Using The International Phonetic Alphabet Eliminating confusion and demonstrating excellence in operating technique. Almost from the time the telephone was invented people have had a need to unambiguously understand one another under less than ideal conditions. It’s one thing to talk face to face yet quite another to understand each other over weak, noisy and otherwise challenging conditions. Telephone spelling alphabets were developed to improve understanding when communicating under difficult conditions. Because of this I want to make the case that as trained Radio Amateurs we all need to use standardized spelling alphabets and in particular the International (NATO) phonetic alphabet. Prior to World War II many nations used their own versions of spelling alphabets. Starting in 1941 the United States Army and Navy standardized an alphabet across all branches and that became known as the “Able Baker” Phonetic Alphabet. As militaries found the need to ally themselves with other militaries and organizations across the world it became clear that International standardization was needed. Skipping ahead to the point of this discussion is that the International (NATO) Phonetic Alphabet is now the accepted standardized alphabet used by English speaking radio communications professionals in Aviation, Military, EMCOMM and others. Certainly we, as Amateur Radio operators working under less than ideal communications conditions, need this as much as anyone. The 26 Code words in the NATO alphabet are as follows: Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliett, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu. Using these words under challenging conditions helps the operator get the message when only hearing partial words because the operator knows what to expect. If an operator hears a partial word, like “…ay” the trained operator will likely assume X-ray was the intended word when an improperly trained operator may have used Norway for the letter “N”. This nonstandard phrasing adds confusion, can cause delays for repeats and may cause inaccurate transcription of the intended message. These issues are greatly minimized when using standard phraseology. Contest operators should be the quickest to adopt this use as it can expedite the contest exchange. However, I hear many casual contesters using non-standard phraseology which most often causes delays and repeats in crowded band conditions. No one wants delays when running rate is King! When working DX stations, the accent of the operator can make some words hard to understand. But when using the standardized alphabet, a DL station that pronounces Whiskey as “Viskey” is easily understood. In aviation a pilot with a tail number N3656Y will always hear Yankee, never Yokahama regardless of the county he is operating. It’s this consistency that minimizes misunderstandings due to accents or conditions. As amateur radio operators we pride ourselves as being trained professional communicators and it is very embarrassing when we do not adhere to these standards. The impact of having radio operators who are not trained in standard procedures can cause embarrassing problems. For example, Ham operators assisting in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina were reported …”to have excellent go-kits and technical ability but were seriously wanting in traffic handling skill. In one case it took almost 15 minutes to pass one 25 word message.” (source – Sant Andrea, Steve “When Not to Operate” P.74 April, 2010 QST) Please help spread the word to improve our skills and increase our efficiency and professionalism in this great hobby. 73 from Whiskey X-ray Four Whiskey! Curtis Foote – WX4W
I would also like to add that fellow ops, when naming times, use UTC. This is especially useful for us ops outside of the US. Every op knows his local time difference related to UTC, I hope. Nets that list their times in local time (how many time zones in the US?) cause unnecessary computation and confusion and wasted air time as participants try to figure out what is their local time vis a vis the net's local time. Radio amateurs should be able to handle UTC.
Trained? Need? In almost five decades, I've never heard that all hams are trained to use any phonetics. And, I've never heard of any requirement for hams to use any specific phonetic alphabet.
Mispronunciation of "Quebec" causes a lot of confusion. KAY-BECK or KEH-BECK Q is "Keibeck". It's not cubic. (Q is KEIBEKU, not KYUBIKU , in Japanese) If you want to hear the correct phonetic alphabet pronunciation, tune into 11175.0 kHz USB sometime The Phonetic Alphabet
Ruh roh... Familiarity with UTC was dropped along with the Morse requirement... ...and having some clue how to construct a simple dipole antenna.
You and the OP incorrectly presume a "problem" exists in this HOBBY. However... Thanks for your opinion... ...and, have a nice day.
He is correct, non standard phonetics is a pain under difficult conditions. Learn the correct usage is a great help. It's not just being able to say them it is also figuring out when listening. I can always tell when somebody gets my call correct that they know this, the ones that don't always asking to repeat and quite frankly I give up because this short QSO is going nowhere but to create frustration, best leave this operator to a day when it's 5/9.
The reason this has become problematic that so many new hams pass their tests by memorizing the test questions which is encouraged by established hams that cannot be bothered to Elmer the neophyte. That was one reason many years ago several hams and I started instructing hams over a 12 week period from the basic fundamentals of electronics, safety and part 97 while including the phonetic alphabet, q-codes, operation and and how to be ham. Never once did we teach the test. In fact we combined the Tech and General with outstanding results of 92.7% success rates. We also stayed in contact elmering as needed these hams long after they were licensed. As hams we need to get out there and elmer as necessary, if you see a problem do something other than ignore or complain. Be part of the solution. Joe Gunderson AF7GN
QSL you are 5 9 5 9. What was your call again? QSL QSL You're 5 9 what was your call one more time you're barely coming in over the noise QSL? QSL you're 5 9. What was that last letter again QSL? NOW I think I got your call you're 5 9 QSL? (another pet peeve for those of you that don't have the sarcasm font installed on your device and can't see it) Kanagroo 9 Gigantic Lumpy Sewage.
A topic of discussion or some OM has missed their nap time and just needs something to 6itch about? 10-4? SMH de Nothing Unusual 4 Radio
You can use the international phonetic alphabet....or any other phonetic alphabet you like. 97.119 - Station identification. (in part says) (2) By a phone emission in the English language. Use of a phonetic alphabet as an aid for correct station identification is encouraged. There is no specific phonetic alphabet specified or required. Kilowatt Three Xray Radio or as Dave who I've worked a number of times often likes to say... Kilowatt Two X Rated.
in the uk all our licence holders are thought NATO phonics as standard yet you hear all sorts of thing like one operator letters are D E E transmits delicious electronic eggs not delta Eco Eco seems to me that some operators need to go back to school must admit it only the G STATIONS having been part of ranet realist how important it is to all use the same phonics peter cairns 2e0lkc loves Kellogg cornflakes hi hi
