Q John Dilivio, K2CF, asks, “Although I’ve been a ham for 38 years, I’m new to VHF FM operating. Last week I interrupted a conversation by saying ‘break.’ I was promptly told that it was improper to use ‘break’ on 2 meters. What is the correct way to break into an FM QSO?”
A On FM, “break” is usually reserved for emergencies when it is urgent for the breaking station to be recognized. The preferred way to break into an FM conversation is to announce your call sign in the pauses between transmissions. On occasion a station needs to make a point or pass some other information without being interrupted, so he or she might reply, “K2CF recognized” or something similar. They’re asking you to stand by for a moment before turning the conversation over to you.
From QST July 1999
