Questions about identifying

Good operating practices and traditions change over time, as new technology matures and society changes.

Examples: In the "old days" terms such as "handle" were the traditional way of saying "name", but is not frowned upon. Things change with time. That does not mean they are poor practices.

Regarding "call sign, clear" when getting no response to an HF CQ call, I hear that often and use it myself. It is letting anyone who was listing and waiting to use the frequency that you are done and the caller will not be using that frequency. In my opinion, that is a very good practice and is polite.

I think some of us Hams get all up tight about these practices and traditions. The bottom line is that what works and is polite and efficient is good (as long as it is within the FCC regulations). The FCC states in their regulations to use "good operating practices" but does not define that term. They understand that the community of Ham radio is a dynamic entity and things change over time. Also, would we really want the FCC to regulate every exact thing we do on the airwaves? I know they don't want to do that.

 

But there is nothing wrong with it either. It lets folks know that you are done calling CQ.

73,
Mark N5RFX

 

This discussion makes me glad I asked my questions. I guess it is true that when one person has a question, there are probably others with the same (or similar) questions.

Thanks for the discussion.

 

Every 10 minutes while engaged in a conversation? Monitoring is not part of a conversation.

 

Identification peeve

All good advice and usable. I would like to add that there is ONLY ONE reason to give your call sign and that is for IDENTIFICATION. Please don't insult us by saying for example, "K2ABC for ID". This drives me personally up the wall and it has proven to be confusing to foreign hams visiting our country and think they have found a whole new class of call sign. (K2ABC4ID). Got it? OK, then knock it off.

 

Ya beat me to it. I absolutely hate that.

 

Well, how about if saying your call sign may be interpreted as saying CQ and your call sign? If someone doesn't want to initiate contact but rather just identify to conform with the FCC rules, might he not add the reason he is identifying? It might otherwise be interpreted that he is requiring attention from others in the group he is communicating with, rather than as just an ID.

 

?????????

 

I'm saying there is more than one reason a person says their call sign.

 

Per the FCC, still required to sign at the end of each transmission?

§97.119 Station identification.

(a) Each amateur station, except a space station or telecommand station, must transmit its assigned call sign on its transmitting channel at the end of each communication, and at least every ten minutes during a communication, for the purpose of clearly making the source of the transmissions from the station known to those receiving the transmissions. No station may transmit unidentified communications or signals, or transmit as the station call sign, any call sign not authorized to the station.