Do you know a band policeman?

[w2xq]

For giggles and grins... enjoy.

Why YOU should NOT be Ham Radio BAND POLICEMAN - …:

File it in "you can't make it up." He...he.

 

[KE0GXN]

I don't know any.....but I have heard many.

 

[needairtime]

Heard, yes; and also think I met them IRL.

Something also sort of confused of. Is calling "Break" is necessarily an "emergency" or just trying to break into a conversation? I was thinking that it's more of a CB colloquialism but acceptable. On the other hand, calling "Mayday" is definitely not something to do if there is no emergency.

The "band policeman" I know doesn't like "Break" always calls that out. I don't know what the proper behavior is... For me I just do "(callsign)-comment" for non-emergency "would like to add" but this is at least 6 syllables of words, increasing chances of double-key... "Break" is just one and is a short, clear to everyone way that someone wants to interject and should hold off on the PTT?

 

[Hit_Factor]

I heard a ham absolutely freak out on a break call.

He was out of line in his response, profanity and ranting. That was on HF.

On our local repeaters, we just announce our callsign to join a conversation.

If I had something important to say, callsign followed by the word priority is what I would probably say.

I don't think mayday would come to mind, I would call emergency based on radio protocol when I was a cop.

73, K8HIT
Icom: IC-7300, IC-PW1, ID-5100A, ID-51A Plus 2, IC-R30, Hytera PD782G, Kenwood TH-D74, Uniden SDS100, DVMega, SDRplay RSPduo

 

[needairtime]

I know of two people who typically use 'break' (one syllable) to announce a non-emergency add to conversation, though typically one of those tends to add some flourish to the "break" to make it seem more lighthearted (and make it longer than one syllable, defeating the purpose). Then that other person I know tends to immediately jump and remind that "break" was for emergency only -- though this seems to be typically reminded on one of the local repeater's nets...

How about if someone says S O S on phone, whether if people would take that seriously... Though on the other hand, for CW that definitely means something...

 

[k6cpo]

The use of the word "break" is perfectly acceptable in a normal radio conversation. Listen to military communications, especially the US Coast Guard. It's used all the time. Somewhere, sometime, somehow, somebody decided it meant "emergency" and now the self-appointed band policeman think they are improving communications by calling out people that use it.

I run nets for both my club and for twice-yearly hospital support drills with the local ARES group. As a matter of routine, I use "break" during those nets and so far I haven't had anyone call me out on it.

 

[needairtime]

In fact it is one of the ARES groups that seems to reemphasize it... they say at the beginning to use the word "break" to announce an emergency to interrupt the net. Then I suppose these "cops" tend to carry that out of the ARES net and imply that "break" means emergency any time.

I also have another cop story... people having music in the background and people calling others out on having music in the background. I think this is also a misguided policing. Though there's a rule that we are not allowed to play music over amateur, the intent is broadcasting music as "interference" (since playing music is one way and NOT two way communication) versus accidental or incidental (since another radio was on in the background or a friend nearby is practicing for a musical performance.)

But perhaps someone else really would like to take the rule literally?

 

[bill4long]

I've been a ham for 40 years. "Break" is commonly understood by older hams to mean "emergency". I never use it.
I use "comment" if I have a comment, "question" if I have a question, or just say my call sign and the reason why I want to break in.

I would not give anyone any static for saying "break." It's not offensive to me. We all have peeves and that is not one of mine.
I tend to eschew jargon, and prefer plain language, but I'm tolerant. What irks me are people saying "QSL" on phone, especially FM or digital voice. But that's another thread.

 

[hill]

Break is used in a different way in the Coast Guard.

It is a Proword use to sperate two parts of the message.

 

[bill4long]

Break is used in a different way in the Coast Guard.

It is a Proword use to sperate two parts of the message.

That's how the police use it around here.

 

[kg4ciu]

being that the amatwur rasio swrvice is self policing toy should know several band policmen

 

[citiot]

On CW pileups, the police who are precisely zero-beated on the DX freq are sooo enjoyable and helpful.... arg.

Also, when the DX is calling outside the U.S. phone band, the police will proclaim "out of U.S. band!!!!" (with no ID of course). So funny.

 

[kayn1n32008]

Also, when the DX is calling outside the U.S. phone band, the police will proclaim "out of U.S. band!!!!" (with no ID of course). So funny.

There is a reason some of us don’t operate inside the US phone bands...

Nothing worse than trying to work DX, with Kalifornia Kilowatts hammering away with a voice keyer, not pausing to listen for a response.


