO in French, you'll get spotted and be on the right end of a pileup. Works with a lot of other countries as well - write yourself a nice crib sheet.

Then of course there is this Sicilian with a siezed up tuning knob just to spoil it and a load of detractors, but that is the exception, along with the nets which seem also to have been operating before the propagation started so they could hear each other.

Overall, here in the ham community we're well behaved.

[G0GQK]

I don't really think there is much difference in radio amateurs in any part of the world, but naturally there are conversational limitations if the person is unable to converse in your language.

Japanese operators are polite, because politeness and good manners are expected by the people of Japan in their daily activities.

I have always found German hams to be polite, mostly they speak good English, and despite comments that Germans lack a sense of humour, I cannot agree.

I have probably spoken to more American hams than hams in any other country, some like to chat, others just want to make the contact and then say "well that's my story" and want to be away to make another DX contact, that's people, all different. All polite and friendly.

As for rudeness, I don't believe I have ever had a contact with a rude amateur other than contesters who on the few occasions when I've asked for a QTH have given me quite uneccessary "lip" and in the time they have spent cussing me for asking they could have told me. So now I don't go anywhere near contesters.

I spend most of my time using PSK but this mode gives no indication at all as to the temperaments of the people I contact. Most Russians and Ukrainians do not speak English but send macro's in English to everyone, expressing their good wishes to all those they meet on the bands, which is how it should be and of course I return their good wishes.

I have often thought how nice it would be if the world in general could be as polite and helpful as most radio amateurs, of course disregarding some of the pests who inhabit the rare dx frequencies on occasions.

G0GQK