The 03/23/2007 article I posted on this blog site titled “The Regenerative Receiver” prompted a comment with a question. The question follows: “one question i have is - are the following principals basically the same - how do they differ? Heterodyne Regenerative and Super Regenerative. I want to try to answer that question here because I must have left something ambiguous in that article.
The word “heterodyne” is derived from two Greek words; “hetro” which means different and “dyne” meaning power. By combining the two words we see that it latterly means a different power. A heterodyne is a signal which is produced by mixing two or more signals in a non linear device or to say it another way heterodyning is the process of mixing two or more signal frequencies to produce a different frequency signal. When two frequencies are mixed they actually produce two new frequencies. So if a 7.100 MHz signal was mixed with another signal having a frequency of 6.645 MHz it would produce an output of 455 KHz and another of 13.745 (the sum and the difference of the two frequencies). In that case, considering 455 KHz is a very common IF frequency, the 455 KHz signal would probably be the one desired and the 13.745 MHz signal would be filtered out.
The technique of heterodyning was developed by a Canadian inventor and engineer named Reginald Fessenden.
After the process of heterodyning was developed and understood the superhetrodyne receiver could be developed. Prior to the superhetrodyne receiver and after amplification was possible receivers had a series of RF amplifiers ahead of the detector. Each of these amplifiers had to be retuned when the receiver frequency was changed. The superhetrodyne receiver eliminated the need to have a series of RF amplifiers that had to be tuned separately. Normally there is one RF amplifier ahead of the mixer though there can be more and sometimes the mixer is the first stage. The input to the mixer is tuned and the frequency of the local oscillator which produces the signal to be mixed with the incoming frequency can be variable (in some cases the local oscillator is crystal controlled) so the output frequency always remains the same. Each RF amplifier, which is actually called Intermediate Frequency (IF) amplifier, can be tuned to the same frequency no matter what the input frequency is. Using an IF frequency allows the construction of more selective circuits. Fixed frequency filters can be easily added to the IF giving greater selectivity then possible with LC circuits.
Ease of tuning, improved gain, and increased selectivity are three advantages of the Superhetrodyne receiver. An other advantage was provided by the fixed If frequency being fed into the detector is it allows the signal of the IF to be mixed with the signal produced by the beat frequency oscillator (BFO) which makes receiving CW and SSB much easier (the BFO heterodynes the IF frequency down to audio frequencies).
Regeneration is a process where by some of the output signal of an amplifier is sent back, in phase, to the input. When the output of an amplifier is sent back to the input it is called feedback. When a sufficient amount of the output signal is sent back to the input in phase the amplifier will sustain its own signal producing process called oscillation. Feed back can be regenerative (positive feedback or in phase feedback) and degenerative (negative feedback or out of phase feedback).
As the article I mentioned above describes, the regenerative receiver used a small amount of positive feedback to improve the receivers amplification and its selectivity so one tube acting as the RF amplifier and detector worked very efficiently. When the feedback was increased to the point where it started to oscillate a signal was being produced which would mix with the incoming signal to produce a tone so a CW signal could be read.
A super-regenerative receiver is a regenerative receiver which uses a quenching frequency to prevent oscillation.
So I guess the answer to the question I was asked is heterodyne and regeneration are two different processes and regenerative and super-regenerative differ in that the latter uses a quenching frequency.
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I was a little surprised to see the comment posted yesterday because I didn’t know anyone was still reading this blog site. My new blog site http://hamslife.com has all of the same information I post on this site plus much more. Any who read this I would like to invite you to my new site.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Monday, February 4, 2008
THE CALIFORNIA HAM PLATES CONFUSION
Recently I was driving my wife’s Toyota with license plate number “KI6YQ”. As far as I knew I was carefully observing the laws of the state of California but the red and blue lights of a local police car came on behind me and I pulled over.
With my driver’s license in my left hand which rested with my right hand on top of the steering wheel I waited until the officer approached the open window. His first words were not asking me for my license and registration but he asked me if my vehicle was properly registered. The officer said he was unable to find the license number in the data base when he ran it. I assured him it was properly registered and that he needed to look again under code H because it was a ham radio plate. This was not the first time I had run into this problem. The officer did not think that was the problem but apparently wondering why he could not find the plates in the data base he let me go.
