Callsign Order. - It is a requirement to give the other station's callsign first, followed by your own in all cases.

Suppose your callsign is VK3FABC and you are in a QSO with VK3FXYZ - you would say VK3FXYZ, VK3FABC. If you were going to turn the next part of the QSO over to VK3FKLM, you would say VK3FKLM, VK3FABC.

It's simple: Remember to always put your callsign last.
Buying Secondhand Equipment. - As a Foundation Licence holder you have a legal obligation to stay within the restrictions placed on your licence. You are not permitted to use non-commercial or modified transmitters and are also not permitted to modify your own.

Make sure that what you are about to buy is legal for your licence and is either commercial or unmodified and can be adjusted to limit the output power to the maximum you are allowed.
Getting Started. - So, you've got your licence and are wondering how to decide what equipment to get? How do you make sure that you get what will best suit you? Maybe we can make it a little easier for you. You need to choose whether you want to operate:

HF only - This will allow communication to virtually anywhere in the world subject to the time of day and your antenna system. It will provide access to the greatest number of amateur contacts but the most important part of your installation is likely to be your antenna. Anything less than a sizeable installation may lead to disappointment.

VHF only - This band is usually more active than UHF and is used for keeping in touch with other local amateurs - mobile and fixed, simplex or through the many repeaters installed throughout the country. It also allows access to IRLP for worldwide contacts via the Internet. The 6m band is also part of VHF but contacts will be few and far between.

UHF - Usually less active than VHF but provides the same sort of operation as VHF.

Multiband - It is possible to purchase a transceiver that will cover all bands in the one unit if that's what you want.

Having decided what bands you are going to operate on, you will then need to decide whether you want to operate:

Base/Fixed or Mobile Station - Most of today's transceivers are capable of being installed in a vehicle for mobile operation - if you can find the room. This means you will most likely be able to go mobile if you want to.

Portable or Handheld - Handheld transceivers might sound like a good idea but are usually 5W or less and their antennas are a compromise. Unless you are close to a repeater you may be disappointed with performance. Shifting position slightly can make all the difference between making it and not making it. It is probably better to use a handheld as a second set rather than as your main transceiver. They are also usually restricted to VHF/UHF.

The best advice would be to talk to as many amateurs as you can to find out their thoughts on what you are planning. Remember, "You can't use what you haven't got." If you are like most of us, on a limited budget, you will want to get your first purchase right to get the most enjoyment from your new hobby.
Calling Practices. - Bands or modes that use frequency channels, such as the FM sections of 2m and 70cm, generally do not require the drawn out, repetitive calling practices of tunable modes such as SSB. This is especially so when using repeaters.

It is common practise on the channelised modes/bands to only give the callsign of the person you are calling followed by your own callsign, eg., VK3XXX, VK3YYY calling. You may give the called party callsign twice to give scanning receivers a slightly longer signal to latch onto. Potential contacts are either listening to the channel and will respond if they want to, or they are not listening and will not respond no matter how much you call. It is also not common practice to call CQ on a repeater channel. It is only necessary to say VK3XXX listening, or something similar.
Phonetics. - Phonetic spelling is designed to be used when reception is difficult and clarification of words is required. Although there is nothing technically wrong with using phonetics, unnecessary use will soon tire listeners. Use them only when there will be some benefit in using them.
Listening. - Remember that amateurs are not the only ones that may be listening to you. Many non-amateurs have scanners and listen to all sorts of frequencies.
Created 2005 by Kevin Crockett. Comments and suggestions may be e-mailed to