I see here adding the /P attracts attention. Why because when your out portable, your portable, not mobile that means your not at home to which your call sign address is licensed too. If i use 2E0FEH that means am at home and not out and about portable. Hence i go 2E0FEH/P when not at home to say am not home QTH but somewhere else other than the home call sign is addressed too.
Plus ya won’t hear me /M as don’t do Mobile.
To myself it is a form of modern laziness.
Plus I keep separate logs when am out portable.
Just my opinion and will continue to call /Portable when out and about
I have done one of my 3000+ activations without the /P. This was when I was operating in a contest from Black Mountain GW/SW-041 last year, and using the Tall Trees Contest Group call G5D. In order to maximise the effectiveness, I didn’t add /P, but made sure I set up on the English side of the border to avoid adding a W to the prefix! Other than that, always /P.
I remember one time I was doing an activation in the US during a QSO party in a neighboring state. I wanted to work some of those guys so I called out “N1RBD Mountaintop Portable”. I was running QRP and that added at least 50w to my signal! The runners were all curious as to where I was at. LOL
Half of my contacts were QSO party operators that day.
I wouldn’t go as far as to say that it is irritating, but to me it is irrelevant. If I can copy a station I don’t give two hoots whether he is QRP or QRO, and if I can’t copy him /QRP will not magically make him readable! I do some of my chasing with my FT817 and just give a wry smile when somebody boasts that they are QRP.
I ended up looking up current UK license terms (see below). Now I am confused. The word “recommended” for me means that the /P suffix should be used for portable operation. However, it then goes on to say “may” which to me implies it is entirely optional. Or is trying to say you should use a suffix when portable but that it doesn’t have to be /P. Maybe this is because on SSB op’s will say, “stroke portable” rather than “stroke papa” or just say “portable” after their callsign?
I will stick to using /P. I also like the extra KW concept . I will certainly always give some priority to /P ops. After all, they have gone the extra mile (literally!). I do sometimes mention that I am QRP when I call CQ (though do not add it as a suffix to my callsign). Normally mention QRP if calling CQ on QRP frequencies. This is really just as a courtesy to elighten the fellow ops who have perhaps forgotten or may be unaware that there are QRP centres of activity.
“When operating at locations other than the Main Station Address, it is recommended
that the following suffixes be used:
I. If the Licensee operates the Radio Equipment at an Alternative Address,
the Licensee may use the suffix “/A” with the Callsign;
II. If the Licensee operates the Radio Equipment at a Temporary Location, the
Licensee may use the suffix “/P” with the Callsign;
III. If the Licensee operates the Radio Equipment from a Mobile location, the
Licensee may use the suffix “/M” with the Callsign;
IV. If the Licensee operates the Radio Equipment from a Maritime Mobile location, the
Licensee may use the suffix “/MM” with the Callsign.”
Hm . .is it complicated ? I admit I’m getting older and more tired.
I wanted only to inform Chasers due to an error in the database.
will use what is written in my license and thers is nothing there with /
My understanding of the word ‘recommended’ would be more of a suggestion, or advise. This would also tally with their use of the word ‘may’ which suggests it is not compulsory.
In most texts, or legal jargonese I’ve used, where compulsion to follow a rule or procedure is required & mandatory, then the use of words like, ‘will’, ‘must’, ‘should’ and so on are used.
So I’d go along /P as optional. But from a SOTA viewpoint it seems a nonsense not to use it and surely it would be counter productive.
Obvi0usly other countries are free to make their own rules up.
I have never used /P as it is optional in Spanish regulations (see attached text of Article 29 of Spanish Governent order IET/1311/2013). Many other EA colleagues don’t either. This morning, during the QSO, F4ISZ told me that I should be using /P and he invoked some international regulation, but I haven’t found any. After reading this thread, I am relieved to see that I don’t seem to be violating any rule…
Artículo 29. Identificación de las emisiones.
Las emisiones de las estaciones de radioaficionado se identificarán mediante la transmisión de su distintivo de llamada al comienzo y final de cada emisión. En el caso de emisiones de larga duración deberá emitirse el distintivo de llamada al menos cada diez minutos.
Opcionalmente, la identificación de las emisiones de las estaciones móviles y portables se efectuará añadiendo a su distintivo de llamada, las expresiones /M, /MM, /MA, o /P en telegrafía, o las palabras móvil, móvil marítima, móvil aeronáutica o portable, según proceda. Asimismo, con carácter opcional, podrá añadirse el número del distrito desde el que se efectúan las emisiones cuando este no coincida con el correspondiente a su distintivo de llamada.*
Each country has its own rules. You just need to know the rules for the country you’re operating in. I visit Kenya (which has no SOTA association) from time to time. My visitor’s licence mandates “/P” ( or “portable” on phone modes) if I’m operating anywhere other than my Main Station Address, and requires that I give my location in a recognisable form…
. I will certainly always give some priority to /P ops. After all, they have gone the extra mile (literally!). I do sometimes mention that I am QRP when I call CQ (though do not add it as a suffix to my callsign). Normally mention QRP if calling CQ on QRP frequencies. This is really just as a courtesy to elighten the fellow ops who have perhaps forgotten or may be unaware that there are QRP centres of activity.