Use of Break in Amateur Radio
Who Broke Protocol?
by Derek Winterstien W0DBW
Fire, police, and the military sometimes use the term "break" not to enter into a conversation, but to indicate, "Stand by, more to follow." On the C.B. folks say it to ask for an opportunity to break-in on the conversation or use the frequency. In recent years some hams have been calling BREAK as part of some new bad habit. But where's all this breaking coming from?
IRLP Pollution of Proper Protocol
It's not coming from Citizen's Band as many might think. The culprit seems to be IRLP. Yes, there seems to be a trend on IRLP now in using the term "break" to indicate that the speaker is going to let the repeater drop, and then pick up and continue blathering on. This is a way to circumvent the link timeout function of the node or the linked repeater.
Saying "break" as a means to let the repeater drop, and then continuing is definitely not correct protocol. It sounds very Citizen Band. With that being said, you have to consider that IRLP is by in large full of technician class operators lacking serious ham radio background. That’s not to say that all IRLP users are novices, just that the concentration of novice operators on IRLP is statistically greater than other areas of the hobby due to the very nature of the medium.
The ARRL Has Spoken
The only ARRL provision for the use of the word "break" in amateur radio is for the Internationally recognized double "break," as in "break break," to indicate that there is emergency priority traffic. That is THE ONLY PROVISION for the use of "break" in amateur radio.
No, there’s no FCC rule regarding how to use the term "break." The ARRL discourages its use altogether unless it is the double break for an emergency. The ARRL General Procedures section of their EC Manual states that, "The word break is never used UNLESS there is an emergency." The ARRL guide also goes on to say that using the term break should be "discouraged" since it really has no universally understood meaning. Their goal is to prevent confusion with an actual emergency transmission.
Feeling Long Winded?
For hams that have more to say and want to let the repeater reset, I have heard experienced operators (such as QCWA members) say "wait" and then let it drop before continuing. This is not an ARRL defined protocol, it is simply an accepted practice that serves to prevent confusion from casual conversation and an emergency. The point is to sound less like there’s a possible emergency and the frequency may be needed, or to sound less like a breaker breaker CB truck driver. If I am being particularly long winded and have more to say, I just stop in mid sentence, or at the word "and" so it is obvious I'm not done, then pick back up from there after the repeater resets.
How to Enter an Ongoing QSO
You do not have the right to barge in on an ongoing conversation. You can announce your presence simply by waiting for a pause between transmissions and give your call sign. You may be invited into the conversation to speak, or you may be ignored. On an open repeater you tend to find most ham operators will eagerly hand it over to you so you can speak. Stipulations may depend on the repeater guidelines and any club rules. On HF frequencies you may also hear an operator say "contact" then announce his or her call sign. There’s no breaker breaker!
Being Wrong Doesn’t Keep You From Having a Web Site
Yet, there’s some bad info floating around due to ignorance. Rob Mavis AE6GE, for example, seems to think that it is acceptable to use amateur radio in the same fashion as police. According to the ARRL, Rob Mavis is just plain wrong, but that doesn't stop ol Rob from sharing misinformation online. Fortunately for Rob Mavis, ignorance is a correctable condition.
The Hobby is Changing
What will inevitably happen as older experienced ham operators become silent keys and the Millennials take over the hobby, these subtle breaches in protocol will impact the hobby’s vernacular eventually becoming accepted protocol. Maybe the term will evolve into hashtag-break or something even more progressive like that. #break #IRLP-rulz #Kardashian
Until then, please try not to break ham radio. Lets keep it sensible while there are still a few true hams alive and operating.
REFERENCES:
According to THE EMERGENCY COORDINATOR'S MANUAL Edited by Steven Ewald, WV1X and Published by The American Radio Relay League, Inc., Quote from the "General Procedures section *http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Public%2520Service/ECMANUAL.PDF"16) The word "break" is never used UNLESS there is an emergency."
- http://www.hamuniverse.com/repeater.html
- http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Public%2520Service/ECMANUAL.PDF
Rob Mavis AE6GE has no official credentials and like me, is only offering his opinion on how it is acceptable to use BREAK in ham radio. Too bad for Rob he is wrong, just like NBA star Kyrie Irving is wrong when he says that the Earth is actually quite flat. Isn’t the Internet wonderful?
- http://www.k6arp.org/the-proper-use-of-break/
- http://metro.co.uk/2017/02/21/yet-more-celebrities-come-out-and-say-they-believe-the-earth-is-flat-6463590/
When is it Okay to Join a Conversation on Ham Radio? By Joseph Cotton (W3TTT). Wasn’t there a famous actor named Joseph Cotton?
Robert Koerner W7ETA says, "...and someone said "BREAK", I'd think it was another lost CBer, with a ham rig."
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