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Author Topic: Good Call For CW  (Read 1482 times)

K4EMF

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Re: Good Call For CW
« Reply #15 on: June 13, 2021, 09:36:55 AM »

I keep thinking eventually I'd like to get a 1X2 or a 2X1 call.   When I look through calls soon to be available I consider what it sounds like in CW, spoken as well as in phonetics.
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KM6ZX

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Re: Good Call For CW
« Reply #16 on: June 13, 2021, 09:48:00 AM »

I think  G3EDM would be a great CW call. No two letters sound alike, it has sentimental value and a good story.

When I decided to get a 2x2 call, what I did was I got out my practice key and tried different call signs to see which ones sounded natural, distinct, and were easy to key. Try keying G3EDM a few times. Try other variations. Try completely different call signs. Unless you're a dedicated contester, I don't think the call matters that much. I never had a problem copying an Echo in a call and I don't think anyone else does either.

73 - de Brian KM6ZX

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K7MEM

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Re: Good Call For CW
« Reply #17 on: June 13, 2021, 10:14:31 AM »

But is it a good call for CW? I am worried that the single "dit" might be hard to copy in bad conditions. I've never been on the air, so don't have an easy way to evaluate that personally except that when I monitor the bands I find the single-dits in callsigns can go by rather fast.

I'm a little late in this one, but I don't believe the single "dit" is a issue. I think G3EDM is great.

When I was living in Germany, I operated as DA2EU. I operated CW only and never had anyone get my call wrong. Also with my current call sign, K7MEM, no one has ever gotten it wrong on CW. Even on SSB, it flows easily (kilo seven mike echo mike). The key is how you send it. Don't try to rush through your call sign and it will be easy to recognize.

I have received a few erroneous QSL cards intended for W7MEM, but that has nothing to do with the single "dit" in my call sign.
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Martin - K7MEM
http://www.k7mem.com

G3EDM

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Re: Good Call For CW
« Reply #18 on: June 13, 2021, 10:25:26 AM »

I hope all QSOs are faster than 13WPM !

I'm brushing up my code (learned around 2012-14 but never really completed) with the characters at 20wpm but with 15wpm Farnsworth spacing. Will try gradually to get rid of the Farnsworth in the next week or two.

My experience from listening on the 40m band is that relatively little CW traffic is slower than about 20wpm. Which is not to say that, to start with, I won't try to go rather slower as I get used to it.

It will be odd to do my first QSO ever ... but with a G3 call. That might puzzle some people! (As I've explained elsewhere on the forum, I passed my first ham test nearly 50 years ago but have never been on the air).

73 de Martin, KB1WSY (for now)
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AE8W

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Re: Good Call For CW
« Reply #19 on: June 13, 2021, 11:02:41 AM »

I recently moved but used to live near a ham that over thought things more than even I. His advice for a call sign recipe;
1) light CW weight
2) avoid calls with the last letter ending in a "dit". That last dit can get lost in a little QRN or QRM or whatever
3) when you do get on phone do not get a call with adjacent letters sounding too much alike. I once had N1CZ ... even on full FM quieting or DMR the "C" & "Z" would mess with people. Using phonetics helped slightly but sooner or later the contact would forget and mix them up.

This might seem unecessary but since you asked and have the opportunity to request a call ... go for it!
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W5LE

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Re: Good Call For CW
« Reply #20 on: June 13, 2021, 12:03:12 PM »

If you would like an awesome call for CW, apply for G3ESE. It's not taken and the dit-dididit-dit has a beautiful rhythm to it.  When I used to participate in the Oklahoma QSO Party, I used to love hearing W5ESE as I moved from county to county.  So distinctive.  It's got the same rhythm as an old line from the mid-20th century, "shave and a haircut, six bits". 73 DE Gene W5LE
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M0LEP

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Re: Good Call For CW
« Reply #21 on: June 13, 2021, 12:59:28 PM »

One that seems to be available is G3EDM (it looks like it was SK and now lapsed).

I guess I've lost track of Ofcom's policy regarding re-issuing of calls, but as the previous holder (now SK) seems to have been active as recently as 2014, I'd be a little surprised if Ofcom re-issued the call other than to someone with a family connection to the previous holder.

That said, a G3 call is likely rather better for CW than an M0 ...
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K6AER

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Re: Good Call For CW
« Reply #22 on: June 13, 2021, 06:34:01 PM »

I have had folks return my CQ calling for K6RR.
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AC2EU

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Re: Good Call For CW
« Reply #23 on: June 13, 2021, 06:46:02 PM »

I have had folks return my CQ calling for K6RR.

well, I guess that means you have to put a little more space between the A and the E !   ;D

K6AER

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Re: Good Call For CW
« Reply #24 on: June 13, 2021, 06:49:21 PM »

I have had folks return my CQ calling for K6RR.

well, I guess that means you have to put a little more space between the A and the E !   ;D

They do it even with a key board or auto CQ.
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N8NK

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Re: Good Call For CW
« Reply #25 on: June 13, 2021, 10:16:37 PM »

all kidding aside, you may want to consider the CW weight of the call, and actually try it out on a key before applying for it

Here is a web site where you can put in the call, and it gives you the weighting:

https://fistsna.org/callweight.php

G3EDM = 52 *       Time to send G3EDM at 13 WPM is 4.52 seconds. **

it also has to feel good tapping it out!

