On-air etiquette

Sharing a band you don't own

Nobody owns a frequency. Except in an emergency, no amateur station has priority over another, so the whole system of manners comes down to one idea: make room, and make it easy to be heard. These customs are mostly unwritten, which is why they matter.

Listen, ask, call

1. Listen. Spend long enough to be sure the frequency is clear. You may hear only one side of a contact when the other station is far away, so a frequency that sounds quiet may still be in use.
2. Ask. On CW send "QRL?" and your call; on phone say "Is the frequency in use?" and your call. If someone answers, thank them and move on.
3. Call. Say "CQ" a few times, "this is", your call sign a few times, then stop and listen. See CQ and friends and Q-codes.

To answer a CQ, send their call sign, then yours. Short exchanges first: swap names, locations and a signal report. See Signal reports: RS, RST and the S-meter.

Leaving space

Signals take up room: CW needs roughly 150 to 500 Hz, SSB about 2 to 3 kHz. Settle your transmitting frequency that far from your neighbours. Follow the voluntary band plan for the mode you are using. On HF, the convention is lower sideband below 10 MHz and upper sideband above (60 m is a special case).

Good habits

• Identify properly: at least every 10 minutes during a contact, and at the end. See Part 97 in plain words.
• Tune up quietly. Use a dummy load, or listen first, so you do not blast through a QSO. Use only as much power as the contact needs.
• Take turns. On a repeater, pause between transmissions so others can join in. Keep transmissions short.
• Be patient with pile-ups. Listen to how the DX station works, and do not call over others or when they are in contact. See DX etiquette and split operation.
• Do not interfere on purpose. Deliberate interference is prohibited. If someone is jamming, do not answer or argue; it only feeds them.
• Keep the air clean. Obscene or indecent language is prohibited.
• If conditions change and another station suddenly appears on your frequency, sort it out courteously, in a way acceptable to everyone.
• If you hear a distress call, acknowledge it and find out what help is needed. That takes priority over everything.

Related

• Q-codesThree-letter shorthand like QTH, QSL and QRM, and what each means.
• Band plansHow the bands are divided by mode.
• Simplex operationDirect radio-to-radio contacts.
• Repeaters and how to use themOffsets, tones and etiquette.
• NetsScheduled on-air gatherings.
• DX etiquette and split operationWorking a pile-up.
• ContestingTimed competitions: rules, strategy and scoring.