How to Call CQ on Digital Simple Radio (Calling Other Stations)
Table of Contents
NOTEThis article describes CQ calling conventions and operating procedures specific to Japanese Digital Simple Radio (DCR), a Japanese license-free radio service.
To call other stations over the radio, you have to call CQ. Here is a summary of conventions to observe and how to transmit when calling CQ on Digital Simple Radio.
Here’s the post about how I started Digital Simple Radio.
I just started recently myself, so I don’t know if this is completely correct.
I’ve only really grasped the general vibe by listening to other stations’ contacts, so I could be wrong.
There are several other pages introducing how to call CQ, so it’s best to form your judgment by taking them all together.
Also, there seem to be some regional variations in conventions, so the best thing to do is to monitor / watch (listening to other people’s contacts).
What Is CQ in the First Place?
In radio communications, CQ is an abbreviation used to call all stations within communication range at once, or when attempting to transmit a message to them simultaneously.
It’s essentially saying: “Is anyone listening? If you hear me, please respond.”
Unlike amateur radio, Digital Simple Radio doesn’t have operating procedures strictly defined by law. Even so, there are certain manners, or rather conventions.
Rather than memorizing them blindly, if you understand these conventions as a protocol designed to:
- Avoid causing interference or communication disruptions to others
- In particular, avoid inconveniencing commercial stations using the radio for work
- Smoothly facilitate exchanges with other stations through standard phrases
it’s all basically common sense (“well, of course that’s why”), so you should be able to pick it up easily.
Overall Flow
The workflow when calling CQ is as follows:
Let’s go over each step in detail.
Finding a Suitable Channel Other than Ch 15
On Digital Simple Radio, ch 15 is designated as the calling-only channel. Ch 15 must only be used for calling other stations; using it for anything else should be avoided as much as possible.
If you call CQ on ch 15 and only then start looking for a clear channel, things get pretty messy, so it’s better to look for a clear channel beforehand.
So, pick a channel other than ch 15 that looks clear. Picking one close to ch 15 might make switching channels quicker and easier.
Below, we’ll refer to the chosen channel as ch XX.
Monitoring Ch XX for a Few Minutes
Even if you listen for a moment and don’t sense any conversation going on, it might actually be in use. To avoid that, monitor that channel for at least 2 or 3 minutes to gain more confidence that nobody is using it.
As a baseline premise, there is an etiquette rule that Digital Simple Radio should prioritize commercial stations using it for work. People playing around as a hobby must do everything possible to avoid getting in the way of people’s jobs.
Performing a Channel Check on Ch XX
If you’ve monitored for a bit and there’s no sign of activity, you transmit to confirm that nobody is using it.
Transmit the following on ch XX:
(Substitute your own chosen callsign in place of “Tokyo AA999”.)
Channel check, channel check.
Is anyone using channel XX?
This is Tokyo AA999. Please let me know if I am causing any interference.
This applies to subsequent transmissions as well, but because audio quality over the radio can inevitably be poor or cut out intermittently:
- Speak clearly, slowly, and distinctly
- Leave pauses between phrases
It seems wise to be conscious of this. Apparently, people with clear, easy-to-understand voices have a higher chance of having their CQ answered.
Just to be safe, wait about 1 minute and perform the channel check one more time:
Channel check, channel check.
Is anyone using channel XX?
This is Tokyo AA999. Please let me know if I am causing any interference.
If there’s still no reply, you can safely conclude that this channel is not in use. Remember the channel number and move on to the next step.
Calling CQ on Ch 15 and Specifying the Destination Channel
Now it’s finally time to call CQ on ch 15. Once you’ve confirmed that ch 15 isn’t currently in use in the first place, transmit the following:
CQ DCR (CQ D-C-R), CQ DCR.
This is Tokyo AA999, Tokyo Alpha Alpha 999.
Operating portable from Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.
Is any station reading me?
If you copy, please stand by for a contact on channel XX with no privacy code, channel XX with no privacy code.
QSYing to channel XX.
There are mystery words flying all over the place here, so let’s break it down line by line.
