An amateur radio contact, more commonly referred to as simply a "contact", is an exchange of information between two

amateur radio station An amateur radio station is a radio station designed to provide radiocommunications in the amateur radio service for an amateur radio operator. Radio amateurs build and operate several types of amateur radio stations, including fixed ground sta ...

s. The exchange usually consists of an initial

call Call or Calls may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * Call, a type of betting in poker * Call, in the game of contract bridge, a bid, pass, double, or redouble in the bidding stage Music and dance * Call (band), from Lahore, Paki ...

, a response by another

amateur radio operator An amateur radio operator is someone who uses equipment at an amateur radio station to engage in two-way personal communications with other amateur operators on radio frequencies assigned to the amateur radio service. Amateur radio operators ...

at an amateur radio station, and a signal report. A contact is often referred to by the

Q code The Q-code is a standardised collection of three-letter codes that each start with the letter "Q". It is an operating signal initially developed for commercial radiotelegraph communication and later adopted by other radio services, especially ...

QSO. It is often limited to just a minimal exchange of such station IDs. Stations who have made a contact are said to have ''worked'' each other. An operator may also say that he has ''worked'' a certain country. Amateurs use the

slang Slang is vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-g ...

expression ''ragchew'' or ''ragchewing'' to refer to an extended, informal conversation, a variation of the common idioms "chewing the fat" and "chewing the rag". Sometimes, a contact in person, between two ham radio operators, is humorously referred to as an "eyeball QSO". An All-Time New One (ATNO) is an operator's contact with an amateur station that they have never worked before on any band or mode. Many amateurs will send QSL Cards to stations they have worked. Computer-based logging software, such as the American Radio Relay League's Logbook of the World, can also be used for logging contacts. Logs and QSL cards can be kept as keepsakes and used as proof of contacts for awards, such as Worked all States or the DX Century Club.

References

Contact Contact may refer to: Interaction Physical interaction * Contact (geology), a common geological feature * Contact lens or contact, a lens placed on the eye * Contact sport, a sport in which players make contact with other players or objects * ...

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