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

Please join us for a discussion here for Issue 20 of Trials and Errors -- Ham Life with an Amateur" . . . the column is located at this link https://www.qrz.com/trials-and-errors

 

Not the busiest thread
Ragchewing not worth debating, really?

Won't refrain me to call "CQ RC..." pounding my straight key
who knows, one of these days, might work

Oliver

 

Thanks you Dave for this article. I love it! I got into ham radio to talk to others hams and find out a bit about their life and interests. I sometimes take a little liberty to rag chew a bit when people are just expecting a call sign, signal report and maybe location. They usually respond back with some heartfelt communication. I like the idea of asking a non-ham question. I will try that. Thanks again Dave.

 

I enjoyed your article Dave, thanks!

I used to use phone, was an AMer and a SSBer (and 2M FM), but ditched all that to go back to CW which I've always enjoyed.

Why don't I ragchew any more? Welllll... I've come to realize over the years that the person on the other end of the line is simply not interested in what I have to say. They only want to talk about themselves. It's the truth, IN MY OPINION.

A wise person once said; "99% of the time when a person opens their mouth to speak, it's about themselves". If one were to record a QSO, and later analyze it, one would understand my point.

Another sad truth is that I myself am simply not that interested in what the other person has to say. I don't care how old they are, how long they've been married, how many kids they have, or their medical problems, the weather, what rig they have, etc, etc. And really, neither do they!

I've learned in my 50+ years of hamming that the vast majority of hams do not make 'lifelong friends' with other hams on the air. Sure, some do, but they are the rare exception.

Some may THINK they have made friends, but they are deluding themselves.

Am I cynical? Oh yes, I am. It's what life does to people.

I'm not 'mic shy' or 'key shy', I just don't WANT to! LOL!

I rather enjoy the 1 minute QSOs, the SKCC, the POTA, the Museum Ship Weekend, etc.

The time I don't spend blathering on about myself and feigning interest in the other person is spent with designing, building, and repairing anything that suits my fancy at the time, be it radios, classic cars and tractors, woodworking, metalworking, whatever...

If you do catch me on the air, and you are willing to pretend to be interested, I'll have a ragchew, but it's just not my cup of tea these days.

There's the view from the 'other side' of the QSO! Thanks for reading (if you got this far!).

73!

 

Why was Oliver's reply removed?

 

Thank you Henry. I'm happy you found it worth reading. Please, come back again. Dave

 

Thanks Jeff. With 50+ years in the hobby, you are certainly in the position of having tried it all, and KNOWING what you like and don't like! That's fine with me. I think it would be a shame, though, if you spent 50+ years and didn't try one particular style of operating. Then, you could say you missed something. I think my comments are more directed to those who haven't really giving longer QSO'S an opportunity yet, and who are still experimenting with all the modes. Regards, Dave

 

Hi Jeff, two or three hams posted "where's the article" because the Forum post has to go up before the article. And in that five or ten minutes while things were being put up on QRZ, some posts got on the forum mentioning the article not being present. I deleted them when the article was posted, and wrote the hams who asked and invited them to come back and read Issue 20. Thanks, Dave

 

Ahhh, I see!

Yes, yes, yes! In that regard I wholeheartedly agree!

How would I have known if I liked, or didn't, some aspect of ham radio?

So, with that, I will echo your sentiment.

You younger hams get out there and try everything! Don't get stuck on the "wham bam thank you ma'am" style and modes. Try them all and THEN decide!

There is SOOOOO much more than FT8!

 

Pointing out that many introverts participate in the hobby is not new information. In a recent thread...
Why Are Contests So Popular? One of the reasons I gave is as follows: (post #9)

"Some may find this a little obscure. Other threads have touched on the fact that many ham radio operators seem to be introverts and as a result don't participate in long on air conversations. A contest is a way to have a quick contact without the need for a long conversation. While not the complete reason it could also have a bearing on why activities like POTA, nets and FT-8 are popular."

Why would this be treated as a some sort of problem that needs correcting? People enter the hobby for personal and individual reasons.

Let's take a look the FCC rules and regs.
97.3 Definitions. (in part)
(4) Amateur service. A radiocommunication service for the purpose of self-training, intercommunication and technical investigations carried out by amateurs, that is, duly authorized persons interested in radio technique solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest.

There you have it. It's not how others think you should operate it's about your "personal aim".

 

But if we didn't have our daily "You're doing radio wrong'' post, there would be nothing at QRZ other than Marketplace, SK, and Scam Complaint posts.

Chris

 

I’m an introvert who can “play” extrovert for a few of hours before I need to retreat. Needless to say, mic shyness was a real hurdle for me. On August 29, 2018, I had my first successful QSO with me calling CQ on SSB. I had prepared a script to help me get through it. Well, the poor fellow who answered (WM6Y) wanted to ragchew and all I wanted to do was complete the contact and throw the mic down! He kept trying to engage with me and I kept trying to end it. After all, we were OFF SCRIPT and about 6 light years out of my comfort zone!!! I still call CQ on rare occasions, but I mainly play with FT8, event stations, and POTA. I’ll bet WM6Y still laughs about that weirdo he contacted!

 

Thanks Joe. Reminds me of some of my own, early QSO's! Dave

 

I'll confess to being a bit of a "mic shy" person and am also very introverted. Like the post a little above mine, I can play at being an extravert, but only for a short time before I have to take a break and go back to my dogs. That's probably why I tend to enjoy FT8 and the other digital modes. I do try to force myself out of my comfort zone, I spent several hours this weekend on SSB hunting Museums On The Air ships and made contact with several, these were fairly short contacts, much like the numerous POTA stations I heard while searching the bands. I did hear a couple of rag chewers, one interesting one was between a VK and US station but most others were medical complaints which I prefer not to discuss or listen to. I would like to try and do a bit of rag chewing on HF but with my limited station and time, plus the fact that everyone I can hear is just looking for the basic 59, 59 exchange, it probably won't happen anytime soon. Great article though!

73

 

Chris, my column is never about "you're doing radio wrong." It's an editorial. Perhaps I left a ZAP in there, the comment about two groups of hams who do not easily make way for newcomers at 14178 and 7255. I might reconsider that and edit it out. If you don't find the column interesting or don't find QRZ's suite of services of interest, don't stop here again please. Dave, W7DGJ