Issue 20: Let's Ditch the One-Minute QSO!

Absolutely right. There's no slam here against introverts -- hey, I admitted that I am one here. But by our nature, we might avoid ragchewing. Kinda like a mode of operation, right? No different than the ham who says, "Those damn digital modes. They aren't for me" without trying them. There are a dozen different ways to take the hobby and they are all valid. Dave

 

Thanks John. I got some of those museum ships this weekend as well. Cool opportunity, great QSL cards. One thing I didn't mention in my article, and that should be added or at least mentioned here . . . MEDICAL CONDITIONS, ugh! As soon as I start hearing two old timers talk about their various complaints, I move to another frequency or drop from the QSO. Who needs that! I think it's an artifact of our aging ham population. I'd also like to note that I am not necessarily longing for a world full of 30 minute on-air conversations, but simply trying to add another couple of minutes to the one-minute QSO. Dave

 

Great article,Dave!

The real reason is people don't talk to each other anymore. We're losing that ability. Anyone I know under the age of 40 hates talking on the phone! They would much rather get a text or email. It takes some effort to hold up your end of a conversation and even more to do it in real time. People want to think before they speak. If they say the wrong thing, it could really backfire in bad ways these days!
So people need a pause before they reply. Or just want to send a canned reply with minimal information, just what's needed.

Hams have followed suite. I still hear a few people getting on and talking to whoever may answer them, but not often. When you add learning the code plus knowing how to spell, plus thinking in real time, it's no wonder CW is what it is these days. I was demonstrating CW at a club meeting with an old MFJ QRP rig. One fellow was shocked to see a radio without a waterfall! He also wondered how I was spotting myself so others could find me. "You mean you tune up and down the band LOOKING for people to talk to? How do others find you?", he asked.

Since I'm averse to using a computer while doing radio, I spend a lot of time sending out CQs that aren't answered. Then later on, I check the Reverse Beacon Network to see where I was heard. I guess that's my own form of "Atari with antennas", but I'm ready to talk if someone has a mind to.

Wayne Green predicted in a column once that eventually a ham radio QSO would consist of each side sending a 10 character transmission, and then fill in the "fluff" like name and QTH from online databases. Here we are!

Why put forth the effort when technology will do it for you?

 

Great comments Rick, thank you! Agree, it is society wide and not hams only, DJ

 

I find that the one min QSO is good for me.

If the operator at the other end has an interesting sounding signal, I may enquire about the station specifics. The other is if they live in a specific QTH, say, Nagano Japan. Then I might ask about the 'leftover' Olympic buildings.

Otherwise, I'm certain most will find me as boring as I find them, so 1 min is more than enough - for both of us.

 

There have been a couple of comments that said much the same … for this sub-sector of ham, we have a lot to offer that doesn’t involve extensive engagement with others. For example, I LOVE to read and write about ham radio, so I’ve got all the books, the bookmarks on my browser etc. to do this when I don’t feel the “need” to talk to others. It’s when I hit the PTT — that is when I am going to try and add another element to signal report , name and QTH.

 

My original callsigns were M1ETO then, after the 12WPM Morse test, M0ETO. I live for CW and live for (long for) good old-fashioned ragchews. I also have noticed with dismay and despair, the decrease- nay, even total lack of- ragchews. I remember a 1hr long ragchew in either 2001 or 2002. It was on 30mtrs in the early afternoon and an LA (from Ålesund, in case he's reading this) popped up. We chatted about everything. Then he said "My daughter just asked 'what's a Geordie doing on hamradio?'" I was flattered before remembering we have a ship that sails from Newcastle-Bergen. We Geordies are people from Newcastle upon Tyne in NE England and there are lots of the old-guard left who can do Morse properly (i.e. have been trained at our local radio club, even on 2mtrs and taken the 12WPM Morse test. I get very angry at the poor standard of Morse code on HF. People who've never been trained and probably show-off to YLs and XYLs. They don't even know how to 'zero-in'. We urgently need to reinstate the Morse test worldwide. This will give more credence to ham radio. I've even called 'CQ ragchew'- not CQ RC in case I only get Russians! Hi Hi. Russians by the way are very competent CW ops. So, shoot me down in flames if you will, but I at least (plus many others) have high standards. This is the way forward. Being 'woke' and lowering the standards for getting an HF licence is NOT the way to go. Then ham radio will cease to have the 'necessary' high standards required for good operating. And the compulsory 12WPM Morse test may just be the catalyst that inspires others to try ragchews. The closest I get to having a ragchew is to train at receiving Morse using the G4FON program. Regards to you all.

