FCC Requirements

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (n6ajr @ Aug. 21 2002,14:33)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">As far as standard phonetic alphabets, I have one that I learned in the military,  one I use at work on the radio, and one that they use for the local hiway patrol. these all are Standard phonetics, but they are all different, which one is the correct  standard version....


tom November 6 alfa juliet romeo, nancy 6 adam bob randy, N6AJR[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Okay, so in what "standard" phonetics does "bob" equate to "J" ?

 

I think there is kind of a natural selection here, especially
if you like DX. When you finally get through in a pile-up
and the DX station gets your call wrong because of some
goofy phonetics, you will change to the standard. We all
want to communicate and be understood. That said, I
always give my call as whiskey three mike zulu. Often the
other station will answer w3m2 or w3mu. If I get a chance
to correct it I use whiskey three mexico zanzibar. That
works. It's not right but it works. Just my 2 cents. 73 all.
Mike w3mz

 

Back in the dark ages when I was a novice and SSB'ers were "Those D--N ducks", we used "cute" phonetics with our calls on the local 2 meter frequency (AM, no repeater) and on the 75 & 40 meters nets.
Anytime we were passing traffic or in contests etc. we used the "standard" phonetic alphabet.
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">If we're using the standard, how about "kilowatt 3 xray romeo" [/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Well, shouldn't it be "Kilo 3 Xray Romeo"?

" ex Whiskey Bravo 6 Half Naked Queen"

 

Using phonetics does not always work in every case. One time when I had a vehicle breakdown I called AAA on my cell phone. I tried to explain to the dispatcher that I was on Park street. I tried to spell phoneticly "Papa Alpha Romeo Kilo" but she did not comrehend that at all. So then I spelled out "P-A-R-K" and she got it then. I guess some telephone operators are not used to phonetics.

 

Since there has been quite a bit of discussion about this topic, I went to Part 97 of the rules and this is what it says about identification.


a) Each amateur station, except a space station or telecommand station, must transmit its assigned call sign on its transmitting channel at the end of each communication, and at least every ten minutes during a communication, for the purpose of clearly making the source of the transmissions from the station known to those receiving the transmissions. No station may transmit unidentified communications or signals, or transmit as the station call sign, any call sign not authorized to the station.

(b) The call sign must be transmitted with an emission authorized for the transmitting channel in one of the following ways:


(1) By a CW emission. When keyed by an automatic device used only for identification, the speed must not exceed 20 words per minute;

(2) By a phone emission in the English language. Use of a standard phonetic alphabet as an aid for correct station identification is encouraged;

(3) By a RTTY emission using a specified digital code when all or part of the communications are transmitted by a RTTY or data emission;

(4) By an image emission conforming to the applicable transmission standards, either color or monochrome, of §73.682(a) of the FCC Rules when all or part of the communications are transmitted in the same image emission.


Note number 2 refers to phone identification and it states that
" A standard phonetic alphabet as an aid is encoraged.

It has been my experience that the FCC will allow the useage of any phonetics as long as they can identify the station transmitting.  

Another item often over looked is the requirement to identify at  the end of each COMMUNICATION as noted in section A.

 

I guess that the standard phonetics should be the ones used, but at times on DX I found useful to use also countries a/o cities names.
Anyway, as long as we can communicate with respect to your fellow ham and with respect to the listeners, I feel that you can "echange" some of the phonetics.
Just my 0.02
Carlos-XE2WCG
X-RAY ECHO TWO WITH CALIFORNIA GIRLS!!!

 

I generally start with, and stick with, the ICAO phonetics. But I have found it helpful to have an alternate set in mind when the other op just doesn't "get it". "Whiskey Baker Three Denmark Zanzibar Ocean" has saved several Field Day contacts for me when "Whiskey Bravo Three Delta Zulu Oscar" wasn't heard correctly. The redundant information aids the receiving op's understanding. It seems that Alpha, Bravo, and Delta are easily confounded in the ears of some ops under less-than-ideal conditions. The emphasis is in the same place in each of these words. When conditions are marginal, the high-frequency audio components that convey the fricative and sibilant sounds tend to get lost in the muck, so it becomes difficult to differentiate them. Add to that the typical aging adult's high-frequency hearing loss, and we need all the help we can get sometimes.

"November Three Hotel Alpha Tango" alternates with "Norway Three Honolulu America Tokyo" when I call CQ. I save the cutesy ones for casual local FM contacts.

73,
Bob
N 3 Hot And Tired

 

SOME PEOPLE HAVE WAAAYYYY TOO MUCH TIME ON THEIR HANDS !!!!!!!

 

"SOME PEOPLE HAVE WAAAYYYY TOO MUCH TIME ON THEIR HANDS !!!!!!!"

QSL.  Ooops, I mean roger.

 

Is there any reason NOT to use a standard phonetic alphabet?
I personally use the NATO one simply because anyone who has been in the military or who is a pilot is very  familiar with this.  It really does help.
Also it helps to keep us from becoming like the CB world.
Robert N7LYS