CQ AS PUBLIC SERVICE
By Andrew Ellis, NO6E
“CQ” (“Calling any station”) has always seemed a bit pathetic: “No, I'm not closing in on that last state or country for the next award, nor am I calling my good pal I've worked every day for 40 years. I'll just settle for much, much less this time.”
There's always a chance that your CQ will be answered by a needed state or country, but it isn't likely, More likely, it'll be one more entry in your log from California, Ohio or Pennsylvania that you'll never look at again.
But there are other ways to look at CQ:
In an age when we're often urged to open ourselves to new people and experiences, a CQ is an affirmation of that principle. “Go ahead – give me call. Maybe we'll really hit it off. Maybe we won't. Either way, I'm willing to take a (small) chance on you.”
There always seems to be another list of wanted stations. Once I finished WAS (“Worked All States”) and DXCC (“DX Century Club,” for contacting 100 countries) it was right on to earning those awards again, this time on single bands or using single operating modes. And, of course, there are always endorsements to the original DXCC for more countries contacted.
Contesters know all about CQ, too. The modern practice is to try to have both a “run” operation, where you call CQ and a “hunt and pounce” operation, where you seek out particular stations, countries or whatever, at the same time. It's a little too frenetic for me, but feel free if that's what you like. Again, though, the CQ part really gets less respect, since a more-focused approach on “multiplier” stations yields a higher score.
Whoever your first contact was, it was probably from someone answering your CQ (or equivalent, depending on mode), and it was really thrilling, right? Many hams of my generation probably had similar ones to my own – CW on 40M using my Heathkit DX-35 and (rare) Gonset G-63 receiver. Whenever it was and whatever mode you used, your first time will always be special. That's another thing about your CQ today: It may be the other station's first QSO.
Try to think of your CQ from the standpoint of someone receiving it. Literally, “Here's a person who has opened him/her self to the possibility of communicating with me, even though we've never met and without insisting that I be operating from Pyongyang, or Delaware (or wherever).“
A CQ is a triumph of hope over cynicism. Maybe I HAVEN'T seen and done everything ham radio offers yet. Maybe this one will be the call that really matters – that connects me to someone who will end up as a life-long friend.
“I wouldn't want to belong to a club that would have me as a member,” the old joke goes. But a CQ is the opposite of that. You ARE a member of the great brother- or sisterhood of ham radio. The person who is reaching for the microphone, key or keyboard to answer me might well be someone of whom I would totally disapprove if I knew them. I don't care! My CQ says “I'm willing to meet you on your own level. We are both the same. We both share this hobby, though we may not think of it in the same way.”

Do you dislike how brief and formulaic contacts are? So do I, sometimes. By choosing a mode or a band, you are making a statement about the contact you are seeking. It's silly to call CQ on, say, FT4 and then to complain that you didn't get a “rag chew” (a long conversation) out of it. But often, I think complaints like this are a case of “The Lady doth protest too much, methinks.” Ham radio has always had many who wanted to hold back the tide, to return to the days when spark, or CW or SSB was the sine qua non of ham radio. You may “officially” disapprove of the quickie that an FT8 contact is. That's fine. One of the joys of ham radio is that there is no single right or wrong way to do it. Just take a quick tune around any of the HF bands, though, and you'll see that computer modes are what most stations are using. As the old restaurant joke goes, “No one goes there any more. It's too crowded.”
One hears lots of “directional” CQ calls these days. I have no problem with CQ DEL if you're looking for someone in Wilmington to help you finish your Worked All States award. Just remember that the Delaware station gets lots of calls like yours, so be patient and be polite. No one, much as I might want it, owes me a contact.

Finally, let's consider “CQ-DX,” the stepsister of “CQ.” Theoretically, it means you're seeking contact with a foreign station. But it has a bit of an ugly aroma to the hordes of hams in the US, who feel slighted at the implicit message: “I want a contact, but not with YOU.” Most of us will never be the position of a rare DX station, who understandably might not want yet another contact with yet another US station just looking for a log entry. When I started out, I was taught that only “Lids,” (poor operators) called CQ-DX. I actually still feel that way, though it's not really my business whether you choose to do it or not.
