How do you call a specific person on ham radio?

On CW, you make a call to anyone on the ham band by sending the letters "CQ" as one word. To try to talk to someone, you must send "CQ" and hopefully another ham will hear your CQ and answer it. Don't be surprised if you don't get an answer. Try for about 3-4 minutes before changing frequencies.

How do you call someone on a repeater?

How do you call another ham?

CALLING IN RTTY: Send the letters "CQ" three to six times, followed by "DE", followed by your callsign sent three times. On a local repeater, it's safe to say your callsign, followed by "monitoring". That will tell other hams that you are out there and willing to talk.

What does calling CQ mean?

From the ARRL Glossary, CQ is defined as “Calling any station.” It is the general call when requesting a conversation with anyone. Like many other telegraph terms which originated on the landlines, CQ was brought over into radio and used as a general call to all ships by the Marconi Company.

Can you choose your ham radio callsign?

Callsign Groups

When choosing a callsign you need to consider the group in which they fall into. There are four groups based on authorized license class. These groups determine the number of prefix and suffix letters. After earning your first technician license, most hams receive a 2×3 callsign.

Callsign and Transmission Etiquette | Ham Radio Basics

How do I choose a callsign?

Most call signs play on or reference on variants of the aviator's firstname or surname. Other inspirations for call signs may include personality traits, middle name, references to historical figures, or past exploits during the pilot's career.

How are Ham signs assigned?

A unique call sign is assigned to each amateur station during the processing of its license applications. Each new call sign is assigned sequentially using the sequential call sign system, which is based on the alphabetized regional-group list for the licensee's operator class and mailing address.

Why do hams say 73?

73 is an old telegraph code that means "best regards". 73, as well as 88 (which means "hugs and kisses") are part of the language of ham radio.

What does QRZ mean in ham radio?

QRZ, the name of the web site, is the "Q" amateur radio code for "Who is calling me?" and corresponds to the site's purpose of assisting amateur radio operators with the lookup of ham radio call signs from every country in the world.

How do I call QSO?

To conduct a voice or phone QSO you have two choices: You can call “CQ” or you can answer someone who is calling CQ. A CQ is simply a general call to no one in particular. It is the traditional way of seeking random contacts.

What do ham radio operators say?

Ham slang:

73 "Best regards" (It is basically like saying "Have a nice day.") Clear on your final This means that you are done transmitting after the other person finishes their transmission. CQ "Calling any station" (Originally used in Morse code, but now is used in voice also.)

How do you join a conversation on a repeater?

If the repeater is in use and you want to join the conversation, wait for a pause in the conversation and transmit your call sign, and wait for one of the other stations to acknowledge your call. Avoid saying the word “break” as it has several conflicting meanings.

How do you break into a ham radio conversation?

If you'd like to join in or "break" in to an ongoing conversation or QSO as its called, the first thing you want to do is LISTEN. Make a note of the callsign of one or all in the QSO. Then, WAIT for the transmitting station to hand it back to the next station. Between the break in their QSO, you would say your call.

How do you tell if you hit a repeater?

The simple answer is to transmit on the repeater's input frequency, saying something like " < your callsign > testing" and listen for the repeater's courtesy beep (assuming there is one) on its output. If you've heard the beep, then you've hit the repeater.

What does QSL mean in radio talk?

A Q code message can stand for a statement or a question (when the code is followed by a question mark). In this case, 'QSL?' (note the question mark) means "Do you confirm receipt of my transmission?" while 'QSL' (without a question mark) means "I confirm receipt of your transmission."

What does QRM mean in ham radio?

Today, QRM stands for human-made noise, as opposed to QRN, which indicates noise from natural sources. If you hear an operator say, “I'm getting some QRM,” it means there's man-made interference affecting your transmission.

What does XYL mean in ham radio?

A single female amateur radio operator can be referred to as a YL, from the abbreviation used for "young lady", regardless of the operator's age. A licensed married female is sometimes referred to as an XYL.

How do you say thank you in ham radio?

TNX: Thanks - this ham radio abbreviation is widely used for Morse / CW transmissions.

What is 44 in ham radio?

An often heard question ! WWFF'ers always end a QSO with “44” …. The second four (4) stands for the four elements : Earth, Water, Air and Fire. From now on you will never loose that bet again !

What in ham lingo is a lid?

“Lid” is ham-speak to denote a poor operator; one who is inept at the practice of the radio amateur art. It is someone with very poor operating technique, a newbie or an experienced ham that acts like a neophyte. This old term likely originated from the days of wired telegraphy.

How do call signs work?

A call sign can be formally assigned by a government agency, informally adopted by individuals or organizations, or even cryptographically encoded to disguise a station's identity. The use of call signs as unique identifiers dates to the landline railroad telegraph system.

What is your callsign?

A call sign is the nickname that aviators give themselves or each other and then have to live with for the rest of their lives. You know, like "Maverick," "Goose" or "Viper." The helpful folks at Paramount have made a short video to explain the concept of call signs to a new generation of moviegoers.

What is a call letter in radio?

Call letters are the letters and numbers which identify a person, vehicle, or organization that is broadcasting on the radio or sending messages by radio.