Dictionaries differ on the origin of the term “chew the rag,” but in amateur radio, it means to have a nice, long conversation. For me, it’s one of the joys of amateur radio, although fewer and fewer of us seem to think so. How else do you explain the success of FT8?
Indeed, ragchewing seems to be quickly becoming a lost art. A couple of days ago I got an email from a fellow CWOps member who offered an explanation. He wrote:
A few weeks ago, I was surprised to read a reflector post by a fine CW contester asking advice on how to get started ragchewing.
That post made me wonder if there are fluent speakers of CW who just need some tips on how to relax and enjoy talking “off the tip of their key” with another lover of our fine mode and language. So I reached out to Tim, our club newsletter editor with an impulsive and possibly harebrained idea to write an article on ragchewing and how to do it.
I realize that no single operator could write that article, because I only have a few tips of my own to share. And most of those have been learned from some other ham like you, and some whose calls I’ve forgotten over the years. Having already reached out to my “go-to” ragchew “Traffic List”, I now want to canvas you, the top ten QTX scorers in the club, for suggestions to get an aspiring ragchewer onto the bands and having fun.
Would you be willing to reply to this email contributing your thoughts about what makes a great ragchew or ragchewer? What would you say to someone who knows the code but feels awkward or uncertain in abandoning the contest exchange and sitting back for a ragchew? How do you know what to talk about? Any “secrets” for getting past RST, QTH, NAME, RIG, and WX? Did a ragchew ever mean a lot to you, and if so, why? How did you get to be so good at making conversation? Even one or two tips will greatly enrich the article.
I was honored that he would ask my opinion, so here goes. I think that first of all, you have to approach nearly every CW contact as an opportunity for a ragchew. That is to say an opportunity to make contact with another human being.
Have you ever struck up a conversation with a stranger in a bar or at a sporting event or the grocery store? Well, approach a CW contact in the same way. In the grocery store, you might comment on the price of potatoes. On the air, you might comment on band conditions or on a feature of the other operator’s rig.
Here’s another tip. One way to get past a conversation about the weather is to just not mention it at all. Even when the other operator gives me a full weather report, often I’ll just ignore that and move on to other topics.
One way to determine what those other topics might be is to call up the other operator’s QRZ.Com page. Often, hams describe their vocations and other avocations on their QRZ.Com page. These are often good conversation starters. I’m a freelance writer, and one guy that I worked noted that he was a publisher on his QRZ.Com page. That got us started on an interesting discussion of the publishing business.
Ask questions. In real life, you might ask your neighbor how he or she likes the car they have or if they’ve seen a new movie. On the air, you might ask the other operator what kind of key they’re using and how they like it. If you want to be more provocative—and you all know that I like to stir the pot once in a while—you might ask them if they’re an ARRL member and what they think about some of the things that the ARRL has been doing lately.
Finally, the best advice that I can give is to get on the air and practice. I can certainly see where it might be difficult for a contester to become a ragchewer. They are two different modes of operation. The way contests are run these days, contesters rarely have to touch a key.
The only way to develop the fluency between the mind and the fingers is to practice. And, as you make more and more conversational contacts, you’ll find that thoughts will flow more easily between the mind and the fingers. It’s a real joy when that happens.
Having said all that, what are your tips for CW ragchewing?
Rick Barnich says
When a ham desires a dx contact, he signals CQ DX. Why not use CQ RC to signal you are looking for a rag chew?
Dan KB6NU says
That’s exactly what someone in the CWOps has suggested!
Rick Barnich says
Except that it is already assigned, QRC would be perfect.
QRC? de KA8BMA
Dan KB6NU says
I was thinking maybe CQR, kinda like CQD was used as a distress call.
Don KG5CMS says
SKCC has a ragchew award I believe.
Theofanis says
In contrast with your tip Dan of getting to past a conversation about the weather,is to just not mention it at all, I find the weather discussion quite useful and can lead to further discussion on various topics. I usually talk about the next couple of days forecast and the opportunity the sunny or snowy weather gives me to do other hobbies. I had once a 30 minutes chat about the climate change and the very dry summer in Germany this year and the fellow ham told me that he had to water his garden very often because he also liked gardening..etc ..etc So instead of just reporting “wx hr cldy temp 60o F” try to enrich you report and use it for further discussion.
