Trying to write down call signs

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Franb

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I guess this is probably the hardest of being a ham? With my portable I listen to hams from everywhere and trying to capture their call sign is next to impossible. I am scheduled to take my tech exam 3-19 and want to next go for the general. I use a little Tecsun PL-660 that just came out which has upper and lower SSB. Great little radio as it catching calls very well with this feature. Its pretty exciting when your listening to a conversation between to fellows one say from Oregon and the other from Midwest. Oh well, I have respect for the dispatchers now. lol
 

mass-man

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I suppose much like a dispatcher, you get good at it. Of course if you don't get it at all, you can always say to other fellow, "Hey OM, I didn't quite get your call...be sure to send it again." Never hurts...
 

K9WG

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Don't feel bad. Even after 30+ years I still have trouble catching some calls, even when they use phonetics. I think some operators run the letters/words together.

73 de Kilo Nine Whiskey Golf
 

LtDoc

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I've noticed what you're talking about lately. Partly because my hearing isn't as good as it used to be, but also because people seem to think of their call sign as something they need to rattle off as quickly as possible to get it out of the way, sort of.
Phonetics certainly help! Even the non-standard ones that are 'odd' enough that they are 'memorable' for whatever reason. (I think the best one I ever heard was "IIP", spoken as 'Icky, Ichky, Poo'!) Being non-standard also means not everyone will 'get' it, different language, accent, slang, etc.
And then there are the times when you will miss the call sign no matter how it's given, stuff happens, oh well. Ask for a repeat till -you- get it right. Or if 'they' get it wrong, repeat it till -'they'- get it right.
- 'Doc
 

n1iic

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Try using an external speaker or headphones/earbuds etc to change the audio quality, you might find it much easier to understand the stations.
I even have the bad habit of doing that at times- we are all guilty of it especially during a contest!
 

macmonkey

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I've had my ticket since Oct of last year. Call Signs can be somewhat like Spanish.. When you are new to it - it seems as if everyone is speaking at light speed. Once your ears get "tuned" you'll have no problem picking a quick or covered up call sign without much problem.

Good luck
 
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elk2370bruce

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The speakers in most of the newer rigs are rather small and are tough to hear on - especially when the bands are doggie crap or during contests. I second the comment that a good quality external speaker, a good set of cans are essential. I have both a Hammarlund 200 speaker and a heil pro cans/boom mike and i'm never sorry that I spend the money on these "accessories".
 

jmp883

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Learning to catch callsigns, and write them down, can be difficult at times. Except for when I'm on my club's repeater, in a QSO with other(s) who already know me, I always spell my callsign out phonetically whenever I make an initial call. When I'm on HF I almost always spell my callsign out everytime I ID vs. just saying it in plain language as HF conditions are so variable.

As has been already posted, you can simply ask for the other station to repeat their call and/or upgrade the equipment in your shack to help you hear things better. I have all my ham transceivers and scanners hooked up to their own external speakers. The audio is much improved over the stock in-radio speakers. I also have a Heil mic/boom setup on my Icom 746Pro and the audio reports post-upgrade were well worth the money invested.

Of course equipment alone won't help you to understand the other operator if he doesn't speak clearly into the microphone. For the last 20 years I've been an emergency services dispatcher and it amazes me that the only training that PD/FD/EMS and dispatch personnel get in regards to radio operation is: "This is the radio. You press this foot pedal and talk. Release the pedal when you're done talking." I've seen dispatchers get so close to the microphone that they almost choke on it and others who sit so far away from the mic that they almost have to yell across the room to be heard. Whether at work or at home I set the microphone up the way I was taught in broadcasting school. The mic is a fist-width away from my mouth at a 45-degree angle. That reduces popped 'P's and other harsh consonants. I also speak a bit slower than I do in normal conversation and use the phonetic alphabet whenever I feel something may not be heard correctly by the units in the field. I get very few complaints, or requests to repeat, from my officers or from those I'm in a QSO with.

It's the same thing for those who operate mobiles and H/T's, ham or professionally. You need to hold the mic at a distance that will allow your transmission to come across clearly. Too close to your mouth and you'll sound muffled or over-modulated. Too far away, or leaving the mic in the holder, and you have to yell across the car to be heard. For me that distance seems to be the same as my desk mics, about a fist-width from my mouth. I also hold the mic at a slight angle from my mouth to avoid the harsh consonants.

Okay...I've rambled on a bit too much here. I know the OP was just talking about logging callsigns and I covered a lot more than that but I'm just trying to help :p
 
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PeterGV

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On the local repeaters, I find it difficult copying callsigns as well. I'm CERTAIN it has to do with my hearing. It also has to do with folks saying their own callsigns very quickly.

I find that nobody minds repeating. I especially notice this because I have a *very* difficult callsign to copy, so NObody on a repeater copies my callsign correctly the first time -- even when I say it slowly and often even when I use ITU phonetics. So, when they ask me to repeat MINE, I ask them to repeat theirs.

Or, if my mobile is scanning in the car, and I hear somebody say "AB1mumble... listening" I do what I do on HF (though a bit more wordy), I say "last station calling, sorry... I didn't get your callsign... this is Kilo One Papa Golf Victor, go ahead!"

That usually results in an exchange of "what was YOUR callsign?" -- "Can you say your callsign and name again, please?"

Hey... if nothing else it gives you something to start talking about on the drive home from work, talking with somebody you've never met before. :)

Peter
K1PGV
 

cifn2

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I suppose much like a dispatcher, you get good at it. Of course if you don't get it at all, you can always say to other fellow, "Hey OM, I didn't quite get your call...be sure to send it again." Never hurts...

I would agree, some call signs are memorable when you repeat them back in your head, and some are confusing. After nearly 2 years dispatching, some license plates you can remember or write or type in, while others you have to go to the recorder to see what it was to make sure. I am not good with call signs on the ham side either lol. Its mostly probably about training your ears to be paying attention.
 
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