CQ DCR (CQ D-C-R), CQ DCR.
Tacking “DCR” onto CQ stands for “Digital Convenience Radio” (= Digital Simple Radio).
Whether you include it or not is up to you, but for people who are monitoring CB or amateur radio at the same time as Digital Simple Radio, having the “DCR” tag immediately tells them “ah, a CQ came in on DCR,” which is apparently very helpful.
”This Is Tokyo AA999, Tokyo Alpha Alpha 999.”
State your station’s callsign.
It’s considerate to give it twice: once without phonetic code, and once with phonetic code. For numbers as well, it might be good to say them differently: the first time as individual digits like “nine-nine-nine” (kyū-kyū-kyū), and the second time as a full number like “nine hundred ninety-nine” (kyū-hyaku kyū-jū kyū).
Also, if you are operating in an area (let’s say Area X) different from the place name in your callsign, you can append “Portable X” to the end of your callsign. For example, if station “Tokyo AA999” is operating in Area 8 (Hokkaido), it would be:
Tokyo AA999 Portable 8 (Eight)
I can’t imagine omitting it causes trouble for anyone, so I don’t think it’s an absolute must in terms of etiquette. It’s just that tacking it on sounds kind of cool.
”Operating Portable from Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.”
State where you are operating from.
The location doesn’t need to be exact; something on the scale of a ward or city seems reasonable. The reason for sharing this is so that, for example, someone using a directional antenna can point it your way to improve signal reception.
If you are operating a fixed rig at home, you append “fixed” (kotei), and if operating with a mobile or handheld rig, you append “portable/mobile” (idō). I can’t really think of much practical reason to mention this either, but again, saying it just sounds kind of cool.
”Is Any Station Reading Me?”
Literally what it says.
”If You Copy, Please Stand By for a Contact on Channel XX with No Privacy Code, Channel XX with No Privacy Code.”
Ask them to move to channel XX, which you confirmed earlier was clear.
Should You Use a Privacy Code or Not?
Digital Simple Radio has a feature called a privacy code (scrambler code). When enabled, only people who have set the exact same privacy code can decode what you receive.
There is a movement among Digital Simple Radio hobbyists to set their privacy code to “27144.” In my experience, about 30% of operators use it that way, but whether this can truly be considered good etiquette remains questionable.
That’s because even if you transmit with a privacy code enabled, other radios still pick up the radio transmission itself—they just can’t decode the audio.
For example, if you happen to cause interference to people using the radio for work, without a privacy code they can tell: “Ah, the hobby guys just jumped in.” Once they know that, as soon as your transmission ends they can say, “We’re using this channel right now, please move to another channel,” or they can move to another channel themselves.
If you have a privacy code set, they can’t decode it, so all they know is: “We’re getting jammed by mystery radio waves.” On top of that, Digital Simple Radio has a feature called carrier sense. This is a mechanism that prevents you from transmitting while your radio is picking up radio waves from another station.
With mystery radio waves locked by a privacy code, they have no idea whatsoever when that transmission will end. That means even if they wanted to complain, they can’t find an opening.
If you ask which is more considerate to others, personally I wonder if it’s better not to use a privacy code at all.
”QSYing to Channel XX.”
QSY is nothing more than a cool-sounding way of saying “I am changing frequencies.” On Digital Simple Radio, it represents changing channels.
Calling CQ on Ch XX
Once you’ve finished the call on ch 15, switch to ch XX, which you confirmed was clear earlier, and call CQ again:
CQ DCR (CQ D-C-R), CQ DCR.
This is Tokyo AA999, Tokyo Alpha Alpha 999.
Operating portable from Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.
Is any station reading me?
This is Tokyo AA999.
If you copy, please stand by for a contact. Over.
Considering that the other station needs to copy you next, it’s considerate to transmit your own callsign once more toward the end of the transmission.
CQ Successful! Beginning the Contact
If someone hears your CQ and feels like talking, you’ll get a response along the lines of:
Station Tokyo AA999, do you copy? This is Okinawa ZZ111.