Also talking about keys and especially bugs helps to prolong a QSO . Bug users are proud of their skill and usually have a collection of bugs, so whenever it happens to QSO with a ham using a bug I send him my congrats for his ability to use a bug and how his bug sounds and 90% of them will respond with giving further information about their keys/bugs other models they have and use, they ask about my key etc..etc..This can lead to a nice chat about paddles, bugs, cooties and straight keys.
Another good tip is to tell the other op when you started with ham radio and how you got involved with it. Once I told a fellow ham that I was a short wave listener in my youth and he told me he was working for years as technician in a very big Broadcast station in Philippines, we then had a one hour QSO chatting about his work there.
Another tip is if it happens to have visited their country to tell about it, this can lead to further discussion. Living in Greece, a touristic destination, many hams happen to have visited places/islands in Greece so they tell me about it and I use to talk about the island, the country ..etc
Band conditions is also a nice topic to have a chat about, especially now with the solar minimum :-) Best advice, get on the air, call CQ and practice.
Theo , SV2BBK
Dan KB6NU says
Great advice, Theo. I especially like the one about mentioning to a DX station that you have visited their country.
Theofanis says
Yes … and then you can discuss about food and drinks :-)
Tom KE8HUM says
Great post Dan, and quite timely for me. I had a FB CW QSO this afternoon that went on for over 30 minutes. We chatted about our setups (my EFHW compared to his 6 element beam 55 feet up), our keys (he has a substantial collection), and yes even some discussion about the weather here in Michigan vs that of sunny California. After we sent our respective 73’s, I felt as if I had just had a talk with a buddy over a couple of beers. It did help that the other op was very experienced (CW op for 54 yrs), outgoing, and encouraging. I’ve been working CW on the air for about 9 months now and I’m glad to say that my log shows at least 30% of my 150 contacts so far have been noted with “nice chat”, or “fun QSO”. It’s true that Amateur Radio serves a very broad range of interests, and I agree with you…there is something special about having a friendly rag chew, in a language that requires ongoing effort to learn, often over great distances, with someone who shares a similar interest. 73!
Theofanis says
In contrast with your tip Dan of getting to past a conversation about the weather,is to just not mention it at all, I find the weather discussion quite useful and can lead to further discussion on various topics. I usually talk about the next couple of days forecast and the opportunities the sunny or snowy weather give me to do other hobbies. I had once a 30 minutes chat about the climate change and the very dry summer in Germany this year and the fellow ham told me that he had to water his garden very often because he also liked gardening..etc ..etc So instead of just reporting “wx hr cldy temp 50o F” try to enrich you report and use it for further discussion. Also talking about keys and especially bugs helps to prolong a QSO . Bug users are proud of their skill and usually have a collection of bugs, so whenever it happens to QSO with a ham using a bug I send him my congrats for his ability to use a bug and how his bug sounds and 90% of them will respond with giving further information about their keys/bugs other models they have and use, they ask about my key etc..etc..This can lead to a nice chat about paddles, bugs, cooties and straight keys.
Another good tip is to tell the other op when you started with ham radio and how you got involved with it. Once I told a fellow ham that I was a short wave listener in my youth and he told me he was working for years as technician in a very big Broadcast station in Philippines, we then had a one hour QSO chatting about his work there.
Another tip is if it happens to have visited their country to tell about it, this can lead to further discussion. Leaving in Greece, a touristic destination, many hams happen to have visited places/islands in Greece so they tell me about it and I use to talk about the country ..etc..etc
Band conditions is also a nice topic to have a chat about, especially now with the solar minimum :-) Best advice, get on the air, call CQ and practice.
phil A. moorey says
I enjoy a conversation and am comfortable talking with strangers.
Although I am not as fluent or. comfortable with my cw as I wish I have tried extending a qso by changing the subject and I find that anything unexpected results in confusion .
I now slowly try to ease into a subject to allow the operator on the other end to understand.
I often hear good ops having a good ragchew but their speed is faster than I am comfortable with
So only get portions of their chat.
Hope to get to that level some day