– Rag Chew – A Long Enjoyable Conversation

“Rag Chewing” is ham lingo for a long, enjoyable conversation.

Start with the basics: your name, location, the signal report, and a brief summary of your station (how much power you’re running and the kind of antenna you’re using). Then get the other person to talk about himself. Hams can talk about anything, but there are some topics we try to avoid. Discussions of politics and religion tend to attract controversy and start arguments on the air.

If it looks like your rag chew is heading in those directions, use good judgment. Does the other operator agree with your views? If not, will you be offended? Will he (or others) be offended? If you have doubts, it is best to change the subject. Conduct yourself as though anyone in the world might be listening at any time. Whenever you transmit, you’re representing all of Amateur Radio.

– When to Keep it Short

Hams love to talk, but there are times when you should keep the conversation short. For example, a DX operator may be trying to contact as many people as possible, as rapidly as possible. Listen before you call. If the DX operator seems to be making short contacts (signal report and “good-bye”), it is best to do the same. If you are heard by the DX station, only give the information he is looking for – a signal report and your location. Do not attempt to engage him in conversation.

You may occasionally hear hams operating special event stations. These are temporary stations set up at events throughout the country: at county fairs, boat races, etc. Unless the special event operator sounds like they want to talk more, keep the conversation short. This gives everyone else a chance to make their contacts.

If you hear a call like this: “CQ Contest! CQ Contest! This is W1AW. Contest!” you’ve stumbled across an on-the-air contest. The idea: Contact as many stations as possible during the contest period. You don’t have to be involved in the contest to participate; your contact will count regardless. Just listen to the contest station and determine what he is looking for. Contest contacts require the exchange of specific information such as your state, county, etc. Find out what he needs before you call and make the contact short. Time is essential when it comes to a contest!

– Joining a Conversation in Process

Remember that private conversations don’t exist on Amateur Radio. If you don’t want to call CQ to start a conversation, you can join a conversation that is already in progress. Listen carefully to the operators. Are they having an animated, involved discussion? If so, it may be a bit rude to interrupt unless you have something important to offer. If the chat seems casual, the operators may not mind someone else joining. So how do you politely interrupt? The best approach is to wait for one station to stop transmitting and then quickly announce your call sign:

“Yes, Charlie, I hope to get the dipole soldered together this weekend if the weather holds up.” “N1RL.” “Ah…we have a breaking station. N1RL, go ahead!”

Do not use the word “break.” You may hear other hams doing this, but you should only say “break” when you need to interrupt because of an emergency.

Retrieved from ARRL, The National Association for Amateur Radio® Website.

Article: Get on the Air – Your First Contact