What use is an F-call?

You may have noticed over the past little while that I've been talking about off-air activities more than the ones achieved whilst actually sitting behind a radio. It's not because I'm no longer interested in talking about that, it's because of late I've had little opportunity to actually be on-air. Suffice to say, I'm working on it - hi hi.

Until now I've only really used my Amateur Radio for making QSO's, that is, making contact with stations and having a quick exchange of signal report, sometimes a description of our respective equipment and perhaps the local weather.

Recently I had the opportunity to use it for a slightly different purpose, which gave me a hands-on feel for why we have the protocols we do. Several Amateurs were all gathered in a 50 square km area, all well within VHF range, but out of sight of each other.

Within 10 minutes each Amateur on frequency knew where everyone else was and each was heading for the same location.

That in itself doesn't sound that remarkable, but it was the first time that I'd actually experienced the purpose of the way we use our call-signs and how multiple stations work together on the same frequency to achieve a common objective without anyone missing out, getting stomped on, or being misdirected.

There's a big difference between being taught how to operate your radio, doing a contest, having a chat, and actually using your radio to achieve a more directed goal.

If you've only had your radio ready for making call backs to the news, or for participating in a contest, all I can do is encourage you to try and use your radio in different situations. You may find that the things you've been taught actually obtain a different meaning if you observe or use them in a different context.

In what environments have you had the opportunity to use your radio, and what did you learn from that? Let me know.

I'm Onno VK6FLAB