Ham radio license plates have been issued in the state of California long before the personalized plates program was in existence. It was a lot of fun before the personalized plates because when those of us who had ham plates would purchase fuel, which in those days was pumped by an attendant, and the station attendant took the credit card to run the information he would walk to the front of the vehicle to get the license number, part of the required information. The looks on the faces of some of those attendants was worth the cost of the fuel, which by then was about 10 cents per gallon. I have even been asked if I worked for the government or if I was a CIA agent or something like that. Now with personalized plates those days are gone of course they would be gone in California anyway because we now pump our own fuel and run our own cards.
When the state of California started the personalized plates they were going to integrate the amateur radio plates into the program and charge extra then $25 a year for the privilege of having them. It was only because the amateurs were willing to protest and show the value of ham radio communications in times of emergency that the state relented and no extra charge would be imposed beyond a small retooling cost when the plates are first issued.
It seems recently hams who were applying for new call letter plates were being issued plates with an extra space in them appearing just after the number. For example my wife’s car would have been issued, if she was applying for a new plate, KI6 YQ instead of KI6YQ. Again protest was made.
It seems that the DMV had put a space in the data base so as to distinguish the amateur radio plates from the vanity plates and thus it was necessary to place the space on the plates to agree with the data base. This may have been the reason the officer pulled me over and could not find the plate in the data base because the vehicle’s plate did not have a space in it. These two classes of plates have existed for over 30 years with no problem so why now? The answer, as far as the DMV was concerned, was simple. If the hams would just change their plates to vanity plates and pay the yearly charge which is now over $40 a year we could have the plates without the space.
With some assistance from legislators the DMV has now said they will remove the space from both the data base and the new license plates being issued and thanks to hams who were willing to become involved the ham radio plates were saved again.
Could it be that the state was just trying to make a little extra money? How could I think such evil? They would never do something like that would they?
Closing note: This did not just affect the hams in California because I assure you every state in the Union was watching to see how it went. Every ham in the US with call letter plates could have been affected and as far as that goes every country where call plates are issued could have followed suit.
With my driver’s license in my left hand which rested with my right hand on top of the steering wheel I waited until the officer approached the open window. His first words were not asking me for my license and registration but he asked me if my vehicle was properly registered. The officer said he was unable to find the license number in the data base when he ran it. I assured him it was properly registered and that he needed to look again under code H because it was a ham radio plate. This was not the first time I had run into this problem. The officer did not think that was the problem but apparently wondering why he could not find the plates in the data base he let me go.
Ham radio license plates have been issued in the state of California long before the personalized plates program was in existence. It was a lot of fun before the personalized plates because when those of us who had ham plates would purchase fuel, which in those days was pumped by an attendant, and the station attendant took the credit card to run the information he would walk to the front of the vehicle to get the license number, part of the required information. The looks on the faces of some of those attendants was worth the cost of the fuel, which by then was about 10 cents per gallon. I have even been asked if I worked for the government or if I was a CIA agent or something like that. Now with personalized plates those days are gone of course they would be gone in California anyway because we now pump our own fuel and run our own cards.
When the state of California started the personalized plates they were going to integrate the amateur radio plates into the program and charge extra then $25 a year for the privilege of having them. It was only because the amateurs were willing to protest and show the value of ham radio communications in times of emergency that the state relented and no extra charge would be imposed beyond a small retooling cost when the plates are first issued.
It seems recently hams who were applying for new call letter plates were being issued plates with an extra space in them appearing just after the number. For example my wife’s car would have been issued, if she was applying for a new plate, KI6 YQ instead of KI6YQ. Again protest was made.
It seems that the DMV had put a space in the data base so as to distinguish the amateur radio plates from the vanity plates and thus it was necessary to place the space on the plates to agree with the data base. This may have been the reason the officer pulled me over and could not find the plate in the data base because the vehicle’s plate did not have a space in it. These two classes of plates have existed for over 30 years with no problem so why now? The answer, as far as the DMV was concerned, was simple. If the hams would just change their plates to vanity plates and pay the yearly charge which is now over $40 a year we could have the plates without the space.
With some assistance from legislators the DMV has now said they will remove the space from both the data base and the new license plates being issued and thanks to hams who were willing to become involved the ham radio plates were saved again.
Could it be that the state was just trying to make a little extra money? How could I think such evil? They would never do something like that would they?
