Digital Modes Meanderings
Digital Pet Peeves
We all have experienced actions by our fellow hams that have irritated us. Some actions are more irritating than others. Folks might call those particularly irritating actions pet peeves. I have a few pet peeves of my own that I have encountered while running digital modes that I would like to share. The following peeves are not listed in any particular order. They are all equally annoying. These peeves are not perpetrated by just new hams on the digital soundcard modes. Some very well-seasoned hams on the digital modes have been equally guilty, maybe more so.
Peeve #1 – I just don’t understand why someone in your own country would call you after you have just sent CQ DX. What part of that didn’t they understand? Almost universally it is understood that CQ DX means that you are at least expecting an answer from outside your own country. If you live in the continental United States and another continental U.S. station is calling CQ DX, don’t call him, that is just plain dumb. The ham is obviously not looking for, or desiring a response from, his home country. That is why we use the plain CQ call. CQ is what is used when you are not particular about who responds. Now if a continental U.S. ham calls CQ DX and a Canadian ham (e.g. VE, VA, VO) answers, that is perfectly ok. Technically he is DX. He is not a continental U.S. ham. The VE may not be very far away but at least he is not from the home country of the ham calling CQ DX.
Peeve #2 – I don’t understand why someone would call CQ and respond in the following manner after receiving an answer from another ham. This is like answering a call with a call.
HAM #1: CQ CQ CQ de W2XXX pse K
HAM #2: W2XXX de W7YYY pse K
HAM #1: W7YYY de W2XXX pse K
Why would W2XXX send it back to W7YYY? W2XXX called CQ and W7YYY responded. Now it is up to W2XXX to acknowledge receiving the call from W7YYY and give him the pertinent information about his station (e.g. name, QTH, grid square). Below is an example of how it could have gone down.
HAM #1: CQ CQ CQ de W2XXX pse K
HAM #2: W2XXX de W7YYY pse K
HAM #1: W7YYY de W2XXX
Tnx OM for the call. Your report is RSQ 579.
Name here is Joe
QTH is Hooterville, NY.
How copy?
BTU W7YYY de W2XXX K
An alternate response could have been like the example below, short and concise. Once the two stations have confirmed that they are copying each other well enough to carry on a QSO (conversation) then they can exchange name, location, grid square, hobbies, equipment, etc.
HAM #1: CQ CQ CQ de W2XXX pse K
HAM #2: W2XXX de W7YYY pse K
HAM #1: W7YYY de W2XXX
Tnx for call OM. Name here is Joe.
RSQ 579 with some QRN. Copy is good.
How copy?
BTU W7YYY de W2XXX K
DISCLAIMER: The callsigns used here are for examples only. I am not implying that W2XXX and W7YYY really did this peeve. As of January 2015, I have never heard or worked either of these stations to my recollection. (PRJ - KE5CO)
Peeve #3 – I do understand new hams wanting to start collecting awards such as WAS, WAC, and DXCC. Usually the first award sought after is the WAS, Worked All States award. Some hams (not necessarily just new hams) get really caught up in this quest of looking for new states to add to their tally. Some get a little too anxious to achieve this goal quickly and start doing some really annoying practices. The example below is especially annoying.
CQ CQ CQ CQ Working on WAS
Looking for AL, AK, CT, GA, RI, VT, WY, UT, MO, CO, NM, LA, MS, MN, OR, NE, SD, ND, KY, TN de W6ABC pse K
Are you kidding me? I have honestly seen a station calling and listing 24 states needed! That guy needed almost half of the states in the union. That is ridicules. If you need that many states just call CQ and take your chances. In fact, don’t transmit at all, select a station on the waterfall and copy their QTH. Better still, in this age of the Internet go to QRZ.com and look up the callsigns you copy on the waterfall. If you find one you need, wait until he signs clear with his current QSO and call him. That way you won’t add to the QRM on the band or waste your time calling a potentially unwanted state. That is a win-win situation.
Now if you are down to two or three states needed, then a selective CQ call would be more acceptable. For example:
CQ CQ CQ CQ RI, WY, NE for WAS
CQ CQ CQ CQ RI, WY, NE for WAS de W6ABC pse K
DISCLAIMER: The callsign used here is for example only. I am not implying that W6ABC really did this peeve. As of January 2015, I have never heard or worked this station to my recollection. (PRJ - KE5CO)
Peeve #4 – I am a confirmed ragchewer. I admit it. I like to talk to people and have a good conversation, sometimes a long conversation. But when it is time to say good bye I say, “Good bye, look forward to the next QSO, 73” and that is the end of the QSO. Now some people just can’t let go of a QSO. They use what I call sign-off verbiage. It is very annoying. Below is an example of what I mean.
