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Can someone please help clarify. I have tried searching all over, but almost all of the examples you find online and in books are for calling CQ on HF. I am new to ham radio, and recently got a few of my buddies licensed as well. I am confused over the recommended syntax when calling to a friend over simplex or a local repeater. Can someone please give me a few examples of how you personally call?

For example, would this be acceptable:

<My call> <Friends call> blah blah blah.

I get confused over the order (My call first or his call first) and also the position. Does my call go at the end? Also is there some common phase or sentence used when trying to reach someone? For example, "come back" or "do you read". These seem more like CB/Hollywood radio terms and I use them here only for context.

Can you please give me a few examples to put my mind at ease. Thank you!

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    $\begingroup$ Welcome to ham.stackexchange.com! $\endgroup$ – rclocher3 Mar 31 '20 at 13:31
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    $\begingroup$ Thank you for the warm welcome! $\endgroup$ – Atomiklan Apr 2 '20 at 9:49
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< friend's call sign > < your call sign >

or

< friend's call sign > this is < your call sign >

or

< friend's call sign > < your call sign > calling

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  • $\begingroup$ Thank you for the help! $\endgroup$ – Atomiklan Apr 2 '20 at 9:49
  • $\begingroup$ Anytime, Atomiklan & thank you too! $\endgroup$ – vu2nan Apr 2 '20 at 10:42
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Common practice is to give your own call sign last. So, if KA1ABC is calling KZ8ZYX, they'd call "Kay zed eight zed wye ex, kay aeh one aeh bee cee."

Regulations, however, don't require doing it this way. What US regs require is that you give your own call sign at least every ten minutes during an ongoing "communication" and at the end of the "communication". Obviously, you need to give the sign of the station you're calling, or they won't know they need to answer back (unless it's a sched QSO) -- but otherwise, if it's just "Hey, buddy, just checking if you're awake," you could give your call only when you sign off and be perfectly legal.

Doing it the common way is just a matter of convention.

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    $\begingroup$ The format of <other call> "this is" <your call>, that is, your call last, used to be required. For the most part, hams continue to use this format. $\endgroup$ – WA9ZZZ Mar 31 '20 at 16:48
  • $\begingroup$ Thank you for the help! $\endgroup$ – Atomiklan Apr 2 '20 at 9:49
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I'd recommend saying something like this, "This is KA1ABC calling KZ8ZYX". HAM radio can be very conversational. We call it "rag chewing" but that term is just part of the jargon that evolves in almost every hobby or profession.

Outside some contests where people are trying to make as many contacts as possible with in a time limit using a specific verbiage you don't have to be overly rigid in your communications.

As you should know the regulations require you to give your call sign at least every 10 minutes and at the end of every conversation. Most people find it works better if they also give it at the beginning of the conversation so we know who is talking.

I would avoid the stereotypical "CB lingo" that we some times run into. Most people find it incredibly annoying and at least a few will make those feelings known. The same goes for the "10 codes" that public service sometimes uses.

I'd even be careful about Q codes that HAM radio operators do use. You can always ask, "where do you live" instead of "what is your QTH".

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    $\begingroup$ Personally I'd say "this is KA1ABC calling KZ8ZYX on the Mount Springfield repeater" (substitute the name, call sign, or frequency of your repeater or simplex channel). I like to give the name, call sign, or frequency because many hams use their radios to scan many frequencies. I usually have my radios on scan; if I hear someone calling me and I'm not looking at the front panel of the radio at the time, then I don't know what frequency to call back on. $\endgroup$ – rclocher3 Mar 31 '20 at 13:38
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    $\begingroup$ Q codes etc. come into their own when you're DXing for instance, especially with very low readability and with people for whom English isn't necessarily their first language. Just saying "QTH?" a number of times is much more likely to be read and understood than anything else. Obviously they're useful for morse (where they were invented originally) where you want to abbreviate as much as possible. For more local casual voice conversations though, using them is just unnecessary. $\endgroup$ – Muzer M0SWT Apr 1 '20 at 10:42
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    $\begingroup$ Thank you for the help! $\endgroup$ – Atomiklan Apr 2 '20 at 9:50
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I believe it is conventional to do as they do with HF transmissions. You should give your call sign last and their call sign before -from-.

[content of the message] [their call sign] from [your call sign]

so something very similar to: "Is this simplex frequency in use? [Friend's call] from [your call]?"

Remember that on simplex calling(checking a supposedly empty band) you should turn your squelch down or off.

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  • $\begingroup$ Welcome to ham.stackexchange.com! $\endgroup$ – rclocher3 Apr 7 '20 at 14:26

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