An
amateur radio contact, more commonly referred to as simply a "contact", is an exchange of information between two
amateur radio stations. The exchange usually consists of an initial
call, a response by another
amateur radio operator at an amateur radio station, and possibly a
signal report. A contact is often referred to by the
Q code QSO. It is often limited to just a minimal exchange of such station IDs. Stations who have made a contact are said to have
worked each other. An operator may also say that he has
worked a certain country. Amateurs use the
slang expression
ragchew or
ragchewing to refer to an extended, informal conversation, a variation of the common idioms "chewing the fat" and "chewing the rag". Sometimes, a contact
in person, between two ham radio operators, is humorously referred to as an "eyeball QSO".