XPost: aus.radio.amateur.misc   
   From: m0cef@linuxmail.org   
      
   On 03/31/2017 11:24 PM, FOAR via rec.radio.info Admin wrote:   
      
   > To sign or not to sign, that is the question. ...   
   > ...   
   > Let me start by saying that I'm not familiar with the rules in countries   
   > outside Australia, but I'd be surprised if they're much different, since   
   > callsigns follow a global standard, but check your local laws before you   
   > start getting on-air to make noise.   
      
   The rules regarding callsign suffixes such as /p or /m differ from   
   country to country. In some places they are obligatory, in some they   
   are tolerated, but they are to the best of my knowledge not forbidden   
   anywhere, nor frowned upon. There are also /am and /mm for aeronautical   
   mobile and maritime mobile, where applicable. These four can be   
   considered "official", and you may include the numbers indicating   
   callsign districts here. Sometimes their use involved some extra   
   regulations, such as telling your QTH every so often, or not having to   
   keep a logbook.   
      
   /QRP and others are inofficial, frowned upon by some operators, used by   
   others nevertheless, not authorised and possibly not allowed by the   
   regulatory bodies, and hence causing some confusion every now and then.   
   I'd rather not use them.   
      
   The worst about these "inofficial" suffixes nowadays is that some people   
   mean to hear them even if you don't use them. I've had several OPs   
   return ".../QRP" when I was only signing ".../p". Oh well ... their   
   fault, not mine.   
      
   > So, there is no such thing as stroke Portable, stroke Mobile, stroke QRP   
   > and the only suggestion from the regulator is that you indicate that   
   > you're mobile or portable and help by indicating your state if you're   
   > not operating within your home state.   
      
   See above. It makes sense indeed to state when you are away from home,   
   but it does not help saying that you are QRP when calling. Either they   
   hear you and want to answer, that's fine. Or they hear you and don't   
   want to reply, that might be lazy of them and bad luck to you. Or lastly   
   they don't hear you, then it's not relevant anyway.   
      
   Signing /p, however, might make people curious - perhaps you are in some   
   interesting place, say, on an island or on a summit.   
      
   vy 73 de DL2LFH, Jan-Martin   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)