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Section 7
Operating practices and procedures
Good operating practices and procedures
7A1 Understand why one should listen on a frequency before calling and then ask if the frequency is in use
It is often said that the first rule of
operating amateur radio is to listen, the second rule is to listen
and the third rule is to listen again! It is important to check that
the frequency that you are about to talk on is free - i.e. that
no-one else is currently talking on it. That may seem obvious, but
when you consider that there may be a conversation taking place
between 2 people - one of which you can hear ( and can therefore
hear you! ) , and one of which you can't - how do you know if it's
free?
Well, the first rule is to listen to see if there is anyone already
using this frequency. Sometimes you can easily hear a station
talking and you know that the frequency is in use. Sometimes you may
not hear anything, but remember this only means that may be you
can't hear them - not that someone else can't.
Consider this simple example - two people are talking on the radio (
in a QSO ) - one in London and one in Oxford ( North West of London
). They have been talking about the hobby and the person in Oxford
is now talking. You are in Canterbury ( South East of London ) and
listen on the frequency - and hear nothing - that is because you
can't hear the person in Oxford. If you were to start using this
frequency the person in London would be able to hear you and it
would disturb his conversation.
So how do you avoid this - again if you were to listen for long
enough you would finally hear the person in London respond and start
talking and know that the frequency was in use. The answer is that
after you have listened for a while and heard nothing, that you
politely and simply ask "Is this frequency in use please, this is
G7BRC asking" - or similar words and using your own callsign. Please
remember to keep this call short and to the point as you may be
interrupting another conversation, and to include your callsign as
after all you are now transmitting. If the frequency is clear you
will hear nothing - if it is in use you may hear something like
"This frequency is in use" or "Please QSY, frequency is in use" come
back to you. Do not respond ( you don't want to interrupt their
conversation again ! ) but move onto another frequency and try
again.
7A2 Recall how to make a CQ call in SSB and FM modes.
Radio amateurs use
a code of abbreviations that stem back to when most conversations were
held over Morse code - and these abbreviations were used to shorten the
amount of letters that had to be sent as part of a message. A lot of
these are still in use today. The first of these that you will use is
"CQ". CQ is the call that radio amateurs use to invite other amateurs to
have a conversation ( or QSO ).
How you call CQ depends on which frequency and / or mode you are using.
In a nut shell when there is a calling channel such as on 2m FM the CQ
call can be much shorter than for that used on SSB on HF where the
station needs time to tune into your signal or even for that matter on
the SSB calling channel on 2m where again your signal would need to be
carefully tuned into by the receiving station. On VHF, when we use the
FM mode, we have defined "channels" that we use. This means that I don't
have to search for anyone calling all through the frequency range - i.e.
I can just search the defined channels. This makes finding someone
calling CQ very quick and easy. In fact there is even a standard calling
frequency on certain bands ( such as 145.500MHz FM on the 2m band ) that
you use to call CQ. This is a shared frequency that is used by all radio
amateurs, so you do not need to ask if the frequency is in use before
using this calling frequency. If you were not using the standard calling
frequency you would be expected to check if the frequency is in use
before calling CQ. You also should not call CQ when someone else is
talking ( such as calling CQ themselves ) on the calling channel.
As it is so easy to find someone calling CQ when using these defined
channels. You do not need to make your CQ call very long. If someone
wants to respond to you, they can find you and respond very quickly.
On FM therefore, your CQ call may sound like this:
"CQ, CQ, CQ, This is G7BRC, G7BRC calling CQ and standing by for any
contact"
You have called CQ, given your callsign ( in this case twice in case
anybody didn't get it first time ) and stated that you were looking for
anyone to have a conversation with. Do not speak too quickly. You know
your callsign but if you say your callsign quickly those listening may
not hear it clearly and decide not to give you a call. Use the proper
Phonetic alphabet of the letters Golf Seven Bravo Romeo Charlie.
If you get no response after a short period you may try calling again.
However do leave a reasonable gap for someone to respond to you, and
also so that someone else can also come in and put a call out ( they may
be calling for a certain individual rather than an all stations call
such as CQ ). Remember you are sharing the calling frequency on the FM
modes. If after 2 or 3 attempts no one has responded, either move to a
different band / mode and try again, or leave it for a while. You will
not get anyone responding to you just because you keep calling, in fact
it may put people off talking to you!
Once you have made a contact on the calling frequency you must move off
that calling frequency so that other may use it. This is described in
more detail below.
You may also call for a specific person rather than call CQ ( which by
definition means a call to all amateurs ) by giving their callsign in
place of the CQ call. For example if G7BRC wanted to call G0BRC on VHF
the call would be:
"G0BRC, G0BRC, this is G7BRC, G7BRC calling for you". This would
indicate to other amateurs that you were only interested in hearing from
G0BRC.
On the HF bands, there are no defined channels and people are free to
hold conversations anywhere within the agreed ranges specified on the
band plan. This also means that there is seldom an agreed calling
channel that you can use to make a call ( although for some modes of
operation such as SSTV / low power operations etc there are calling
frequencies defined and agreed upon ).
