Lingo

What’s So Funny?

AF5NP Ham-Speak, Hi, Jargon, Lingo

Something new hams need to be aware of is a less-than-obvious bit of old-timey ham-speak still in use.

You may hear a ham say, “hi or “hihi” over the air or in person or in writing, and, curiously,  their particular use of the term, “hi” is not in context of a greeting.

In ham-speak the term “hi” means laughter.  Often doubled (hihi), it’s a ham’s way of expressing a humorous response.  So when a ham says, “hi” (s)he is laughing at something.  Kind of like saying LOL in a text message or web post.

Where did this come from?  In the early days of amateur radio, CW was the only mode so all communications were in Morse code. The word HI in Morse is dit-dit-dit-dit  dit-dit, (•••• ••)which sounds like an electronic chuckle.  Quickly adopted, hams have been using “hi” for laughter decades after voice and other modes were added to our radio amateur repertoire.

We’ll wrap up with a ham joke:  Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn’t much, but the reception was excellent.  Hihi

Q-Codes

AF5NP Abbreviation, Ham-Speak, Jargon, Lingo, Q-Codes, QRM, QRN, QRP, QRT, QRZ, QSB, QSL, QSO, QSY, QTH, Terminology

Back in the ham-speak topic we noted that ham radio vocabulary includes plenty of jargon and lingo.  As mentioned there, it is best to not use too much ham-speak on the air, since plain language is preferred for voice modes (phone) but in reality you still hear many code words and abbreviations being used.

g1b07

You will run across many terms on the air as well as in books and magazines and perhaps in email that are cryptic to the new or prospective ham.  To help you with this we will present the topic of Q-codes here.

The Q code (or Q-code) is a standardized collection of three-letter codes, all of which start with the letter Q, where each code has a particular meaning. These brevity codes were originally developed for commercial radiotelegraph use but were quickly  adopted by amateur radio operators.  Although Q codes were created when radio used Morse code exclusively, they continued to be employed after the introduction of voice transmissions. Some history on Q-codes can be found here and here and here.

Listed below are ten Q-codes the average ham is most likely to hear (in the author’s opinion), along with their meaning and common usage:

  • QRM- Man-made interference, interference from other stations.
  • QRN- Natural interference, typically static or crashing from thunderstorms.
  • QRP- Low power transmit, generally 5W or less.
  • QRT- Quitting; stopping transmission or shutting down station.
  • QRZ- Who is calling me?
  • QSB- Fading signal.
  • QSL- I acknowledge receipt; also confirmation of contact.
  • QSO- Conversation, radio contact and exchange.
  • QSY- Change frequency.
  • QTH- Location.

You should be familiar with at least these and perhaps some others as well.  Comprehensive lists of Q-codes can be found here and here and here and here.t21b10

t21b11

g2c09

g2c10

g2c11

The main point here is not for you to learn Q-codes to use them, but to understand them when you inevitably hear them.

That’s all for now so 73 and I’ll be QRT.

73 What?

AF5NP 73, Abbreviation, Jargon, Lingo, Terminology, Vocabulary

Usually near the end of an amateur radio conversation (QSO) the phrase “seven three” or “seventy three” will be heard.  New hams or unlicensed listeners will probably wonder, 73 what?  Here is more of that ham-speak stuff we are learning about and this terminology has a very particular meaning.

73

73 simply means, “Best Regards”.  It is a very common phrase used on the radio in voice, Morse code (CW), and data communication modes and is often used in emails and handwritten notes between hams.  73 is considered a polite and friendly way of signing off all forms of communications between hams or as a general show of respect.

The origins of 73 are not absolutely certain, but the prevailing idea Continue reading →

Ham-Speak

AF5NP Abbreviation, Ham-Speak, Jargon, Lingo, Terminology, Vocabulary

Amateur radio operators have quite an interesting vocabulary.  This “ham-speak” may be called terminology, lingo, or jargon and it often includes many abbreviations.  If you don’t understand a term, just ask the person using ham-speak to explain it.  Don’t worry, you will figure these out over time.

A lot of the words are technical because hams use radios and electronics and antennas and cables and power supplies and meters and…well, quite a few gizmos that involve big and fancy words.

Other forms of ham-speak are more cryptic and non-technical.  Hams are equal-opportunity obfuscators; we can make an unintelligible mess out of anything!  Just kidding– there is often good reason for all of this terminology and abbreviation.

The technology part of ham-speak is largely unavoidable; there are no good alternatives for transceiver, impedance, modulation, propagation, and such terms.  There are, however, slang terms for some of these technical words and plenty of abbreviations.  For example, the word Continue reading →