I've had to make peace with CQ-DX: If I need a contact with the station calling it, I'll respond even though Oregon is not really “DX” in anyone's book. But I do try to let several CQ-DX calls from a station go by before I answer one. I respect your desire for a DX contact, but I'll give you a call anyway if it doesn't seem to be happening for you. You can answer me or not.
It's a triumph of courtesy when a station calling CQ-DX agrees to contact me instead. As I say, I try to stand aside long enough to for the CQ-DX call to bear fruit before trying for the contact myself. I'm not kidding myself: It's not likely that the station calling CQ-DX is saying, under his/her breath, “Oh, it's not DX, but it's Oregon! That's still great!” More likely, the operator a bit grudgingly agrees to give me the contact, even though it's not the one for which she/he hoped. I appreciate that. Sometimes, the CQ-DX station refuses to contact me. I respect that by not calling over and over again once it's clear that I'm not wanted in their log.
Nowadays, call signs mean less than they used to. You can't tell from my NO6E call that I'm in Oregon. If you care, you might be able to figure out my license class, since some call signs are only issued to certain license classes. But even that is tricky nowadays. Like many hams, I've had many calls over the years. But many others still have their original call signs, and wouldn't give them up for anything. So, calling CQ means I'm not restricting myself to a certain license class, or age, or gender. I'm completely open to whatever contact results. And that's the way I like it.
Before 1964, classes of U.S. Ham licenses mattered very little. The General and Conditional classes offered the same operating privileges as the Amateur Extra, which was a purely honorary distinction. Blood flowed in the streets of ham radio when the “Incentive Licensing” proposal from the American Radio Relay League moved to revamp the license classes and to reserve some spectrum (and some call signs) for those with higher-class licenses. I'm not here to refight that battle. But I certainly wish that it had done more to encourage people to study for a higher license than it did to allow people to lord it over those “beneath” them. In most hobbies, there are newcomers and old hands. But those distinctions pale compared to the shared love of the hobby. That's the way I feel about ham radio: Help others, teach others, learn from others. It doesn't seem like too much to ask.
So, please, try to think of your CQ as a kind of public service. You're allowing yourself an unknown experience with a person you've probably never met. Chances are that it won't amount to much; another line in the log book, maybe. But it all begins with a CQ, and that call reaffirms that, whatever our differences, we're all in ham radio together.
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NO6E_BIO.doc
I'm Andrew Ellis, a ham since 1966. I love to explore different facets of our hobby.
I worked for CBS Radio for 40 years. Most of time, I designed, built and maintained wideband FM UHF radio gear that could carry broadcast-quality audio.
It also gave my the chance to do many “remote” broadcasts, from the usual early-morning theme park broadcast to two Superbowls. I served for many years on the Primary Entry Point Advisory Committee (PEPAC), which operates the federal-level Emergency Alert System (EAS) in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the White House Communications Agency (WHCA).
My next exploration will be into DMR, which I'm approaching with baby steps. You can reach me there, I guess, at ID 310964. Or maybe not. I'll find out, though.
Most of my operating today is on digital modes, though CW and, sometimes, SSB make appearances in my log, too.
I've done a few Summits on the Air (SOTA) activations, using a wire antenna and my Yaesu FT-817ND.
My wife Deborah (ex-WD6CKD) and I share a home in Rogue River, Oregon (CN82), though most of my operating is from our beach place in Bandon, Oregon (CN73).
At the Bandon house, I have four cheapskate HF antennas: A 20M EDZ (Extended Double Zepp), A EFHW (End-fed Half Wave) for 80-10M, a 210' (64M) flat-top and a 43' (13.4M) wire vertical. I use a Yaesu FT-450D in Bandon and an FT-891 in Rogue River.
Deborah and I have two grown children, Arthur and Hannah, who live near us....but not TOO near.
