In 11m comms there's never been any form of education on how to make a QSO. Actually, make that ham bands as well - even with the new F-Call. After the purchase of a rig, the new DXers are unleashed on the band and the resulting practice is not always nice to listen to — particularly if the new op has not earned his stripes on other mediums such as CB (lower 27 MHz or UHF) and developed the modus operandi of making radio contacts.

Despite the fact many of us work on a pirate band, one must not underestimate the importance of good operating practices; particularly so as we are functioning out-of-band. In the end, all our transmissions can be monitored by anybody; be it fellow Freebanders, hams, SWL enthusiasts, Government Agencies like the ACMA, and more!

Partaking in the technical aspect of our hobby is one matter. If we use our gear and make on-air contacts we enter the second. And that is, we represent ourselves, our DX Group and our DXCC on the airwaves.

To make successful transmissions on 11m some simple rules must be observed.

1. FREEBAND LANGUAGE

Get acquainted with the correct Freeband language. Learn your acronyms such as LOTA, COTA, IOTA, SOTA, MOTA, your contest lingo, your Q codes and of course your phonetic alphabet. Master it like a second mother language before getting on the air. Furthermore, always use the phonetic alphabet in a correct manner: A is Alfa, and not Alabama.

2. LISTEN

As a new Freebander graduating from the ranks of CB radio use or UHF, you'd like to start TX ASAP, of course. Take it easy, take your time, and stay away from that mic. Chances are you’ve upgraded from a CB radio to an amateur rig so first get comfy with ALL the functions of your rig before attempting any transmissions.

The TX part needs special attention, as it's here one can make his first 'on the air' mistakes. And Freeband ops are not as tolerant as CB’ers when it comes to overdriven audio or other TX misdemeanours.

3. BE POLITE

At all times, be polite! There is potential for your transmitted signal to be heard by a lot of ops. You'll go a long way by being polite, in our little Freeband world or in the outside world.

4. HOW TO MAKE A QSO? WHAT CAN I TALK ABOUT?

Some newcomers are astonished during their first encounters on the Freeband by the many QSOs in which only the callsigns and reports are exchanged. It doesn't have to be this way, of course - just sometimes. In the beginning I disliked this myself as I enjoyed long and elaborated QSOs on the citizens band. I was a real 'ragchewer'. There is nothing wrong with that I reckon. However, in time though I switched from long to very short QSOs. Everyone has their own preference so respect that.

Although we exercise a mainly technical hobby, our QSOs don't have to be limited to purely tech matters. A healthy balance is necessary. Freeband comms is not intended to chit chat about groceries like on the CB. Let your common sense be your guide but keep it in the back of your mind that TX should be kept to a minimum.

Topics we must avoid include religion, politics and of course commercial advertisements. It is also forbidden on citizens band frequencies to broadcast one way transmissions of either long winded announcements or music programs just as it would be on the Freeband.

Before commencing a transmission on a given frequency other than 27.555 MHz or other call frequency, always check thoroughly if this frequency is in use by other stations. If the frequency is clear, you are free to use it as a QSY destination for your QSO.

Always end a transmission with your callsign. If making many short transmissions during a QSO, identify with your callsign at least once every five minutes (some countries: 10 minutes). This is the accepted rule on ham bands also.

Leave a short pause in between 'overs'. In that way, someone else can make a quick call, or intervene in the ongoing QSO.

Do not elaborate about a zillion things during one over. Keep your transmission short and concise as to give your counterpart ample time to respond to your topics before he forgets about what you were actually yakking about. Remember many times you are talking to someone in a language that is not their native tongue. Give them time to comprehend what you're saying;

A QSO is never ended with 'over and out'. Either say 'over' during a microphone handover, microphone back to you, or repeat theirs and then your own callsign.

As Freebanders progress in their 'Freeband career' they seem to forget they were once newcomers themselves. Indeed, one can often hear Freebanders call 'CQ DX', after which they are called by a 'local' station (which is no long distance for them at that moment). Often this local op gets a verbal beating and is left behind in disbelief or anger. This cuts both ways. The local newcomer should understand that if someone calls 'CQ DX' he shouldn't call that station at that point in time. On the other hand, the experienced Freebander should remember his early days when he did exactly the same because he wanted to work 'a new one', and be considerate towards the newcomer.

In such a situation I usually give a short report, log the station and tell him that I'm actually looking for DX. The newcomer usually understands the hint and will pay better attention next time, while he's still happy to have logged a new one...and that's what counts! So...give everybody a chance for a QSO and don't forget your early days!

7. HOW TO CALL CQ?

Make sure the frequency you want to use is clear. You don't do this by mere listening but also by effectively asking if that frequency is in use. For example, after having listened for a while, ask 'Is this frequency in use?', followed by your callsign. If no response, repeat this question, followed by your callsign. If again no response, the frequency is yours to call CQ or to use as a QSY.

If by coincidence you landed on a 'hot frequency' (especially if used by a DXpedition or a rare DX station), chances exist you may get shouted at. Don't worry, don't react, just move to another frequency. Or figure out — by listening, not by asking — who the 'DX station' is and work him.

