Whatever works I listen to the station I'm wanting to call and WAIT to hear how he prefers to pronounce "U".... some stations like "United" and some like "Uniform" so I just usually wait to hear how they do it. Other times I just blurt out the letters "UUU" and see what happens. Whatever works I'm not landing an airplane, after all Dave W7UUU
So you have not listed any mistakes, just things you don't agree with. ANd some of the info you have given isn't even what is taught. The term “QSL” comes from the international Q code and means “I confirm receipt of your transmission” If it is asked at the end of a transmission it is change to "Do you confirm receipt of my transmission?" If you are the folks trying to Elmer newer folks, the hobby is in big trouble. The overall theme comes off as. "Get off my ham band" Just a couple of grumpy men.
Someone said earlier in the thread that all professional radio systems have a standard alphabet. I have a funny story along that line. Although a banker by trade, I worked part time as a Deputy with the local Sheriff's Department for over 25 years. As the writer mentioned, we had our own standard phonetic alphabet. However, the Natchez Trace Parkway runs through our county and the Trace Rangers and their Dispatcher use the NATO/Federal alphabet. Some nights they would not have a unit on duty in our area and the Trace Dispatcher would contact me, and ask me to take a call on the Trace - I would handle it or see if a Ranger was needed. One night she gave me a call about an abandoned vehicle in the roadway. I found the car, with a tag number (which to me was T-Tom, S-Sam, N-Nora, 1,2,3) . So, being nice, when I called her back, I said the plate is Tango, Sierra, November, 1, 2, 3. There was a long pause, then a slow dry response of, "Wow, I did not know you could speak a foreign language." That was actually before I became a Ham (licensed 2014), but I knew the NATO phonetics from SWLing, and other sources, so I had no problem adapting to Ham and I rarely mixed up between the two phonetic systems. What I did have to be very careful of - was the few times I would say 10-4, or 10-20, before I realized it. Well, you know what YOU guys think (and often say), when you hear 10-4, on the air. So, it did not take me long to make sure that did not happen again, even though it wasn't what you were thinking. 2014, over 6 years already, and still loving this hobby like it's new !!! Curtis / AK5CT
Actually the current technician exam does ask what word list should be used. It is the ITU/ICAO word list. It acutally makes it easier to understand if the listener and sender are using the same words. So the callsign should be kilo 8 quebeck sierra.
I love using the NATO phonetics, it makes me feel.....special...LOL. But OK with anything that works, even more so if its entertaining... Kilo-Six-Mike-Tango-Sierra....Over and Out!
Ha, You know you're (me too) an old codger when other guys have to look up the meaning of what we are.
And as I have pointed out before, "various nationalities with native speakers of different languages" are required by ICAO regulations to speak ENGLISH everywhere in the world when talking to or between aircraft for navigational purposes. There is no such rule for Radio Amateur transmissions. So it can be argued that ICAO phonetics are meant for English speakers, not all DX. The case of the JA copying Tokyo-Yokohama but not Tango-Yankee is only one example.
That works quite often as well. But I never initiate it with DX stations. It's the DX stations in fact that most often come back with "triple U" But I always leave it to the other station to decide Either way, have the same letter three times does afford advantages: "The station with United - the station with United only please" happens a LOT! Dave W7UUU