Closing note: This did not just affect the hams in California because I assure you every state in the Union was watching to see how it went. Every ham in the US with call letter plates could have been affected and as far as that goes every country where call plates are issued could have followed suit.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
REVIEW: RAMSEY QAMP20
Ramsey Electronics has several inexpensive easy to assemble electronic kits. Some are specifically amateur radio related and others are not. The QAMP20 is a 20 meter 20 watt linear amplifier. Being linear it will run CW, SSB, or AM. It can be driven with ½ to 2 watts with a power requirement of 12 VDC at 4 Amps.
Ramsey’s estimated assembly time is 4 hours for beginner, 2 hours for intermediate, and 1.5 hours for advanced builders. I did not time myself but I would say that their timing estimate is fairly accurate.
The instruction booklet, as with all their kits I have assembled so far, is very well done and can be followed by anyone even with no electronic knowledge.
Alignment is very easy. Basically it is just a matter of setting the bias.
The work horses of the amplifier are two P16NF06 MOSFET transistors. They are run in Push-Pull format so as to reduce potential second harmonic output. It has a 3 stage pi network low pass filter output to further reduce the harmonic output. The input and output to the transistor are both through ferrite wideband transformers.
The exciter input uses a T-R relay circuit which is operated by a simple diode detector to sense when RF is applied and a two transistors amplifier circuit to drive the relay. If the power switch is not on the relay will not actuate and thus the exciter can be run “bare foot” but when the power is on it will switch on as soon as the exciter is keyed.
When testing the QAMP20 I found that ½ watts in gave 5 watts out and 1 watt in gave 10 watts output. An IFR service monitor’s power meter was used for the test. The efficiency is about 30 to 35% which is about where a class AB amplifier should run.
Over all, with the exception of the plastic box to house the unit, I would give this unit a very high rating considering the cost.
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This amplifier is for sale on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=190189665379&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=009
Friday, December 21, 2007
I AM TALKING TO MY WIFE’S DOCTOR.
The Coast Guard Cutter McLane had two transmitters on board for CW operations. The transmitter for 500 KHz was a TDE a big black box, max DC input power 125 watts, frequency range 300 KHz to 18 MHz, and had a VFO. We also had an AN/FRT23 for HF operation but it was crystal controlled. So the only transmitter that would allow ham radio operations was the TDE but I had been given direct orders from the XO not to use any of the ship’s transmitters for amateur radio purposes.
About 9 months after reporting aboard the McLane I was married and then about a year after that my oldest daughter was born. My wife was at that time WN5NEP and her doctor was W5MSQ.
The local ham radio club had a SSB net every Sunday afternoon on 80 Meters. One Sunday while I was on duty (that means staying aboard to protect the cutter while it is in port) I wanted to check into the net but using the TDE on CW was my only option. Even though I was on CW the net welcomed me in and after the net was over Doc (W5MSQ) and I shifted down to the CW portion of the band and had a lengthy QSO.
During our QSO the OD (officer of the day), a boatswain’s mate who knew nothing about radios, stopped by the radio room when he saw there was some activity. He asked me what I was doing.
I knew I was had. Violation of a direct order from the XO was sure to bring serious consequences. I may have gotten by with it if I told him I was testing out the transmitter but that would be a lie.
I looked up at him and simply said, “I am talking to my wife’s doctor.”
At that he started laughing so hard he could hardly contain himself. He walked off the bridge laughing and repeating, “I am talking to my wife’s doctor.”
He didn’t believe me, he didn’t tell anyone, and I didn’t get into trouble. That was the first and last time I used the ship’s transmitter for amateur radio use.
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See information on the McLane at http://www.silversides.org/mclane.html
For blog posts like this and more go to http://hamslife.com
About 9 months after reporting aboard the McLane I was married and then about a year after that my oldest daughter was born. My wife was at that time WN5NEP and her doctor was W5MSQ.
The local ham radio club had a SSB net every Sunday afternoon on 80 Meters. One Sunday while I was on duty (that means staying aboard to protect the cutter while it is in port) I wanted to check into the net but using the TDE on CW was my only option. Even though I was on CW the net welcomed me in and after the net was over Doc (W5MSQ) and I shifted down to the CW portion of the band and had a lengthy QSO.
During our QSO the OD (officer of the day), a boatswain’s mate who knew nothing about radios, stopped by the radio room when he saw there was some activity. He asked me what I was doing.
I knew I was had. Violation of a direct order from the XO was sure to bring serious consequences. I may have gotten by with it if I told him I was testing out the transmitter but that would be a lie.
