[Fists] QSY'ing away from a calling freq.

[David Ring]

You're right Ernie, if everyone had a private frequency it would be chaos.

ARRL on two occasions tried to implement voluntary calling frequencies
I think the last time was around 1966.  They even bound in a
detachable perforated colored card in an issue of "QST" with all the
frequencies on it.  It was a miserable failure.

FISTS may be paddling upstream, but that is the way they want it.  It
has a lot of merit but what doesn't help is lots of people undermining
FISTS role to educate the CW operator and promote good and perhaps
even "advanced" techniques.

If you don't want to play the calling frequency game - call nearby on
a clear frequency.  That's what I do.   I'll make a short call on the
calling frequency and if no takers, I'll shift off to say - 14,057 and
call CQ.

Works for me.

Ernie - many of us like your suggestion about "center of activity" -
but so far we have been unsuccessful at getting the policy changed.
Right now - and it always has been - FISTS says that their frequencies
are calling frequencies - for calls and reply only - and that once
contact has been established, the stations are to move off frequency
and leave the calling frequency clear for calls.

I don't want to blame the late George G3ZQS for this - but he was
adamant about it.  I do see that the new UK regime has moderated their
language:  http://www.fists.co.uk/index_files/FREQS.htm

They retain the "calling frequencies" and add "centre of activity
plus/minus 10 kHz" and strangely remove any calling frequency on 6
meters.  If any band needed a calling frequency it is vhf - you either
have to spend all day tuning around or you'll miss another station.

www.fists.org (USA) maintains the G3ZQS language and also (Yes!) the 6
meter calling frequency:

*********************************************
>From http://www.fists.org/activity.html

CALLING FREQUENCIES

FISTS members can be found on or near any frequency ending in .x58
(.058, .158, .258, etc)

Here are recommended calling frequencies by band. REMEMBER, these are
recommended CALLING frequencies and QSO's should be moved to another
frequency.

********************************************

Again - that's FISTS North America.  You can read it if you want to.

Few actual calling frequencies exist - I can think of only a few -
those on vhf and uhf - the Alaska Emergency frequency (non ham but
hams are allowed to use), 14,300 maritime ships, 14,052 Maritime
Operators (SOWP, INORC, RNARS and other groups) and 14,055 the USA
county hunters net.  Of course, VHF Channel 16 marine still exists -
but even there with the undisciplined boat owners they gab on that
channel - and internationally the "Fillipino Monkey" sing song chant
has been heard chanting from Dubai to Dundee and all the seas in
between.

In other words - the masses don't like the channels - but the real
radio operators do, and they use them and then chat undisturbed
elsewhere!

73

DR






On Sun, Aug 17, 2008 at 6:26 PM, Ernie <w8eh.ernie at gmail.com> wrote:

> If every group has a calling frequency, where do we work? That is what it is
> about. If there was one calling frequency on the band that everyone
> observed, that's one thing, but to have every little group keeping a calling
> frequency is another.

> How about just calling it "Fists - center of activity", instead of insisting that it is Fists
> private calling frequency.