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[citiot]

"There is a reason some of us don’t operate inside the US phone bands "

I guess i wasn't being clear.

Example. 20 meter pileup from a DX station outside of U.S. in an IARU region that allows SSB below 14.150. The DX station might be listening 14.250, but calling on 14.130. Sometimes the U.S. operator might not have his/her radio accidentally not set up for split and will be throwing their call on 14.130 (which is out of the phone band for U.S. stations).

Inevitably, there will be a frequency cop (in perfect U.S. English) who will purposely transmit on 14.130 saying "out of band! out of band!" {sometimes with the suffix of the other station who is accidentally calling on 130). That's, of course, illegal and arguably far worse than a person simply making a mistake and not having split set on their radio i.e. the frequency cops are deliberately transmitting out of band.

Yes, the big guns are a problem, but with some finesse (like tail ending), actually spinning the knob rather than look at the DX cluster, etc you can still get the DX.

I've even given my call in falsetto voice and the DX will hear my voice over the cacophony. Sneaky, but legal and I get them logged.

 

[kayn1n32008]

"There is a reason some of us don’t operate inside the US phone bands "

I guess i wasn't being clear.

Example. 20 meter pileup from a DX station outside of U.S. in an IARU region that allows SSB below 14.150. The DX station might be listening 14.250, but calling on 14.130. Sometimes the U.S. operator might not have his/her radio accidentally not set up for split and will be throwing their call on 14.130 (which is out of the phone band for U.S. stations).

Inevitably, there will be a frequency cop (in perfect U.S. English) who will purposely transmit on 14.130 saying "out of band! out of band!" {sometimes with the suffix of the other station who is accidentally calling on 130). That's, of course, illegal and arguably far worse than a person simply making a mistake and not having split set on their radio i.e. the frequency cops are deliberately transmitting out of band.

Yes, the big guns are a problem, but with some finesse (like tail ending), actually spinning the knob rather than look at the DX cluster, etc you can still get the DX.

I've even given my call in falsetto voice and the DX will hear my voice over the cacophony. Sneaky, but legal and I get them logged.

Ahh.

It is finesse. I got good at snagging DX with only 100w.

It paid off working in a military bombing range where we have oil/gas activity, in order to move around in the range we had to ask for, and receive clearance from range control utilizing VHF LMR repeaters. In the winter, when activity is highest due to being able to make ice roads, past experience working DX and tail-ending paid off, as I usually only had to throw my range assigned call sign out once. My coworker would get pissed off because he quite often had to try calling 2 or 3 times before the range control would acknowledge him.


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[k6cpo]

Break is used in a different way in the Coast Guard.

It is a Proword use to sperate two parts of the message.

And that's how I use it in nets (carryover from my Navy and LEO dispatching training.)

 

[cmdrwill]

The DX station might be listening 14.250, but calling on 14.130. Sometimes the U.S. operator might not have his/her radio accidentally not set up for split and will be throwing their call on 14.130 (which is out of the phone band for U.S. stations).

Very important for HF Ops. And none of this IS on the Ham tests, and most forget the questions and answers.

 

[Lauri-CoyoteFrostbite]

I have been DX, sometimes quite exotic... and all the shenanigans of the radio cops, frequency Gestapo's and the space cadets drove me to abandoning DX long ago.


When I lived in Central America I had a fairly rare callsign. It was impossible to operate anywhere below 14.250 or above 14.125 with out incessant interruptions by stations "needing my country for their XYZ Award."
I had very early-on learned if I was going to stay with the hobby, I had to operate in a stealth fashion. This usually involved avoiding 20 altogether, but when I did venture on, it was way up around 14.340, an using lower sideband for talking home to family and friends, ..... esque'ing the frequent use of callsigns-- running as low profile as possible.

Then somewhere along the line I tried to work "split frequencies'-

That was the biggest ham radio disaster of my hobby's career.
If I operated outside the US phone band, say 14.110 and announced I "was listening 14.160"-- the band turned into chaos from 14.100 to 14.200. I couldn't pick out any calls, the band turned into a garbage dump, and my popularity for turning it into such put me into the toilet.

About two attempts at "working splits" cured me permanently of DX. I have never (!) done that again.

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

As a KX6 (now V73) I'll operate almost exclusively 17 metre's. It was almost as good, propagation wise, as 20, but none of the clown antics found there.
I had a friend, a P2 in Papua New Guinea whom I talked to practically daily on 18.113- sometimes for hours. She was the wife of a mining engineer, living out in company compound in the bush.... and our discussions of all things were never ending.
We would actually call for people to join us, though very seldom did anyone break in.