I looked up at him and simply said, “I am talking to my wife’s doctor.”
At that he started laughing so hard he could hardly contain himself. He walked off the bridge laughing and repeating, “I am talking to my wife’s doctor.”
He didn’t believe me, he didn’t tell anyone, and I didn’t get into trouble. That was the first and last time I used the ship’s transmitter for amateur radio use.
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See information on the McLane at http://www.silversides.org/mclane.html
For blog posts like this and more go to http://hamslife.com
Friday, December 7, 2007
B-52 COMMUNICATIONS IMPROVED BY HAM RADIO OPEARATORS
In 1960 Single Side Band (SSB) signals could be heard on the ham bands but standard Amplitude Modulation (AM) was still the most popular mode of voice transmission. There were arguments as to the value of SSB over AM (SSB is a modified standard AM signal). Quality of the sound was one major objection to SSB while cost and complexity of equipment for transmission and reception was another. But change was, and still is, inevitable thus SSB quickly grew to the point where it became the normal and AM (sometimes called Ancient Modulation) became the rare mode of communications.
SSB was first introduced by John Renshaw Carson when he applied for paten on 1 December 1915. The first recorded used of SSB was by the telephone companies starting in the 1930’s as a means of multiplexing (using a single carrier or in this case single pair of wires to carry multiple information channels simultaneously) telephone lines. Using a pilot frequency a carrier was established for each channel and the Upper Side Band was used to transmit the communications in one direction while the Lower Side Band was used to transmit the information in the other direction.
After WWII amateur radio operators began to experiment with SSB on the air.
Up to 1950 the United States Air Force bombers carried a radio operator to maintain communications. This meant an extra person, thus that much less payload could be carried and extra fuel was needed. It also required the operator to receive a message and passing that information on to the pilot or other crew member for whom it was intended. The reverse was also true; the radio operator took the message and passed it on to its intended recipient’s operator. With the advent of the B52 jet bomber communication speed needed to increase to accommodate the increased speed of the aircraft’s movement. The middle man, the radio operator, became the target for elimination.
Two Generals in the United States Air Force, General Curtis E. LeMay W6EZV and Lt. General Francis H. Griswold K0DWC, addressed this problem by placing SSB amateur radio stations in two B52 bombers. By this they were able to prove the improved quality of long-range voice communications. High quality long distance voice communications allowed the crew to communicate directly without a radioman.
SSB was first introduced by John Renshaw Carson when he applied for paten on 1 December 1915. The first recorded used of SSB was by the telephone companies starting in the 1930’s as a means of multiplexing (using a single carrier or in this case single pair of wires to carry multiple information channels simultaneously) telephone lines. Using a pilot frequency a carrier was established for each channel and the Upper Side Band was used to transmit the communications in one direction while the Lower Side Band was used to transmit the information in the other direction.
After WWII amateur radio operators began to experiment with SSB on the air.
Up to 1950 the United States Air Force bombers carried a radio operator to maintain communications. This meant an extra person, thus that much less payload could be carried and extra fuel was needed. It also required the operator to receive a message and passing that information on to the pilot or other crew member for whom it was intended. The reverse was also true; the radio operator took the message and passed it on to its intended recipient’s operator. With the advent of the B52 jet bomber communication speed needed to increase to accommodate the increased speed of the aircraft’s movement. The middle man, the radio operator, became the target for elimination.
Two Generals in the United States Air Force, General Curtis E. LeMay W6EZV and Lt. General Francis H. Griswold K0DWC, addressed this problem by placing SSB amateur radio stations in two B52 bombers. By this they were able to prove the improved quality of long-range voice communications. High quality long distance voice communications allowed the crew to communicate directly without a radioman.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
HOW MANY WRAPS BEFORE SOLDERING?
October 4, 1957 was a day of well earned celebration in the Soviet Union for it was on that day they beat the United States in launching the first artificial satellite which they called "Спутник" (Sputnik) meaning "co-traveler", "traveling companion" or "satellite". This was the beginning of the “Space Race” which diverted some of the tension caused by the “Cold War.”
The United States was not able to successfully launch an artificial satellite until April 28, 1958. Prior to that successful launch the US had blown up two rockets on the launch pad. After that success they blew up four more rockets before finally again succeeding. ]
NASA, which came into existence in 1958, found the reason for the failure was do to not bad engineering but was the result of poor quality control especially in the area of soldering. NASA developed some changes in soldering technique. These changes not only virtually eliminated solder connection failure but also reduced the weight of the vehicle and payload.
