Once you’re on the air and perhaps have made a few contacts you might begin to grapple with the question of what to talk about?
As you explore the different ham radio bands you’ll probably come across lots of different people contacting others, exchanging signal reports and other information and, if your new to it, then it could all seem like jargon.
So, what do ham radio operators talk about anyway?
As with any new person that you meet, it can take some time to get to know another ham radio operator. When you first make contact it’s usual to exchange signal reports, names and locations and, after this, depending on the signal conditions, it’s up to you to decide whether to continue the conversation.
What is a signal report?
A signal report is the term used for describing how well you can hear someone and, more importantly, how well they can hear you.
Normally you’ll exchange information as to how well you can hear each other. This takes the form of how clear the voice is, whether you can easily hear the other operator and how strong the signal is.
Location
This is pretty straight forwards. Most operators will give their country and will often state that they are “50 miles north of New York” or similar, to give you an indication as to where they are.
Some hams may ask for your locator square and when they ask for this they are referring to the Maidenhead Amateur Radio Grid Square locator map – which you can read about here.
Equipment being used
You’ll often talk about the equipment that you are using and your power output.
You’ll find that there is a wide range of equipment on use by amateur radio operators globally, from small, hand held devices, to low powered mobile rigs, through to larger base stations pushing out over 1Kw of power into fancy and expensive directional beam antennae.
Antenna
Just like equipment ham radio operators love to play around with different types of antennae and will often do their own experiments.
Making an antenna is part of the fun of being a radio amateur and then using it to broadcast to the world can be an achievement – so don’t be surprised if your contact tells you all about the aerial that he made from 100 empty beer cans and a couple of yards of wire – that he has hanging from next door’s tree.
The weather
A great subject, particularly for those operators in the UK is the weather.
It can be quite interesting to hear what the weather is like a few hundred miles away or even a few thousand.
Weather conditions can have an effect on your signals and keeping track of what the weather was like when you made contact with Giofranco in Rome can help with future transmissions.
The hobby
For most amateur radio operators, the thrill of using such a piece of equipment and sending out such a signal is what keeps them going.
To communicate with someone thousands of miles away via your own equipment and your own skill is a great feeling and one that can be shared equally by both parties.
Many hams will talk about their experiences, their contacts and, if asked will happily provide advice and information to less experienced users.
Other pastimes, families, news items
The list of things to discuss can be almost endless and, if you make regular contacts, then you can soon build up friendships with distant folk.
You may never meet them in person but many radio amateurs exchange email address and become friends via other platforms such as social media.
Through these platforms they often arrange to ‘meet up’ on the radio, either by themselves or in groups of other like minded individuals as ‘nets’ where they talk about all and sundry.
Some things to avoid talking about on ham radio
There are always sensitive people who can become offended by things, and this is ever more prevalent in today’s world.
It is always best to be measured in your conversations and remember that, as you are on the radio, your signals can broadcast thousands of miles and you never know just who might be listening.
Subjects such as politics and religion can easily trigger others and, although you are free to express your perspectives, sometimes you just have to know which battles to choose.
What to do if someone becomes offensive on ham radio
The simplest strategy is to just ignore them and this is the advice that is provided by bodies such as the ARRL and RSGB.
Often abusive individuals seek the audience and, if you take them on then they’l’ just become worse – and, in many cases they are the first to complain if you respond in the way that they behave.
It is possible to report offensive conduct to the licencing authorities in most countries and you should check locally to determine the best way of doing this.
Final Words
Remember that ham radio operator is a real person – with real passions and interests.
Be confident on the air and show an interest in the person that you are talking to.
They are there to have fun, not be offended or feel uncomfortable by what you say or do.
It is also important to remember that hams are all over the world so you’ll find their views will often reflect different cultures where standards of behaviour may differ from your own.
To keep communications pleasant, courteous and enjoyable it is important to remember the golden rule of ‘treat others as you’d like to be treated yourself’.
Read Next
- Can ham radio survive EMP?
- Why do you need a ham radio license?
- What is 2m ham radio?
- What’s better ham radio or CB radio?
- Is morse code still useful?
- What does QRP mean in ham radio?