Note the other station’s callsign, and reply with something like:
Station Okinawa ZZ111, this is Tokyo AA999.
Yes, I copy you, thank you very much.
And with that, the CQ is a success. Nice!
From here on out, all that’s left is to chat freely, but it’s probably best to send an RS report right off the bat.
RS Report (Signal Report)
Telling the other station their readability and signal strength.
It follows a standardized format, represented by two numbers.
Readability is given on a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 means “completely readable.” Conversely, 1 means “unreadable.” Readability is also sometimes referred to as “merit” (meritto).
This is a convention borrowed from amateur radio, but on Digital Simple Radio, since the signal is digitized, it might not mean very much. As long as the audio isn’t breaking up, basically giving them a 5 should be fine.
As for signal strength, if your transceiver has an S-meter, you give that number. If it doesn’t have an S-meter, you don’t even have to mention it, or if it shows a cell-phone-style antenna icon, saying something like “3 bars on the antenna icon” works too.
So the RS report should settle into one of the following patterns:
- The report is 59 (five-nine).
- Merit 5.
- Merit 5, signal strength is 3 bars on the antenna icon.
I personally use the third one.
Starting the Conversation
So the first exchange after the other station responds will probably look something like this:
Station Okinawa ZZ111, this is Tokyo AA999.
Yes, I copy you, thank you very much.
As for the RS report, you are coming in at merit 5, signal strength 3 bars on the antenna icon.
How is our signal on your end? Back to you from Tokyo AA999, over.
If they heard you properly, you should get an RS report back from the other station as well.
With that, the contact is established. After that, feel free to talk about whatever you like.
However, to make it clear to both the other station and third parties who is transmitting to whom, it’s probably best to always stick to the following format:
Station Okinawa ZZ111, this is Tokyo AA999.
(Free conversation)
Back to you from Tokyo AA999, over.
Ending the Conversation
Once you’re satisfied, wrap up the conversation.
This isn’t really etiquette anymore, but there is a cool-sounding way to end it, which goes like this:
Station Okinawa ZZ111, this is Tokyo AA999.
Thank you very much for the contact today.
73 (seventy-three), goodbye.
73 is a radio abbreviation meaning “best regards.”
Incidentally, there are stories that you should make it 88 (= “love and kisses”) when addressing women, or that women use 88, but I have no idea.
For now, I think sticking with 73 is probably fine.
Cheat Sheet Summary
Channel check:
Channel check, channel check.
Is anyone using channel XX?
This is Tokyo AA999. Please let me know if I am causing any interference.
Wait a few minutes and do another channel check.
If it’s still not in use, call CQ on ch 15:
CQ DCR (CQ D-C-R), CQ DCR.
This is Tokyo AA999, Tokyo Alpha Alpha 999.
Operating portable from Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.
Is any station reading me?
If you copy, please stand by for a contact on channel XX with no privacy code, channel XX with no privacy code.
QSYing to channel XX.
Call CQ on the channel you already checked:
CQ DCR (CQ D-C-R), CQ DCR.
This is Tokyo AA999, Tokyo Alpha Alpha 999.
Operating portable from Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.
Is any station reading me?
This is Tokyo AA999.
If you copy, please stand by for a contact. Over.
If you’re lucky, you’ll get a reply:
Station Tokyo AA999, do you copy? This is Okinawa ZZ111.
Note the other station’s callsign and send an RS report:
Station Okinawa ZZ111, this is Tokyo AA999.
Yes, I copy you, thank you very much.
As for the RS report, you are coming in at merit 5, signal strength 3 bars on the antenna icon.
How is our signal on your end? Back to you from Tokyo AA999, over.
After that, talk freely. Just always stick to the following format:
Station Okinawa ZZ111, this is Tokyo AA999.
(Free conversation)
Back to you from Tokyo AA999, over.
Once satisfied, end the conversation:
Station Okinawa ZZ111, this is Tokyo AA999.
Thank you very much for the contact today.
73 (seventy-three), goodbye.
That should basically do it. I’ve only made contacts two or three times myself so far, so I might revise this content as I gain more experience in the future.
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