Prior to the new standards of soldering a wire being soldered to a terminal was wrapped at least a full 365 degrees and most of the times two or three times then it was soldered. NASA standards said a wrap was to be no more then 90 degrees.
Another change NASA instituted was the way a PC board was loaded. Up to that time when a component was placed in a PC board the leads were bent and run through the board then bent again to run along the trace then it was trimmed and soldered. NASA standards called for the leads to be bent at least the diameter of the lead away from the component, inserted into the lead holes with the leads sticking straight out, and then the leads were cut almost flush with the board trace and soldered.
The main complaint with the NASA standards of soldering was if a solder connection was missed that component could fall out, a wire could fall off the connector, or it would fail when tested especially if vibrated during test. The funny thing about that argument is it is exactly right and that is why it makes it the best way to do the job. Using the old standards a missed solder connection may test well when first made but it is a failure waiting to happen as the contact ages. If a component falls out or if the wire drops off the connection so it is easy to see before testing repair can be made at that time. If the unit is vibrated during testing so missed solder connections will fail at that point it will prevent failure later during more critical operating conditions.
When constructing a project carefully clean the surface of each solder joint with a pencil eraser. A little rosin flux can be added to the surfaces to be soldered to prevent oxidation and help conduct heat. Use sufficient heat to melt the solder quickly and melt the solder on the contact surfaces and not on the soldering iron. Use very little solder. Clean flux residue with denatured alcohol using an acid brush while the it is still hot but the solder is solid.
By following these few soldering tips your completed project should give you many years of failure free service. Another added advantage is defective components can be removed with little effort so they can be replaced.
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http://hamslife.com/ is now up and running with new features coming. If you have been reading this blog and enjoying the articles you can see the same articles and more on http://hamslife.com/
The United States was not able to successfully launch an artificial satellite until April 28, 1958. Prior to that successful launch the US had blown up two rockets on the launch pad. After that success they blew up four more rockets before finally again succeeding. ]
NASA, which came into existence in 1958, found the reason for the failure was do to not bad engineering but was the result of poor quality control especially in the area of soldering. NASA developed some changes in soldering technique. These changes not only virtually eliminated solder connection failure but also reduced the weight of the vehicle and payload.
Prior to the new standards of soldering a wire being soldered to a terminal was wrapped at least a full 365 degrees and most of the times two or three times then it was soldered. NASA standards said a wrap was to be no more then 90 degrees.
Another change NASA instituted was the way a PC board was loaded. Up to that time when a component was placed in a PC board the leads were bent and run through the board then bent again to run along the trace then it was trimmed and soldered. NASA standards called for the leads to be bent at least the diameter of the lead away from the component, inserted into the lead holes with the leads sticking straight out, and then the leads were cut almost flush with the board trace and soldered.
The main complaint with the NASA standards of soldering was if a solder connection was missed that component could fall out, a wire could fall off the connector, or it would fail when tested especially if vibrated during test. The funny thing about that argument is it is exactly right and that is why it makes it the best way to do the job. Using the old standards a missed solder connection may test well when first made but it is a failure waiting to happen as the contact ages. If a component falls out or if the wire drops off the connection so it is easy to see before testing repair can be made at that time. If the unit is vibrated during testing so missed solder connections will fail at that point it will prevent failure later during more critical operating conditions.
When constructing a project carefully clean the surface of each solder joint with a pencil eraser. A little rosin flux can be added to the surfaces to be soldered to prevent oxidation and help conduct heat. Use sufficient heat to melt the solder quickly and melt the solder on the contact surfaces and not on the soldering iron. Use very little solder. Clean flux residue with denatured alcohol using an acid brush while the it is still hot but the solder is solid.
By following these few soldering tips your completed project should give you many years of failure free service. Another added advantage is defective components can be removed with little effort so they can be replaced.
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http://hamslife.com/ is now up and running with new features coming. If you have been reading this blog and enjoying the articles you can see the same articles and more on http://hamslife.com/
Friday, November 23, 2007
CQ
CQ CQ CQ this is WA6OHP Whiskey Alpha Six Oscar Hotel Papa WA6OHP. Over and over that phrase would be repeated in my home and while we lived in a mobile home (1965 to 1969) that place in the home was the living room. My oldest daughter knew the phrase well at two years of age and when we got a cat she felt the appropriate name for her would be CQ and that it was for as long as we had that cat.