Lots of problems can be avoided by following the first rule of operating (whether casual or DX): LISTEN. This golden rule will keep you out of trouble if you are looking for a clear frequency to QSY to.

When calling CQ, don't do as follows: call CQ ten times, followed by your callsign twice and then listen. Better to do this: call CQ twice and give your callsign four times.

The most important aspect when calling is not the word CQ, but your callsign. If conditions aren't too good, it is important the station at the other side of the globe hears your callsign rather than the word CQ. Too many times I've heard operators call CQ 15 times, give their call once, and then say 'listening for any call now'. This is senseless.

Practice makes perfect. If you are not experienced, listen for a while to others to sharpen your teeth. You will quickly develop your own stye to make successful and pleasurable QSOs.
8. PILEUPS

Once bitten by the DX chasing bug, you will frequently enter PILEUPS. When a rare DX station appears on the band he quickly will raise a large group of Freebanders wanting to work him. At the end of a QSO the crowd starts calling the DX station instantaneously and all stations call on top of each other. This is called a 'pileup'.

Not only rare resident DX stations generate pileups. Quite often DXpeditions are organised to activate countries (entities) where Freeband communications is almost non-existent or to uninhabited islands. The purpose of these expeditions is to contact as many Freebanders worldwide in a short time span. Obviously contacts with these expeditions should be AS SHORT AS POSSIBLE in order to give as many people as possible a shot at a new one. Hence, the DXpedition op is not interested in your QTH, equipment or name of your dog.

What is the best way to get as quickly as possible in the log of a rare DX station or DXpedition? LISTEN, LISTEN and then LISTEN again. And, why should I listen? Because those not listening won't be as successful.

Indeed, by careful listening an op will have more success in breaking through a pileup and log the rare DX faster. By listening, one gets acquainted with the behaviour of the DX station and the rhythm in which he works. Also you will find out if the DX works SPLIT. During the listening period you have ample time to check and double-check the send and receive parts of your station, the correct choice of antenna, the Transmitter (and amplifier) correctly tuned on a CLEAR frequency etc.

Often this last part is done ON the frequency of the DX station! Bad! This results in a reaction by the so called 'PILE UP COPS' and spoils the pleasure of many because the DX station can't be heard anymore.

Before making any attempt to transmit, be sure you heard the DX station's callsign correctly.

We often enter a pileup following a spot from a Cluster dk. Sometimes the spot can be incorrect! Make sure you heard the callsign of the DX station correctly. This will prevent you from receiving the much feared return QSL card with the message 'NOT IN LOG', 'NON EXISTING CALL' or 'NOT ACTIVE THAT DAY'.

An experienced DX station will turn to SPLIT operation if he perceives too many stations are calling and the pileup becomes unmanageable. By working SPLIT his transmit frequency stays clear and the callers will hear him well.

A not so experienced DX station will continue working SIMPLEX and finally goes QRT because he can't control the pileup anymore. In such a situation, you yourself can play an important role during your QSO with the DX station. Gently suggest to him the time has come to switch to SPLIT operation (of course only if there are too many callers). The other DXers will be grateful if you manage to persuade the DX station to change to SPLIT mode!

What is the most effective way to break through a SIMPLEX pileup (a big pileup with many stations trying to work the DX, all at the same time)?

1. Wait until the previous QSO is COMPLETELY finished; timing is VERY important. You will have little or no success if you throw in your callsign immediately after the previous QSO.

2. Wait for approximately seven seconds and give your complete callsign ONE TIME.

3. Listen…

There are many variants to this approach. This is experience you will only acquire by listening very often to simplex pileups. A lot depends on the rhythm in which the DX station works, and how well or not so well he can decipher the callsigns out of the cacophony.

If you call immediately after a previous QSO finishes, your callsign will disappear in the pile of tens of others calling simultaneously. The pileup callers mostly give their callsign two, sometimes even three or four times in a row. Meanwhile the DX station probably already answered one of them, but nobody hears this as some keep calling 'endlessly', without listening.

By waiting for approximately seven seconds, the moment when the majority of the pileup takes a breath, time has come for you to give your call, once. Then LISTEN.

Give your callsign relatively fast. ALWAYS use the CORRECT phonetic alphabet when calling in a pileup. The phonetic alphabet (Alfa through Zulu) in radio traffic serves to avoid mistakes during exchanges of letters and words. A DX station listens for these unique words in the pileup cacophony. His ears are harassed by the fusion of all these words (and figures) and fatigue increases. If we deviate from the standard words of the phonetic alphabet, it gets even more difficult for him.

Far too often in pileups one can notice that the DX station missed just THAT letter that deviated from the standard alphabet, and consequently he has to ask for a repeat.

Example:
'Lima Radio' cuts like a razor blade. Many use 'London Romeo' as alternative. If your signal is very weak, the DX station will probably understand 'Lima' but not 'London'!