As there is no one place to tune to in order to look for someone calling
CQ, radio amateurs scan ( or search ) through the frequency band trying
to find someone who is calling CQ so that they may respond. As this
searching can take a long time ( the bands are quite large so you have a
lot of frequencies to search ) and tuning to the exact frequency is slow
( as you will find out, tuning accurately to a SSB signal takes some
practice ) you are expected to make your SSB CQ calls longer to give
someone time to find you.
A good rule of thumb when calling CQ is the "three times three" rule.
This means that you call CQ three times, give your callsign three times,
then repeat the whole procedure three times. Your CQ on HF may therefore
be like this:
"CQ CQ CQ, this is G0BRC, G0BRC, G0BRC calling CQ.
CQ CQ CQ, this is G0BRC, G0BRC, G0BRC calling CQ
CQ CQ CQ, this is G0BRC, G0BRC, G0BRC calling CQ and standing by for any
contact."
Remember that you should have checked to make sure the frequency was
free before calling CQ!
If anyone has tuned into your signal and wants to respond they can do so
now. If after a few seconds have passed by no-one has responded then you
are free to call CQ again. This is a balance between giving other
amateurs a chance to respond, and waiting too long so that anyone who is
searching through the frequency misses you because you are not
transmitting. In this case, 3 or 4 seconds is enough time to wait before
calling CQ again. You may repeat this as many times as you wish while
waiting for a response.
If / once you get a contact, you do not need to change frequency on the
HF bands. You are said to "for the time you are there to own" the
frequency if you first checked it was clear and made the CQ call. The
frequency is yours until you choose to give it up.
7A3
Understand the need to move off the calling channel when on VHF/UHF
once contact is established.
What is the
Calling channel? If you look on the band plan for the 145MHz (2m) if you
look at the frequency 145.500 against it you will see V40 and FM calling
channel. The V40 means channel 40 and the calling channel means that is
where you tune your rig onto so that you can listen to the calling
channel for stations or where you call CQ your self.
As described above, the VHF and UHF calling channels are shared between
all radio amateur users. This means that if you were to make a contact
on the calling frequency and stay on that frequency whilst holding a
conversation, you would be stopping other users from calling on that
channel. It is therefore necessary to move to a clear frequency once
contact has been established with another radio amateur so that you can
continue the conversation without interfering with other users.
You will most likely come across codes used by radio amateurs, namely
QSY. QSY means to change frequency or channel.
This is the point where many new radio amateurs think is complicated -
but it's not! Just remember that all you want to do is find somewhere
quiet (i.e. a free channel) to continue your conversation. If you look
at the mock conversation below, we have highlighted the steps that you
may take the move to a clear channel.
a) You call out asking if anyone wants a conversation:
"CQ CQ CQ This is G7BRC, G7BRC calling CQ and standing by for any
contact"
b) Another radio amateur responds:
"G7BRC this is G0BRC returning to you over"
c) You would acknowledge the response and ask the other radio amateur to
wait while you find a clear channel:
"G0BRC this is G7BRC, thank you for coming back to my call. If you would
like to wait here I will go and find us a clear frequency, G0BRC from
G7BRC"
d) The other station will probably just wait for you to go and find a
free frequency or may quickly respond to say that they will wait for
you.
e) You now need to change channel and try and find a clear frequency.
For instance you may change channel to 145.450MHz (which is 2 channels
below the calling frequency) and listen to see if it appears free. If it
is you would put out a call to make sure that the frequency is clear:
"Is this frequency in use please, this is G7BRC asking". If nothing is
heard you would change channel back to the calling channel - if someone
responded on this new channel you would change frequency again and go
through the same procedure of listening and asking to ensure the
frequency is clear.
f) Once you have found a clear frequency you change back to the calling
channel, and making sure that no-one else is speaking you would say:
"G0BRC this is G7BRC, please QSY to one four five decimal four five
zero, over"
Note that it is common practice to say "decimal" rather than point - for
example 145.450 is said as "One Four Five Decimal Four Five Zero".
Also it is just as valid to say:
"G0BRC this is G7BRC please change frequency to one four five decimal
four five zero, over" - you don't have to say "QSY" if you don't want
to.
g) The other station is likely to confirm this change of frequency :
"G7BRC, G0BRC, roger QSY one four five decimal four five zero "
h) You then change to 145.450MHz - the frequency you found was clear,
and ask again if the frequency is still clear:
"Is this frequency in use please, this is G7BRC asking" - remember you
have been away from this channel for a couple of seconds and someone
else may now be using it. If it is busy it's best to ask the other
station (we use station to mean a licensed radio amateur) to go back to
the calling frequency and trying to find another free channel.
g) It is good practice for the station you are now in conversation with
to also ask if the frequency is clear as they may be able to hear other
users that you can't. Be aware that some of licensed amateurs (even
those that have been licensed for many years) forget to do this! So they
should call:
"Is this frequency in use please, this is G0BRC asking".
