Tom Hart, AD1B, spent part of his holiday working on a small project.

“After years of procrastination, I finally told my wife that I was ready to get a cell phone. I’m not a Luddite, but I simply did not feel the need for a cell phone until now. Plus, I needed some peace and quiet in order to chase DXCC entities on the air (about 178 to go).

“But since I now own the phone, I decided that I needed two ringtones customized for my ear. Specifically, I wanted a ‘CQ’ and a ‘QRZ’ ringtone.”

Tom created the ringtones by recording his TenTec Argonaut transceiver on 80 meters. The code was sent using a Bencher paddle with the Argonaut keyer set to 20 WPM. Tom recorded the audio digitally, then trimmed the files to the proper lengths and further enhanced the sound quality.

The MP3 ringtones files for “CQ” and “QRZ” are available for downloading in “Normal” and “Loud” versions below. To save the files to your computer, right-click on the links below and choose "Save Target As" or "Save Link As."

CQ Normal

CQ Loud

QRZ Normal

QRZ Loud

Every cell phone model has its own system for loading ringtones, but nearly all accommodate MP3 files. Check your phone manual for specifics. The files can be edited further with free software such as Audacity.

According to Tom, the ringtones may give hams impromptu opportunities to promote Amateur Radio whenever someone hears the ringing phone and asks, "What's that strange sound?"