Did you ever wonder how those two letters were chosen to mean ‘calling any station’?
Most, if not all, who are reading this post know it originated with Morse code and was brought over into voice when that mode became available. Before SOS was used CQD was the recognized wireless call for distress. The Titanic transmitted its distress message by calling CQD DE MGY (the Titanic’s call sign was MGY) though it shouldn’t have because by 1908 SOS was the standard international distress call and the Titanic sank in 1912. DE was used to mean “this is” because the French word “de” means “from or this is” and in the United Kingdom French was, and still is, the official language for international postal service. The postal service in the UK and many other European countries operated the telegraph offices. Remember most of the wireless telegraph operators at that time were former wire telegraphers.
The French word which is equivalent to the English ‘safety’ is sécurité. When the two letters CQ are spoken they sound similar the first two syllables in sécurité. CQ was first used by the United Kingdom landline telegraphers as a telegraph shorthand to mean “pay attention everyone I have something important to say to all.”
Operators from the United States and some other English speaking countries thought it meant “seek you” and there were some a few who thought CQD meant ‘come quickly distress’ but the European operators knew what it really meant. 1912 CQ meaning “all stations” became internationally accepted.
While CQ is inappropriate to use on a repeater it still can be used in other applications. There is an accepted procedure when calling CQ. Calling CQ on and on 10 to 20 times before giving the appropriate call sign is not that accepted procedure.
Normally it is advised to call CQ three times followed by giving your call sign three times and then repeat this two more times. The opening line of this post illustrates this when using voice communications. By following this procedure it gives the opportunity for stations tuning the band looking for a QSO to find you, set their equipment on your frequency in preparation to answer. Long drawn out CQ calls will sometimes result in stations leaving and looking for someone else who is not quite as long winded.
The three CQ followed by three times giving the call sign all being repeated two more times is not a set in stone practice but in most instances is recommended. Sometimes it might be best to abbreviate this by not repeating the whole thing three times.
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http://hamslife.com/ is now up and running with new features coming. If you have been reading this blog and enjoying the articles you can see the same articles and more on http://hamslife.com/
Did you ever wonder how those two letters were chosen to mean ‘calling any station’?
Most, if not all, who are reading this post know it originated with Morse code and was brought over into voice when that mode became available. Before SOS was used CQD was the recognized wireless call for distress. The Titanic transmitted its distress message by calling CQD DE MGY (the Titanic’s call sign was MGY) though it shouldn’t have because by 1908 SOS was the standard international distress call and the Titanic sank in 1912. DE was used to mean “this is” because the French word “de” means “from or this is” and in the United Kingdom French was, and still is, the official language for international postal service. The postal service in the UK and many other European countries operated the telegraph offices. Remember most of the wireless telegraph operators at that time were former wire telegraphers.
The French word which is equivalent to the English ‘safety’ is sécurité. When the two letters CQ are spoken they sound similar the first two syllables in sécurité. CQ was first used by the United Kingdom landline telegraphers as a telegraph shorthand to mean “pay attention everyone I have something important to say to all.”
Operators from the United States and some other English speaking countries thought it meant “seek you” and there were some a few who thought CQD meant ‘come quickly distress’ but the European operators knew what it really meant. 1912 CQ meaning “all stations” became internationally accepted.
While CQ is inappropriate to use on a repeater it still can be used in other applications. There is an accepted procedure when calling CQ. Calling CQ on and on 10 to 20 times before giving the appropriate call sign is not that accepted procedure.
Normally it is advised to call CQ three times followed by giving your call sign three times and then repeat this two more times. The opening line of this post illustrates this when using voice communications. By following this procedure it gives the opportunity for stations tuning the band looking for a QSO to find you, set their equipment on your frequency in preparation to answer. Long drawn out CQ calls will sometimes result in stations leaving and looking for someone else who is not quite as long winded.
The three CQ followed by three times giving the call sign all being repeated two more times is not a set in stone practice but in most instances is recommended. Sometimes it might be best to abbreviate this by not repeating the whole thing three times.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://hamslife.com/ is now up and running with new features coming. If you have been reading this blog and enjoying the articles you can see the same articles and more on http://hamslife.com/
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