Okay George, will let you run. Many thanks for the QSO and hope to see you again on the waterfall. May God bless you and your family, friends, dog, cat, parakeet and neighbors. Good luck and best wishes. Good DX and may the propagation gods smile on you with good band conditions. May the Force be with you always. Live long and prosper. Hope to see you again down the log. You are welcome to visit my waterfall anytime. See you again soon. Stay safe and don’t let the bed bugs bite. Call me anytime you see me on the waterfall. Enjoyed the QSO and hope do it again real soon. See you later alligator. 73 Bye bye de W5QQQ SK
I’m might be exaggerating some, but only just a bit. I seriously doubt W5QQQ will ever see George again anytime soon if George has anything to say about it. George probably turned his radio off half way through this sign-off verbiage and left the room.
DISCLAIMER: The callsign used here is for example only. I am not implying that W5QQQ really did this peeve. As of January 2015, I have never heard or worked this station to my recollection. (PRJ - KE5CO)
Peeve #5 – Another rather annoying practice is the specific digital mode total QSO count brag. Occasionally the digital mode is some other mode but more often than not the specific mode total QSO count being bragged about is for PSK31. If you are on the digital mode bands for just one day you will encounter this peeve. I guarantee it. See the only slightly exaggerated examples below.
Tnx for this BPSK-31 QSO # 189,389
Tnx for BPSK-31 QSO # 25,351 on this band
Sometimes the digital mode total QSO count is an astronomically high number in the multiple thousands. I am not saying they are lying, but what are these digital mode ops doing to get that high of a QSO total? Are they working the bands 24 / 7? Even retired hams have to sleep sometime. They must have participated in every known PSK contest since the dawn of digital soundcard mode time. But never mind the exact QSO total. The important question is why would I care to know their total QSO count on PSK31, or any other digital mode for that matter? Hams on SSB don’t end their QSO with, “Thanks Arnold for the SSB QSO number 215,631 on the 20 meter band.” So why do it on the digital modes? Am I supposed to be in awe of their supreme ability to rack up QSO totals? What is the point of telling me this information? In my opinion, stating digital mode total QSO counts is nothing more than pure QSO fluff and very annoying.
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WARNING!
Sometimes the digital mode total QSO count brag is tacked onto the end of a Peeve #4
creating an extreme annoyance called a Peeve #9 (4+5).
****************************************************************************************************************************************
In spite of the five peeves just related to you, I still enjoy the digital soundcard modes more than any other communication mode that I have ever used. If this is all that I have to put-up with, then I will survive. The peeves would have to be much worse than these before I would ever give up my keyboard for a microphone or a code key.
Have a nice digital day!
Peeve #1 – I just don’t understand why someone in your own country would call you after you have just sent CQ DX. What part of that didn’t they understand? Almost universally it is understood that CQ DX means that you are at least expecting an answer from outside your own country. If you live in the continental United States and another continental U.S. station is calling CQ DX, don’t call him, that is just plain dumb. The ham is obviously not looking for, or desiring a response from, his home country. That is why we use the plain CQ call. CQ is what is used when you are not particular about who responds. Now if a continental U.S. ham calls CQ DX and a Canadian ham (e.g. VE, VA, VO) answers, that is perfectly ok. Technically he is DX. He is not a continental U.S. ham. The VE may not be very far away but at least he is not from the home country of the ham calling CQ DX.
Peeve #2 – I don’t understand why someone would call CQ and respond in the following manner after receiving an answer from another ham. This is like answering a call with a call.
HAM #1: CQ CQ CQ de W2XXX pse K
HAM #2: W2XXX de W7YYY pse K
HAM #1: W7YYY de W2XXX pse K
Why would W2XXX send it back to W7YYY? W2XXX called CQ and W7YYY responded. Now it is up to W2XXX to acknowledge receiving the call from W7YYY and give him the pertinent information about his station (e.g. name, QTH, grid square). Below is an example of how it could have gone down.
HAM #1: CQ CQ CQ de W2XXX pse K
HAM #2: W2XXX de W7YYY pse K
HAM #1: W7YYY de W2XXX
Tnx OM for the call. Your report is RSQ 579.
Name here is Joe
QTH is Hooterville, NY.
How copy?
BTU W7YYY de W2XXX K
An alternate response could have been like the example below, short and concise. Once the two stations have confirmed that they are copying each other well enough to carry on a QSO (conversation) then they can exchange name, location, grid square, hobbies, equipment, etc.
HAM #1: CQ CQ CQ de W2XXX pse K
HAM #2: W2XXX de W7YYY pse K
HAM #1: W7YYY de W2XXX
Tnx for call OM. Name here is Joe.
RSQ 579 with some QRN. Copy is good.
How copy?
