[Boatanchors] Why The Letter "Q" And Who Invented The Code?

[Jim Wilhite]

Back when I licensed Break was the proper way to enter into an ongoing 
QSO.  Contact was used when you heard a station in a net of some sort 
and you wanted to pass information that only applied to that station.

No one uses Break much anymore because of the CB lingo but I still hear 
Contact from time to time.

Jim/W5JO

>

> From: "Duane Fischer, W8DBF"
>
>
>> Hi Jim,
>>
>> Which raises another somewhat related question.
>>
>> Suppose a QSO between two or more Hams is in progress. Suppose a new
> arrival
>> on the frequency wants to get a station signal/audio report. How is 
>> he/she
>> supposed to make contact? Does he/she say "Contact", or "Break", just 
>> give
>> his/her call sign or?
>>
>> Some say that "Contact" is only used when the new party desires to 
>> make
>> contact with a specific station among those having the ongoing QSO. 
>> Others
>> say that "Break" is a Citizens Band term, which is true, and is not 
>> to be
>> used on Ham Radio. Not that it is illegal, just not proper Ham
> termonology.
>> Then others say it is proper to simply give your call sign over the 
>> air
> and
>> wait to be called by one of the stations having the QSO.
>>
>> So Jim, or whomever, what is the proper way to ask for a station 
>> signal
>> quality check when one encounters a QSO in progress among two or more
> Hams?
>>
>> Additionally, does the means differ if said QSO in progress is a
> structured
>> Net?
>>
>> Thanks guys!