Up to this point, I've covered:
Now I'm going to tackle the conversation, closing, and interrupting ("breaking").
You've thrown out your sign, or made a specific call, and you've received a response. You've established control of the repeater, and are in a QSO (conversation). Congratulations, in this hypothetical scenario, anyway. But, at some point, the contact has to end. There's a procedure for that, and it's known as closing.
Let's look at a fictional example conversation:
"N0YNT from KD0UIH"
"This is N0YNT mobile. Go ahead, KD0UIH"
"Yeah, Hi Matt. I just wanted to let you know that I'm headed to the coffee shop for the meetup. I should be there in about...ten minutes"
"Sounds great, Chuck. I have to stop and pick up Paul...N0TYE, but I'll be there in twenty minutes or so."
"Okay. See you then. This is KD0UIH. I'll be clear on your final."
"Alright, Chuck. N0YNT mobile is clear"
The last two lines of that example are closing.
Note that both operators stated their callsigns at the beginning of the contact, and at the end. This is not optional. The actual regulations require this. There is no "room to improvise" on that score.
In this case, KD0UIH "cleared" on N0YNT's "final". This is very common. "Final", in this case, means final transmission. He is saying that he is surrendering his control of the repeater immediately after N0YNT finishes. Technically, there's a potential problem there. Suppose that N0YNT failed to clear. KD0UIH would not technically be clear, because his status is contingent upon N0YNT clearing.
Operators clear on the other operator's final every day, and it's fine. KD0UIH could always fix this situation by stating the magic phrase, "KD0UIH clear", should N0YNT drop the metaphorical ball in this way.
Closing, then, consists of stating your callsign and clearing.
The regulations require identification at the end of the contact, and clearing informs anyone else on the repeater that they are now free to use it. Anyone, including KD0UIH and N0YNT in the example, would be able to throw out their sign or make a specific call once the repeater is cleared.
Now for the interruption part of FM procedures. First, you need to understand that interrupting is generally considered rude. The only case where it's absolutely okay to interrupt is for emergency traffic, and everyone involved in the interrupted contact is required to give up their control for emergency traffic. Beyond that, you need to exercise your judgement as to whether it's appropriate to interrupt or not.
It's not uncommon for operators involved in a conversation to invite others listening to join in. This is polite, especially if the conversation has been going on for an extended period. For whatever reason, a lot of people are more comfortable joining in to an already-established conversation, rather than initiating one. Certainly, an extended QSO will stop the scans of listening hams and may attract an audience. How you handle that is up to you, since you have control of the repeater. Maybe you have important information to exchange, and don't want to entertain an interruption. On the other hand, you might just be engaged in light banter and welcome another person to add to the fun. Obviously, if the people involved in a QSO invite others to join in, then it's not a situation where you would be considered to be rude if you interrupted.
Here's an example:
"This is KE0NA with KD0YRD. Anyone out there listening that wants to join in? Let's hear your sign"
This might be a good time to add that you should always leave a few seconds in between your transmissions. It can be hard to remember this when you're in a good conversation, but that's exactly when people will want to break in. At the very least, you should let the repeater drop. This means waiting until the repeater stops transmitting. There's a delay after you stop transmitting, when the repeater is still "keyed up". Wait for the repeater's carrier to drop before you begin speaking. This will reset the timer that protects the repeater from over-heating.
FCC regulations also require you to identify yourself if a contact goes over ten minutes, and every ten minutes after that. Again, there's room to improvise, as long as you state your callsign.
Talking over someone ("doubling") is never acceptable, and is not the way to interrupt a QSO. If you make a habit of doubling, you could get banned from a repeater. The way to interrupt (or "break") is to state your callsign in-between the transmissions of the operators involved in the conversation. Alternately, if the space in between is short, you can simply say "break". Those in control of the repeater then have three choices: ignore you, acknowledge you and ask you to wait (stand by), or acknowledge you and let you join them.
Let's say KL0WN tried to break in to a conversation between KD0UIH and KD0WIL:
"KL0WN"
"KL0WN, you are acknowledged. Please stand by. KD0WIL. Over to you, KD0UIH"
Note that KD0WIL stated his callsign and that of the other operator in the conversation. This reinforces the idea of who is in control of the repeater, and allows KL0WN to make a specific call to either when the repeater is clear. There is no room for ambiguity, as KD0WIL explicitly handed over control to KD0UIH.