If you are both sure that the frequency is clear, you can start your
conversation for real. As with any conversation there are no strict
rules that say what you should say, but most amateurs like to exchange
signal reports ( which we'll come on to shortly ) and some personal
information, such as your name and location.
EXTRA for VHF and UHF channelised operation
In a discussion with another amateur, who had been licensed for a long
time, remembers that years ago that you were taught:-
find a clear frequency first by going through the
above procedure and
then call CQ as indicated above
when you gained a response you would have been able
to tell the other amateur to QSY to what ever frequency you had found
was clear earlier and
make one final check before starting your QSO.
EXTRA GENERAL
Please be aware that you should not give out too much personal
information, as you do not know who is listening to the conversation. In
particular you should not give out your surname ( as they may be able to
use this to find where you live ), your address, your age ( especially
if you are under 18! ) or any information that may be used against you.
For example don't tell anyone that you are going out for the evening and
leaving the house empty, or going on holiday. Again, remember you never
know who is listening to your conversation! Don't let this put you off
amateur radio, as there is still much fun to be had and lots of new
friendships to start.
Whilst for the exam point of view from the licence section the Period of
communication = the whole QSO for good operating practise Period of
communication = each over.
From the point of view of "good operating practise" it is considered
wise to adopt the use of giving your callsign at the beginning and end
of every over unless the over is very short.
Understand the meaning of Centre of Activity.
In the band plans
there is a frequency 144.300MHz which is labelled
“SSB Centre of
Activity” and this is the SSB calling frequency where you can call CQ
for an SSB contact. and then move off the frequency as described
earlier.
432.200MHz is also labelled in the band plan
as “SSB Centre of Activity” for a similar reason
This is certainly something which is
tucked away in the band plans and if you have not printed them off
and had a good look through to obtain what is called "a working
knowledge" then you could easily not know where to look to find and
answer.
7A4
Recall the phonetic alphabet.
ITU PHONETIC ALPHABET: |
|||||||
A |
alfa |
H |
hotel |
O |
oscar |
V |
victor |
B |
bravo |
I |
india |
P |
papa |
W |
whiskey |
C |
charlie |
J |
juliet |
Q |
quebec |
X |
x-ray |
D |
delta |
K |
kilo |
R |
romeo |
Y |
yankee |
E |
echo |
L |
lima |
S |
sierra |
Z |
zulu |
F |
foxtrot |
M |
mike |
T |
tango | ||
G |
golf |
N |
november |
U |
uniform |
|
|
The Numbers | |||||||
0 |
zero |
1 |
one |
2 |
two |
3 |
three |
4 |
four |
5 |
five |
6 |
six |
7 |
seven |
8 |
eight |
9 |
nine |
|
|
||
DECIMAL POINT.. |
decimal |
FULL STOP |
stop |
The sort of question in the exam could be :-
Q. Using the phonetic alphabet spell "radio"
Answer Romeo Alfa Delta India Oscar.
7A5 Understand the advisability and
common practice of keeping a log.
Keeping a log of your contacts and more
importantly your tests made to comply with your licence is the
correct thing to do but in recent years has fallen out of favour
with many. But then log book does not need to be a paper one you
write out but can now be kept on computer and even of web sites such
as QRZ.com.
Understand
why UTC is used for logging time.
UTC is the
abbreviation of what is called Coordinated Universal Time is the
basis for world wide civil time today. It is a 24-hour time standard
which is achieved around the world using highly precise atomic clocks
combined with the Earth's rotation.
So it is used in
log keeping as that is the time you would log a contact and the person
you contacted would log the exact same time.
UTC is not local time and local time varies
around the world.
Recall
that a log should detail the following information: date, time, mode,
call sign of station worked for QSL and contest purposes.
In a log book where ever kept, should detail the following information: date, time in UTC , the mode you operated USB LSB, RTTY, FT8, or any one of many others modes of operating, The call sign of station worked for QSL details, and if working a contest what was the contest purposes.
7A6
Understand that the transmission of music and the use of offensive or
threatening language whilst on the air are unacceptable in amateur
radio.
Note it says here UNDERSTAND. Then read again
the text in green and it is self explanatory. Amateur radio is a
hobby and not a soap box for you to act out your stage skills or
lack of them, so do consider what you say over the air. Using
offensive or threatening language on the air will not be tolerated
by other amateurs and the authorities who govern the air waves (
OFCOM ) could have cause take action with regards to your operating.
Understand how to respond to music or inappropriate language overheard
or received from other stations
You are not the policeman or policewoman of the air ways so the best response is NONE. Say nothing and do nothing to make the situation. If you feel so inclined shut down your station and do something else. The person using the inappropriate language will not know why you have gone QRT and without reply is left just talking to themselves which as you will have learned elsewhere is broadcasting and not permitted unless calling CQ.
The origin of some of the text on this page is from the RSGB with additions by the web master