Calling CQ
| Calling CQ | |
|---|---|
| CQ | A general call to any station |
| Before calling | Listen, then ask "Is this frequency in use?" (on CW, "QRL?") |
| Phone call | "CQ CQ CQ, this is W2ABC", repeated, then stand by |
| CW call | CQ CQ CQ DE W2ABC W2ABC K |
| The contact | |
| Usual exchange | Signal report, name, location |
| Ending | 73; on CW, 73 and SK |
| Identification (US) | At least every 10 minutes and at the end of the contact |
Calling CQ is how a ham asks for a contact with anyone who happens to be listening. "CQ" is a general call, often explained as "seek you", and on the HF bands it is the usual way to start a conversation with a stranger: find a clear frequency, call CQ a few times and see who answers, whether from the next state or another continent. Answering someone else's CQ is just as common and, for a newcomer, often the easier way to begin. The procedure is the same on SSB voice and CW, with abbreviations replacing words on CW. On repeaters CQ isn't used; saying "listening" is the custom there.
Finding a clear frequency
Start with a band that is open to where you want to reach (see Radio propagation) and a segment your license class allows and the band plan sets aside for your mode. Technicians, for example, can call CQ on SSB between 28.300 and 28.500 MHz on the 10-meter band. Avoid frequencies used by regular nets and the narrow slices used by FT8 and other digital modes.
Listen for a while before transmitting. A frequency that sounds empty may be in use by a station you can't hear, because propagation often lets you hear only one side of a conversation. Then ask:
- On phone: "Is this frequency in use? This is W2ABC."
- On CW: "QRL?" or "QRL? DE W2ABC"
Wait several seconds and ask again. If anyone replies, even with a single "yes" or, on CW, a "C", move on. US rules give no station exclusive use of any frequency; everyone is expected to cooperate, and the station already there was first.
Calling CQ
On phone, a CQ is short and repeated, with pauses to listen:
- "CQ CQ CQ, this is W2ABC, Whiskey Two Alpha Bravo Charlie, calling CQ and listening."
Use the phonetic alphabet for your call sign. Several short calls with breaks between them work better than one long one, because listeners tuning past may not wait.
On CW the same call is:
- CQ CQ CQ DE W2ABC W2ABC W2ABC K
DE means "from" and K means "go ahead". Send at the speed you are comfortable receiving, since answering stations usually match it.
A directed CQ narrows the invitation: "CQ DX" asks for distant stations (DX), "CQ contest" or "CQ test" signals a contest station, and "CQ POTA" comes from a Parks on the Air activator. Answer only if the call applies to you.
If nobody answers, try another band or time of day. On CW, the Reverse Beacon Network shows whether, and where, your CQ is being heard.
Answering a CQ
Tune exactly onto the calling station's frequency, then give its call sign once and yours once or twice:
- "W2ABC, this is W8XYZ, Whiskey Eight X-ray Yankee Zulu."
- W2ABC DE W8XYZ W8XYZ K
If two stations answer at once, the station calling CQ chooses, and the other waits for the next opening.
The exchange
The first full transmission of a contact usually carries thanks for the call, a signal report, a name and a location, and then hands back:
- "W8XYZ, this is W2ABC. Thanks for the call. You're five nine here in Albany, New York. The name is Sam. How copy? W8XYZ, this is W2ABC."
On CW the same thing is shortened with abbreviations and Q-codes:
- W8XYZ DE W2ABC GM TNX FER CALL UR RST 579 579 NAME SAM SAM QTH ALBANY NY HW? W8XYZ DE W2ABC KN
GM is "good morning", TNX FER "thanks for", UR "your", QTH "location", HW? "how do you copy?" and KN "go ahead, only the station I'm working". After the first exchange, a contact may stay brief or turn into a long conversation, which hams call a ragchew, about equipment, weather, antennas or anything else.
Ending and identifying
On phone, a contact ends with thanks and "73", meaning best regards: "Thanks for the contact, 73. W8XYZ, this is W2ABC, clear." Add "and listening" if you intend to call CQ again. On CW the ending is something like "TNX FER QSO 73 W8XYZ DE W2ABC SK", where SK marks the end of the contact.
US rules require you to give your call sign at least every ten minutes during a contact and at its end, as set out in Part 97. Log the contact with the date and time in UTC; see QSL cards and logging.