More examples:

Bravo - Baltimore. Echo - Easy (very bad). Hotel - Honolulu (bad). Juliett - Japan. Kilo - Kentucky. Lima - London (very bad). November - Norway (very bad). Oscar - Ontario/Ocean (very bad). Papa - Portugal (very bad). Quebec - Quitto (very bad). Romeo - Radio. Sierra - Santiago. Tango - Toronto (bad). Uniform - United/University (bad). Victor - Venezuela (bad). Whiskey - Washington (very bad). X-ray - Xylophone (very bad). Yankee - Yokohama (very bad). Zulu - Zanzibar (bad).

Not only is the DX station listening for the exact words, he is also expecting certain consonants/sounds in these words and a defined number of syllables. If a syllable gets lost due to static/QRN, he can often reconstruct the word by completing the missing consonants and/or number of syllables.

If the DX station returns to you with your full and correct callsign, why waste time by repeating your callsign at the beginning of your transmission? Just give him his report. You can end your transmission with your callsign, but this is time consuming and certainly to be avoided when working DXpeditions.

The shorter your transmission the better and the rest of the pileup will appreciate it as well. Usually just giving a report without additional info is the best way to go. One second and the QSO is made, the DX station can attend to another caller.

When you're calling in a pileup, never transmit the callsign of the DX station; he knows his callsign....a pure waste of time.

Give your callsign once. Two times is a maximum, but not advisable. In some cases (where the DX station doesn't hear well or if he's an inexperienced operator) you have to do this. Three times is out of the question!

If the DX station returns with a part of your callsign, put an emphasis on that part of your call he missed.

If the DX station returns to a partial callsign which does not correspond to yours, BE SILENT. Again, BE SILENT, BE QUIET! The DX station doesn't want to hear your callsign if he hasn't called for you.
If pileup callers would follow this logical principle, more stations could be logged by the DX station!

Unfortunately the 'ME, MYSELF and I' attitude prevails with a lot of DXers. Although they know the DX station didn't come back to them, they continue calling anyway or go ahead with the QSO.

This is a pure waste of time, and a display of very selfish attitude!
If the DX station returns with the word 'ONLY' and a partial callsign, this usually means that he already tried several times to log one particular station, but due to unsportsmanlike behaviour of the pileup DXers (who keep on calling on top of that station) he has been unable to do so and has to make a repeat after repeat after repeat.

If the DX station instructs ‘Pacific Only, Europe Standby' he expects to hear ONLY stations in the Pacific area. If you're from Europe, do not call. Also, don't call in the pileup 'Europe PLEASE' or 'What about Europe?' This is really not to be done.

9. TAIL ENDING

A new hype came about some twenty years ago: 'tail ending'. It was and still is controversial.

What is tail ending? With the introduction of the 2nd VFO (at first external, later incorporated in the rig) working SPLIT mode became a popular way of operating for DX stations and DXpeditions. The pileup callers listen on their 2nd VFO to the DXer being called by the DX station. When the careful listener hears the QSO is 'ok' (callsigns and reports correctly exchanged) he 'steps on the tail' of the DXer who is still concluding his QSO. If his signal is strong enough the DX station can already hear him and jot down his callsign. When the DX station concludes from his end, he immediately calls the 'tail ending' DXer.

It was thought time could be saved in working this way and more QSOs could be logged. But time has learned that very few operators perform 'tail ending' in a correct way; many operators step too early on the tail during an ongoing QSO, hence the QSO has to be repeated (part of callsign missing, report not understood etc.).

With today's attitude of less and less discipline many an operator seems to think it is necessary for him to call on top of an ongoing QSO. If they additionally hear the DX station is calling the next station without asking 'QRZ' or something similar, all hell breaks loose.
'Tail ending', yes or no? Today's general consensus: no.

15. HOW TO CALL A CONTEST STATION

Before entering a contest or calling a contest station, thoroughly read the rules of that specific contest. In some contests you cannot contact all participants due to the nature of the contest. It is somehow embarrassing if you call a station who does not want and cannot work you at that moment in time due to the contest rules.

A contest station wants to work as many stations as fast as possible. The message is: keep it short!

Never give your callsign twice when calling a contest station. Once is sufficient; If the contest station copied your complete callsign, do not repeat your callsign and just give him the required contest report; If the contest station returns to someone else: BE QUIET, BE SILENT!

16. Cluster dk

When spotting DX, before hitting the ENTER button: check all data, correct any typos.

Many operators 'mildly abuse' the message board to air their frustrations, moan and to ask for QSL information. For example: “I've been calling for 3 hours and still no QSO”, “I’ve been listening for 5 hours, not a peep. Bad expedition!”, “Bad operators, they have no clue about propagation”,

This doesn't make sense. The added value is nil. A DX Cluster like Cluster dk is a tool to spot DX, period. The commentary field can be used to give info about the SPLIT frequency used, QSL manager etc.
DX Cluster = DX spots, with possible relevant information which has added value for all DXers. Spots with commentary such as 'Worked 1st call' and 'Worked with 5 W' say nothing about the signal of the DX station, but everything about the ego of the DXer who made the spot.

Don't project your frustrations on others. Invest more time in improving your station or operator skills.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Pete