BTU W7YYY de W2XXX K
DISCLAIMER: The callsigns used here are for examples only. I am not implying that W2XXX and W7YYY really did this peeve. As of January 2015, I have never heard or worked either of these stations to my recollection. (PRJ - KE5CO)
Peeve #3 – I do understand new hams wanting to start collecting awards such as WAS, WAC, and DXCC. Usually the first award sought after is the WAS, Worked All States award. Some hams (not necessarily just new hams) get really caught up in this quest of looking for new states to add to their tally. Some get a little too anxious to achieve this goal quickly and start doing some really annoying practices. The example below is especially annoying.
CQ CQ CQ CQ Working on WAS
Looking for AL, AK, CT, GA, RI, VT, WY, UT, MO, CO, NM, LA, MS, MN, OR, NE, SD, ND, KY, TN de W6ABC pse K
Are you kidding me? I have honestly seen a station calling and listing 24 states needed! That guy needed almost half of the states in the union. That is ridicules. If you need that many states just call CQ and take your chances. In fact, don’t transmit at all, select a station on the waterfall and copy their QTH. Better still, in this age of the Internet go to QRZ.com and look up the callsigns you copy on the waterfall. If you find one you need, wait until he signs clear with his current QSO and call him. That way you won’t add to the QRM on the band or waste your time calling a potentially unwanted state. That is a win-win situation.
Now if you are down to two or three states needed, then a selective CQ call would be more acceptable. For example:
CQ CQ CQ CQ RI, WY, NE for WAS
CQ CQ CQ CQ RI, WY, NE for WAS de W6ABC pse K
DISCLAIMER: The callsign used here is for example only. I am not implying that W6ABC really did this peeve. As of January 2015, I have never heard or worked this station to my recollection. (PRJ - KE5CO)
Peeve #4 – I am a confirmed ragchewer. I admit it. I like to talk to people and have a good conversation, sometimes a long conversation. But when it is time to say good bye I say, “Good bye, look forward to the next QSO, 73” and that is the end of the QSO. Now some people just can’t let go of a QSO. They use what I call sign-off verbiage. It is very annoying. Below is an example of what I mean.
Okay George, will let you run. Many thanks for the QSO and hope to see you again on the waterfall. May God bless you and your family, friends, dog, cat, parakeet and neighbors. Good luck and best wishes. Good DX and may the propagation gods smile on you with good band conditions. May the Force be with you always. Live long and prosper. Hope to see you again down the log. You are welcome to visit my waterfall anytime. See you again soon. Stay safe and don’t let the bed bugs bite. Call me anytime you see me on the waterfall. Enjoyed the QSO and hope do it again real soon. See you later alligator. 73 Bye bye de W5QQQ SK
I’m might be exaggerating some, but only just a bit. I seriously doubt W5QQQ will ever see George again anytime soon if George has anything to say about it. George probably turned his radio off half way through this sign-off verbiage and left the room.
DISCLAIMER: The callsign used here is for example only. I am not implying that W5QQQ really did this peeve. As of January 2015, I have never heard or worked this station to my recollection. (PRJ - KE5CO)
Peeve #5 – Another rather annoying practice is the specific digital mode total QSO count brag. Occasionally the digital mode is some other mode but more often than not the specific mode total QSO count being bragged about is for PSK31. If you are on the digital mode bands for just one day you will encounter this peeve. I guarantee it. See the only slightly exaggerated examples below.
Tnx for this BPSK-31 QSO # 189,389
Tnx for BPSK-31 QSO # 25,351 on this band
Sometimes the digital mode total QSO count is an astronomically high number in the multiple thousands. I am not saying they are lying, but what are these digital mode ops doing to get that high of a QSO total? Are they working the bands 24 / 7? Even retired hams have to sleep sometime. They must have participated in every known PSK contest since the dawn of digital soundcard mode time. But never mind the exact QSO total. The important question is why would I care to know their total QSO count on PSK31, or any other digital mode for that matter? Hams on SSB don’t end their QSO with, “Thanks Arnold for the SSB QSO number 215,631 on the 20 meter band.” So why do it on the digital modes? Am I supposed to be in awe of their supreme ability to rack up QSO totals? What is the point of telling me this information? In my opinion, stating digital mode total QSO counts is nothing more than pure QSO fluff and very annoying.
****************************************************************************************************************************************
WARNING!
Sometimes the digital mode total QSO count brag is tacked onto the end of a Peeve #4
creating an extreme annoyance called a Peeve #9 (4+5).
****************************************************************************************************************************************
In spite of the five peeves just related to you, I still enjoy the digital soundcard modes more than any other communication mode that I have ever used. If this is all that I have to put-up with, then I will survive. The peeves would have to be much worse than these before I would ever give up my keyboard for a microphone or a code key.
Have a nice digital day!