unknown callsign verified

Correct me if I’m getting this wrong - but what I’m reading is that some operators will assume a station is ‘fake’ and/or not QSO with them because they choose not to register on QRZ (effectively a social media platform?).

The same goes for other platforms (I recall having questions raised about myself because I don’t have a FB account). Clearly if I don’t have one, I’m not a real person. :man_shrugging:

I think people have the right not to use QRZ, FB, WhatsApp, MyFace, LinkedIn… or whatever. There’s nothing mandating it. :+1:

In general (not just radio) whilst not deliberate, social culture is getting somewhat bullish with the expectation that people should use third party platforms to communicate; or indeed check/verify people before engaging with them.

Most people have a phone number and email address… and all of us on here have at least one radio. That should be sufficient to communicate.

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Omar, QRZ.com is a US centric ham radio website. In the US you cannot be “details withheld”, your ham radio details are a public record, searchable in print in days gone by and available online on the FCC website and many more. QRZ.com gets all the US details and makes them available. In many other countries this data is not necessarily public. Non-US hams can create webpages and make their details available or partially available.

The problem comes because many US hams are not aware that US rules are not world rules and have a problem accepting that in the UK for example you can have a licence and those details not be public. This is just different to what they are used to.

Because this is so different to what many are used to they will see no QRZ entry as an indication of something amiss… pirate or whatever.

Lots of things can be perfectly valid, legal but doesn’t fit what we are used to. David, the OP, has chased me a few times and my mind jumps through hoops when I hear an M6 prefix and some lovely Morse keying because most M6 stations do not use Morse. It takes me a few moments and often a few repeats before I trust what I think I have heard and write M6GYU down. It is exactly the same for some people when there is no QRZ page.

For the record, I have no QRZ, FB, WhatsApp, LinkedIn. :wink:

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Thats me, although i dont know why, as im listed on the Zed! hahaha

Alan

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Thanks for the clarification Andy.

It still stands that there is a push to use ‘free’ platforms to communicate - however most don’t question why they’re free. Perhaps not relevant to the OPs point though.

I sent an SMS to an ex-colleague only last week, to receive a response “join WhatsApp”. Why not just send an SMS back? :man_shrugging:

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I’ve asked my daughters to text me something a few times but it always comes as Whatsapp. That’s fine except I’ve said text because I know I’ll be somewhere with poor mobile coverage and I know a text is far more likely to get through.

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Americans are notoriously unaware of them not being the center of the world in general, and even more in ham radio groups. On social platforms like FB ham radio groups it’s just ridiculous.

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I recall activating in North Wales once, and a Welsh station was giving Jimmy a hard time and accusing him of being a pirate because “MW0HGY” (or maybe it was “MW3EYP” or “2W0EYP”) was not registered on QRZ!

Hilarious! (Although Jimmy didn’t see the funny side at the time…)

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I kept meaning to post about this on here dad, but it kept slipping my mind. It was when I was activating Foel Cae’rberllan GW/NW-057 6 years ago using the callsign MW0HGY/P, I put out a CQ call on 20m SSB and this English expat living in Spain answered my call. This expat looked up MW0HGY on QRZ.com and of course this callsign was not on QRZ.com as my home callsign is M0HGY. Due to this, this expat accused me of being a pirate and I have to explain quite a bit to him. As this person was in English expat, he should have know better especially as he holds a UK callsign as well as his Spain callsign.

Jimmy M0HGY

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Ah yes I remember now. The Welsh station that grumbled at you was because you were calling CQ on S20 and disturbing his afternoon - or something like that!

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No dad, you are getting confused with Richard @G3CWI’s incident in the early days of SOTA where Richard G3CWI was calling CQ SOTA from a GW/NW SOTA summit on 145.500fm and I Welsh station grumbled at Richard G3CWI on this frequency saying that his CQ calls were disturbing his afternoon. My incident was with an English expat living in Spain who answered my CQ call on 20m SSB and accused me of being a pirate only because MW0HGY is not on QRZ.com.

Jimmy M0HGY

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For those who do use QRZ, it is relatively easy to add aliases directing variations of your callsign to your main QRZ page if you wish.

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MW7FDL is very real. He’s me…

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He’s cool! MW7FDL…

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Thanks Ed. MW7FDL

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This effect is amplified by logging software that draws info from QRZ.com when each call sign entered. So hams, regardless of their location, see no info returned from those not on the zed, and presume something is wrong.

Me, I just work first,worry later!

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Rae
As I started this thread I’d like to apologise in advance, in case; a), I’ve blown your cover, or; b)
I’ve Invaded your anonymity. :thinking:

Either way, your morse was excellent. I thought you must have been ex Royal Navy or Ex Merchant Marine operator when I heard you. I wished I’d ignored the “Fake”, to have worked you. Incidentally i wonder if you heard the op call out “fake” ?

David

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Hi David, No apology necessary…

Thanks re my Morse, but I’m not yet that good, but my Preppcomm MMX is. I am still working and practicing with a straight key. I didn’t hear/read “fake”. I only found out about my infamy, infamy, they’ve all got it infamy via a random Google search of my call sign…

Best wishes

Rae

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I’d just passed my Foundation exam…

MW7FDL

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Rae,
Congratulations and welcome, Don here just above Aberporth on the coast. You may hear my poor CW from time to time. I doubt if I would be able to hear you on 2mtrs but if I do I will give you a call.

73’ Don GW0PLP

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Thanks Don,

I don’t go on 2m much, but might be fun to try…

Cheers

Rae