As a "breaking station", your position is procedurally precarious -- especially if you didn't give your callsign in your interruption. Don't push your luck. If you are ignored, don't keep trying by telling yourself that they just didn't hear you. Accept it and wait for them to clear, or invite you -- or go to another repeater.
Here's an example of a fairly appropriate interruption, based on our previous example, with interruption in bold:
"N0YNT from KD0UIH"
"This is N0YNT mobile. Go ahead, KD0UIH"
"Yeah,
Hi Matt. I just wanted to let you know that I'm headed to the coffee
shop for the meetup. I should be there in about...ten minutes"
"Sounds great, Chuck. I have to stop and pick up Paul...N0TYE, but I'll be there in twenty minutes or so"
"N0TYE"
"Hi, Paul. N0YNT here. I'm on my way over"
"N0TYE. I'm already at the coffee shop. Dave picked me up. Remember, we talked about it this morning?"
"Oh yeah. I totally forgot. I'll be there in fifteen then, guys"
"Thanks, Matt. N0TYE clear"
"Okay. See you then. This is KD0UIH. I'll be clear on your final."
"Alright, Chuck. N0YNT mobile is clear"
Okay, there wasn't an explicit invitation for N0TYE to join, but the context is clear. N0YNT implicitly acknowledged N0TYE by addressing him, rather than asking him to stand by.
If you are allowed to join in, you assume control of the repeater (and cede it after each transmission) in the same way as the others already involved in the QSO. This means that you need to identify yourself and clear, just like the other operators in the contact. Notice that N0TYE stated his callsign at the beginning and end of his interruption, and that he cleared when he was done.
Here's another example where an interruption is not allowed:
"N0YNT from KD0UIH"
"This is N0YNT mobile. Go ahead, KD0UIH"
"Yeah,
Hi Matt. I just wanted to let you know that I'm headed to the coffee
shop for the meetup. I should be there in about...ten minutes"
"Sounds great, Chuck. I have to stop and pick up Paul...N0TYE, but I'll be there in twenty minutes or so"
<crackling noise and the mumbled fragment of a callsign>
"Breaking station, this is KD0UIH. You aren't making it in to the repeater. Stand by"
"N0YNT here. I didn't make out that callsign. We'll be done here in a minute, though"
Notice here that KD0UIH asked the breaking station to "stand by". That doesn't mean they should keep trying; it means that they should wait until both operators are clear. While N0YNT was more ambiguous in his rejection, he also implied that the breaking station should wait. When in doubt, remain silent.
However you decide to handle a "break", you should be clear about it. State the callsign given (if any) and ask them to stand by if you aren't allowing an interruption. Or state the callsign given, and handle it as if the breaking station made a specific call. Ignoring the 'break" is probably the least wise course, as it can leave you open to further interruptions -- either from the same person, or from others listening who are now unsure if you will entertain interruptions or not.
Interrupting to ask for a 'signal check', or something along those lines, is fairly lame. Want to find out if your radio is working? Join the conversation, then. Or wait until closing and jump in. What's your big hurry?
I'll also touch on the topic of the endless closing.
If the other person tells you that they are at their destination, or have to go and do something, then close. This isn't an invitation for a new topic of conversation; it's telling you that the conversation is over.
Here's an example:
"Well, I'm here at work in the parking lot. Better let you go. KE0NA. I'll be clear on your final"
"Okay. Hey, whatever happened with that controller you were building? Last I heard you were having problems with the logic on the COS. How'd that work out?"
Don't be that guy. Instead, say:
"Okay. Next time I talk to you, I want to hear about that controller you were working on. KL0WN clear."
This is one of the dangers of the "clear on your final" approach. If KE0NA had just said "KE0NA clear" at the end, he wouldn't be held hostage by KL0WN's refusal to close.
When someone closes, it's over. Deal with it. Also, keep in mind that you still have control over the frequency even though the other person in the contact has cleared. You're tying up the frequency for no good reason. Either clear or make use of it by making a specific call to someone else. Someone else might be waiting to talk to you, after all. They can't do that until you clear. So just clear.
So now you have the basic knowledge of how to initiate, maintain, and end a radio contact. You also know the reasons and justifications behind these procedures. They serve a purpose, and they will quickly become second nature if you make a habit of using them properly.
The next subject is roundtables.
EDIT: The exchanges in this series are completely fictional. The callsigns were chosen at random from my log book.
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