But it was one of those rare "break'ers" that got me back into DX for a short while.
He was an Italian; and a station with an awesome signal. He volunteer'd to be my 'guardian' on 40 in the evenings, if I and my P2 friend wanted to venture into DX'ing.

He and another Italian super-plus kilowatt friend 'rode shotgun' for us.
We only worked single frequency and our friends would call for stations in certain areas, make lists, and then read them out. Each station would then in turn call us, make their contact and then we'd be muv'd by our friends to the next on their list.

"If anyone steps out of line, gets rude or abusive, Miss Lauri and Miss Pamila will never, ever talk to you and we will close this all down...capisci?"

---------------And those two Italian gentlemen never had to enforce that.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


We met on 40 for many evenings, during that Northern hemispheric winter. By the time the band started to fizzle out with Spring time, practically everyone that wanted a P2 or KX6 had made their contacts.

I never met our charming "Band Police'-- they went on to better things, no doubt.
But shortly after the bands closed, I and Pam both received huge wooden crates from Italy- filled with wines, cheeses... salamis-- beautiful gifts from these two 'radio cops.'

Lauri
.
.

 

[kayn1n32008]

I have been DX, sometimes quite exotic... and all the shenanigans of the radio cops, frequency Gestapo's and the space cadets drove me to abandoning DX long ago.


When I lived in Central America I had a fairly rare callsign. It was impossible to operate anywhere below 14.250 or above 14.125 with out incessant interruptions by stations "needing my country for their XYZ Award."
I had very early-on learned if I was going to stay with the hobby, I had to operate in a stealth fashion. This usually involved avoiding 20 altogether, but when I did venture on, it was way up around 14.340, an using lower sideband for talking home to family and friends, ..... esque'ing the frequent use of callsigns-- running as low profile as possible.

Then somewhere along the line I tried to work "split frequencies'-

That was the biggest ham radio disaster of my hobby's career.
If I operated outside the US phone band, say 14.110 and announced I "was listening 14.160"-- the band turned into chaos from 14.100 to 14.200. I couldn't pick out any calls, the band turned into a garbage dump, and my popularity for turning it into such put me into the toilet.

About two attempts and "working splits" cured me. I have never (!) done that again.

As a KX6 (now V73) I would operate almost exclusively 17 metre's. It was almost as good, propagation wise, as 20, but none of the clown antics found there.
I had a friend, a P2 in Papua New Guinea whom I talked to practically daily on 18.113- sometimes for hours. She was the wife of a mining engineer, living out in company compound in the bush.... and our discussions of all things were never ending.
We would actually call for people to join us, though very seldom did anyone break in.

But it was one of those rare "break'ers" that got me back into DX for a short while.
He was an Italian; and a station with a awesome signal. He volunteer'd to be my 'guardian' on 40 in the evenings, if I and my P2 friend wanted to venture into DX'ing.

He and another Italian super kilowatt friend rode 'ride shotgun' for us.
We only worked single frequency and our friends would call for stations in certain areas, make lists, and then read them out. Each station would then in turn call us, make their contact and then we'd be muv'd by our friends to the next on their list.

"If anyone steps out of line, gets rude or abusive, Miss Lauri and Miss Pamila will never, ever talk to you and we will close this all down...capisci?"

---------------And those two Italian gentlemen never had enforce that.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


We met on 40 for many evenings, during that Northern hemispheric winter. By the time the band started to fizzle out with spring, practically everyone that wanted a P2 or KX6 had made their contacts.

I never met our charming "Band Police'-- they went on to better things, no doubt.
But shortly after the bands closed, I and Pam both both received huge wooden crates from Italy- filled with wines, cheeses... salamis-- beautiful gifts from these two 'radio cops.'

Lauri
.
.

Yea. 20m can be a real gong show. Best to avoid it all together. 17, 15, 12 and 10m are my preferred bands. They don’t seem to suffer the fools that 20, 40 and 80m seem to attract.


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[needairtime]

I wonder why certain bands tend to collect certain kinds of people... I know of this one person on the local UHF repeater who refuses to use certain bands because of the discussions that end up on it...

Unfortunately no HF radio here or antenna, so I don't know. My vacuum tube shortwave radio has yet to pick up anything from a ham, though part of it is the lack of antenna and the high noise floor of my house...