Contact Info: (Not for publication)
Andrew Ellis NO6E
2810 W Evans Creek Rd
Rogue River, OR 97537
87275 E Jupiter Ln
Bandon, OR 97411
radioalbany@ymail.com
(541) 582-8075 (h)
(541) 304-9388 (cell)
| KO4DNI | 2020-09-03 | |
|---|---|---|
| CQ As Public Service | ||
| Great article. Thank you, KO4DNI | ||
| KO4DNI | 2020-09-03 | |
|---|---|---|
| CQ As Public Service | ||
| Great article. Thank you, KO4DNI | ||
| KC7MF | 2020-08-25 | |
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| Re: CQ As Public Service | ||
| Wonderful article. You are spot on and a ham after my own heart. I hope everyone pays attention. Reply to a comment by : NO6E on 2020-08-21 Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts. They mean a lot. 73, Andrew NO6E Reply to a comment by : K0UA on 2020-08-18 That was a nice uplifting article. 73 James K0UA | ||
| NO6E | 2020-08-21 | |
|---|---|---|
| Re: CQ As Public Service | ||
| Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts. They mean a lot. 73, Andrew NO6E Reply to a comment by : K0UA on 2020-08-18 That was a nice uplifting article. 73 James K0UA | ||
| NO6E | 2020-08-21 | |
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| Re: CQ As Public Service | ||
| Thanks! I appreciate your thoughts. Andrew NO6E Reply to a comment by : KA3J on 2020-08-20 Best article I've seen on eham in a long time. You really captured the historical spirit and a key purpose of the hobby that many folks no longer seem to care about. I think we would be better off trying to revitalize this aspect of "traditional" ham radio, especially on the newer digital modes. | ||
| NO6E | 2020-08-21 | |
|---|---|---|
| Re: CQ As Public Service | ||
| Thanks for your kind words! Andrew NO6E Reply to a comment by : KA3J on 2020-08-20 Best article I've seen on eham in a long time. You really captured the historical spirit and a key purpose of the hobby that many folks no longer seem to care about. I think we would be better off trying to revitalize this aspect of "traditional" ham radio, especially on the newer digital modes. | ||
| KA3J | 2020-08-20 | |
|---|---|---|
| CQ As Public Service | ||
| Best article I've seen on eham in a long time. You really captured the historical spirit and a key purpose of the hobby that many folks no longer seem to care about. I think we would be better off trying to revitalize this aspect of "traditional" ham radio, especially on the newer digital modes. | ||
| KJ4DGE | 2020-08-20 | |
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| CQ As Public Service | ||
| Thoughtful article and likely up to speed nowadays. I never had a lot of interest in contesting (still don't) Like my father, who was a reporter, I like "conversations" on various topics. Nets and round tables can be Ok but a one to one QSO hearing about the other person is always fascinating to me. No I did not live a sheltered life, but some of us have climbed mountain or wrestled alligators or otherwise did a lot of things we have not. Rag-chewing is getting to know the history of the person you are talking with. It can make a friend or not but at least you hear the feelings of the other person sometimes over the air. Feelings seem to be something a lot of us nowadays could use more of. HAM radio has and hopefully always will be a place to share radio hobbies, building antennas, and talking with each other. I am sure you are on the CBS net I occasionally hear on the east coast here. Good luck in future CQ's Sir! | ||
| K0UA | 2020-08-18 | |
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| CQ As Public Service | ||
| Of course you can always call CQ and if no one answers you can go over to the reverse beacon network, and see how far you got. You can do it any time as many times as you want even if someone answered you. :) http://www.reversebeacon.net/ | ||
| VE3CUI | 2020-08-18 | |
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| CQ As Public Service | ||
| In my first 3 years a Ham, armed with little more than a 5-watt output home-brew rock-bound rig, I rarely sent "CQ" in the hope that somebody might actually come back to me...but sometimes they did, & for that I was eternally grateful, each & every time, as in, "Gee-whiz, the transmitter is REALLY getting' out, to-day...!" To-day, calling "CQ" is about the only way to see if a spotty band like 10-meters might be open...or if you just wanna engage in a leisurely rag chew with somebody, from somewhere. I probably call "CQ" about half of the time when I'm on the air these days... | ||
| K0UA | 2020-08-18 | |
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| CQ As Public Service | ||
| That was a nice uplifting article. 73 James K0UA | ||