I hope all QSOs are faster than 13WPM ! My call got 4.71 seconds, yours (N1IG) is good for almost 4 seconds at that WPM.
Some of the old timers might die before the end of the contact.  :o

I think the feel and flow of the call are more important than the "weight".
Some calls are very awkward sounding.
Absolutely great advice given about listening to it repeatedly to get the feel of how it 'sounds' how it 'flows in your head as you hear it' .. and pound it out on your brass for a while. Then your paddles. Then record it and listen to your potential call.
And consider how it 'flows' when using phone modes. Some calls really are clunky and it's hard to explain why. But you're not going to be able to remember a clunky call for more than a couple seconds, regardless of mode!
I love how 'November Kilo' flows out of my face, and I love the flow of it when using CW, which I use most of the time at anywhere from 1 to maybe 35 on a good day. I match the speed of the other OM.
If you're creative maybe you can concoct a callsign that only requires a single squeeze of the Iambic sticks you diddle   ;)
GL OM and 73
dit dit
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G3EDM

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Re: Good Call For CW
« Reply #26 on: June 13, 2021, 11:04:12 PM »

One that seems to be available is G3EDM (it looks like it was SK and now lapsed).

I guess I've lost track of Ofcom's policy regarding re-issuing of calls, but as the previous holder (now SK) seems to have been active as recently as 2014, I'd be a little surprised if Ofcom re-issued the call other than to someone with a family connection to the previous holder.


I don't know the Ofcom policy regarding relatively recent SK calls. Also, as I mentioned earlier, I would be interested to know whether there is a philosophy among UK hams concerning the adoption of SK calls by current hams. I am, as I also said earlier, neutral on this issue but if there are strong feelings I would not want to upset people.

As someone said in this thread or perhaps another, one possibility would be to mimic my US call (which is expiring soon) and apply for G3WSY. Am I right that this would also be more in keeping with the date that I passed my RAE (December 1971)? The original G3EDM call must have been issued considerably earlier than that.

WSY is a reasonably good call for CW.

73 de Martin, KB1WSY
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G8FXC

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Re: Good Call For CW
« Reply #27 on: June 14, 2021, 01:24:23 AM »


I don't know the Ofcom policy regarding relatively recent SK calls. Also, as I mentioned earlier, I would be interested to know whether there is a philosophy among UK hams concerning the adoption of SK calls by current hams. I am, as I also said earlier, neutral on this issue but if there are strong feelings I would not want to upset people.

...

The majority are fairly neutral on the subject, but there is a vocal minority who object very strongly. They tend to be the same people that object to the removal of the morse testing requirement and the introduction of multiple choice tests. As far as they are concerned, if you have not passed a 12wpm morse test and written a three hour essay style exam, you are a CBer, not a Ham and your call sign should identify you as such... Fortunately there are not many of them.

Martin (G8FXC)
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G3EDM

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Re: Good Call For CW
« Reply #28 on: June 14, 2021, 01:39:57 AM »

The majority are fairly neutral on the subject, but there is a vocal minority who object very strongly. They tend to be the same people that object to the removal of the morse testing requirement and the introduction of multiple choice tests. As far as they are concerned, if you have not passed a 12wpm morse test and written a three hour essay style exam, you are a CBer, not a Ham and your call sign should identify you as such... Fortunately there are not many of them.

Martin (G8FXC)

Is there a place online where I can find out whether a particular G3xxx callsign has *ever* been allocated, or is that something I could only dredge up from old paper call books?

For what it's worth, I came across a similar atmosphere when I was living in America. A passionate set of hams (probably a minority?) objected to people choosing "vanity" calls that previously belonged to SKs. I do sympathise with that opinion, especially if there is a surviving family interest in ham radio. (Speaking personally, I would not care if my call were recycled upon becoming SK.) It was not an issue for me in America because I was not interested in obtaining a U.S. "vanity" call.

In this case however, I did pass my UK RAE in 1971 and would be thrilled to obtain a call of the right "vintage". If that could be one that has never been allocated, it would take care of any possible objections I think.

73 de Martin, KB1WSY
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M0LEP

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Re: Good Call For CW
« Reply #29 on: June 14, 2021, 05:15:47 AM »

Is there a place online where I can find out whether a particular G3xxx callsign has *ever* been allocated, or is that something I could only dredge up from old paper call books?

From time to time Ofcom release a spreadsheet of "available callsigns", but these are, obviously, out-of-date pretty much the moment they're released, and they don't seem to make a habit of releasing them regularly or frequently. I think the latest one I saw was the result of a FOI (Freedom of Information) request, dated early in 2019, and that's the most hideous jumble in no obvious order, with all sorts of random entries that make little or no sense. Even the "Allocation Date" field seems a bit random.

In this case however, I did pass my UK RAE in 1971 and would be thrilled to obtain a call of the right "vintage". If that could be one that has never been allocated, it would take care of any possible objections I think.

1971 seems to coincide (as far as I can figure out from that spreadsheet's somewhat inconsistent "allocation date" column) with the last of the G3 and the first of the G4 calls.

I can't find G3WSY in that spreadsheet, so you might be able to get it. G1WSY and G4WSY are marked as "Reserved" with no date. G6WSY was allocated 1983, G8WSY in 1984 and G0WSY in 1995.

G3EDM is marked as "Reserved" with 3rd June 1948 as the date. G4EDM was allocated in 1975, G6EDM in 1981, G1EDM in 1984, G0EDM in 1986, and (unusually) G7EDM in 1989.  (G2, G5, G7 and G9 calls aren't usually issued.)
« Last Edit: June 14, 2021, 05:25:23 AM by M0LEP »
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