 

Oh, I almost forgot: stop these useless contests! If we want to attract new blood then we must show them that we can chat on ham radio- even in Morse code. I don't want to be told "U R 599 es nr xxx." especially when I know I'm running 5/10/15/20W in a contest with an inferior antenna. At weekends I'm held prisoner on the WARC bands- and my antenna and QTH aren't good enough We've lost the art of conversation. By the way, I don't care what anybody else thinks or says. Regards.

 

I entered amateur radio at the tail end of Cycle 24. CW was not a requirement so I didn't do it. Phone propagation was poor to non-existent. If it weren't for FT8/4, I would have turned off my HF rig and done ragchews on our local and networked repeaters. FT8/4 kept my interest in HF alive until propagation greatly improved. Even though sub-100 watt SSB is fruitful again, I prefer the format and pace of PSK-31. I've had many long digital ragchews covering a wide range of topics. Those unrelated to ham radio have been the most interesting. Sure, I'll hit the PTT button when something catches my ear but I'd prefer typing to talking.

 

Too many people are pushing the EASY BUTTON. JT 8 - where they can rack up dozens of qso's and never say a word.

The good thing about it is - that they are not on the phone band of 6 meters until they get tired of pushing the button.
The bad thing is - they forget how to operate and once the qso is over, they are tempted to steal the frequency away from the original operator that spent a half an hour calling cq to get that one contact. Only to have the contact be some big time operator that has a 60' tower, and a 1000 watt amplifier and no common sense. Noise is inverse the square of the frequency. The higher in frequency you go, the less you need power to make contacts.
And the power - is what attracts the LIDS - like moths to a lightbulb.
So Joe Blow from Kokomo thinks that because this guy is loud -they are going to be next to work him, only to discover that it is not his frequency. And even if the guy is kind enough to move, he doesn't move far enough away to protect the frequency of the Original Operator because he is so used to not having to move when he works the JT Mode that he forgot how to operate his radio.
Maybe what we need is some kind of manual - that you must read before you press the PTT or the KEY so you don't make these mistakes.

I for one, has reservations each time I transmit because I worry that the person on the other end won't want to talk to me if I make a mistake sending CW. I probably go thru one 9 volt battery per a month on my MFJ practice keyer just practicing.
Throw a magazine or newspaper on my coffee table and all you hear is beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

 

Brian, thanks so much for your extensive and very interesting comment here. I agree with you on the fun nature of CW. I'm still struggling with the problem of losing a letter or word and then missing entire sections, but very comfortable when I'm going 10 WPM less than my high speed practices. Your suggestion to reinstate a Code requirement into international licensing is a good one but impossible, as there's too much resistance already to testing like that, and besides each country has it's own regulations and testing requirements. Our entry-level code skill requirement in the olden days was 5 WPM, which was a good one. Gives you enough to build upon. Certainly painful to work someone who's going that slow, however. Dave

 

Hi Jim. I'm a typing maniac, so I know what you are talking about here. I think the "spirit" of my article was that we need to find that missing "art of conversation," and it is very possible to have that again even on PSK-31, isn't it. Dave

 

Thanks Jerry, good comments, a lot about the grace and respect that goes with good communication. That's changing broadly in society, so fast . . . By the way, even us old hands love our practice devices. I just bought a Morserino and I'm going to assemble it today or tomorrow. It should be fun! Dave

 

Wrong. Contesting is a quick and easy way to get new mike shy folks on the air as the exchange is short and structured. You are not going to attracting new blood by having them listen to old farts talk about their latest trips to the Dr. and what their current ailments are, which is what you hear a lot of on the bands.