What use is an F-call?

In the normal day-to-day interaction between amateurs on air we use the procedure to say the other station's call-sign, followed by our own. If there's two people on-air, this is a simple way to have a discussion.

But what if there are more?

If it's informal, we tend to talk in a circle, that is, we keep handing the microphone to the next person in the line. For this to work, you need to remember who comes after you, so you can hand it over to them. If you want to join in a discussion like this, say your callsign between hand-overs and you'll be asked to join in. It's best to wait for a whole circuit, so you know who is in the discussion and what the sequence of people is. Again, you need to remember who comes after you.

Sometimes this descends into anyone talks to anyone, but often that means that one or more people miss out, so be mindful of those who are sitting on the side, they too might have something to share.

If the discussion is a more regular occurrence, it might turn into a more formal thing, called a net. There are many different ways of managing a net, but all of them require that you leave some time between each over, to allow new people to check in, or for the net controller, often the convener of the net, to manage the net.

A net can be run with a master controller. Picture it like a spoke and hub. The controller sits in the middle like a chair person in a meeting and you speak to the chair, they hand the microphone to the next person. So the controller will call you and you'll call them. You only need to remember their callsign (and yours of course). To join in, announce your callsign between overs, and the next station should acknowledge you and if it's the controller will invite you in. Sometimes you'll be next, sometimes you'll be added to the list, sometimes you'll be placed where the controller thinks it fits best. If you have urgent business, you might say your callsign with the words "with urgent business", so the controller can hand the microphone to you sooner.

The 7130 DX net has a controller, often its Roy, VK7ROY in Tasmania. He'll call for stations to check in and create the master list. He'll then call for stations wanting to make a contact. Roy will run through the contact list, encouraging each station to make one or two DX contacts. When the call-list is done, Roy will ask for more stations on the master list, and so on. As an F-call, it's a great way to be heard and make some DX contacts.

As a tip, write down each callsign, name and signal strength you hear, since it will help you figure out who Roy is talking to, and it will help you figure out who you might be able to contact. A station in the USA with a signal strength 2 might not be able to hear your station, then again they might.

Each on-air discussion has its own set of conventions, or rules. It pays to have a listen to a discussion before you barge in. If two guys are on air discussing their personal lives, they might not want to talk to you and may ignore you. On the other hand, they might want to hear your contribution, since they too were new hams at one point in their life.

Have a listen to on-air discussion, be respectful, and participate. It's lots of fun and often leads to lifetime friendships.

I'm Onno VK6FLAB