What use is an F-call?

Recently I received an email from a fellow amateur who pointed out a curious phenomenon that was being taken up by new amateurs with little purpose or necessity.

He pointed out that on air some amateurs, myself included, are referring to local companies indirectly, saying things like the Green Hardware Store, the J-store and the Blue Furniture Warehouse, meaning Bunnings, Jaycar and Ikea.

Gasp, horror, I've just said three company names on air. Bunnings, Jaycar and Ikea, and I did it again. The world didn't come to a sudden and laborious stop, reversed direction and made a big mess. We don't think twice about saying Yaesu, Icom, Kenwood, Elecraft and any other brand, so what's going on?

As was pointed out to me, the Amateur License Conditions prohibit commercial use of the amateur bands. The people who were on the air before me were using strange constructs, so I copied them. People keep copying from what they hear and so it continues, until at some point the original person who said it in the first place, is no longer on air and their legacy continues. Sometimes this is a good thing, but in this case it's just plain silly.

There's nothing preventing you from naming names, pointing people to a purchase you made, or making suggestions about where to buy a particular part or component. You're not allowed to start making a 30 second spot that starts advertising the wares of a supplier or starting to sound like Pete Smith with the Sale of the Century, but short of that, you're pretty much good to go.

So, thanks for pointing this out to me, and I hope that I'm able to pass on the knowledge.

I wonder what other bad habits I've already picked up in my blossoming amateur activities.

I'm Onno VK6FLAB