Lingo
Ham radio is no different than any other human activity: There’s a bunch of specialized lingo. Actually, ham radio may have more lingo, jargon, and acronyms than most hobbies. But fear not. Learning to talk the talk is part of what makes joining a new community fun. And with ham radio, communicating (in one form or another) is the main point. As an international hobby with a 100+ year history, learning how to ‘speak ham’ is one of the best ways to join our community.
By the way, it is ham radio not HAM radio. Ham is not an abbreviation for something. Also, some new folks might say, “I’m interested in ham; or I’m thinking about getting into HAM.” That sounds like they are interested in an edible pork product, not our glorious hobby. Most hams are forgiving people who want newcomers to join our ranks. But saying certain things is like writing a scarlet H in the middle of your forehead.
Phonetic alphabet
Amateurs across the globe have agreed on a standard phonetic alphabet–a way of spelling out callsigns and words that makes them more easily understood when propagation might not be ideal.
The phonetic alphabet is often used on HF, but rarely on VHF or UHF FM. That’s because signals on VHF or UHF FM are often heard through repeaters and are usually very readable. So, if you’re transmitting on VHF or UHF through a repeater, you don’t need to use the phonetic alphabet.
Some hams use different phonetic equivalents from the ones below, like “Wacko Three Tiny Microphone” for W3TM. As a rule of thumb, it’s better practice and the more common custom to use the standard phonetic alphabet. Sometimes under difficult operating conditions, like a busy contest, you might say “Whiskey Three TEXAS MASSACHUSETTS” or something unusual rather than “Whiskey Three Tango Mike”–if the other operator can’t quite copy the last part of your callsign after you’ve tried the standard phonetics several times.
| Letter | Phonetic equivalent |
|---|---|
| A | Alpha |
| B | Bravo |
| C | Charlie |
| D | Delta |
| E | Echo |
| F | Foxtrot |
| G | Golf |
| H | Hotel |
| I | India |
| J | Juliet |
| K | Kilo |
| L | Lima |
| M | Mike |
| N | November |
| O | Oscar |
| P | Papa (accent on 2nd syllable) |
| Q | Quebec |
| R | Romeo |
| S | Sierra |
| T | Tango |
| U | Uniform |
| V | Victor |
| W | Whiskey |
| X | X-ray |
| Y | Yankee |
| Z | Zulu |
Glossary
A
Amperes. A unit of electric current.
AC
Alternating current.
AF
Audio frequency.
AFSK
Audio frequency shift keying.
AGC
Automatic gain control.
AM
Amplitude modulation.
Amateur Extra
The highest amateur radio service license class in the U.S.
Amateur Radio Service
APRS
Automatic Packet Reporting System.
ARRL
American Radio Relay League. The non-profit membership organization for U.S.-licensed hams.
ARQ
[CSCE]
Certificate of Successful Completion of (an amateur radio licensing) Examination.
cm
Centimeters, a unit of length.
CQ
An operating sign meant to communicate that the sender is calling on any amateur station to respond.
CW
Continuous wave. A type of RF modulation that involves turning a continuous carrier frequency on and off. CW is also another name for sending Morse code.
CTCSS
Continuous Tone-Coded Squelch System.
dB
Decibel.
DC
Direct current.
DMR
Digital mobile radio.
DTMF
Dual tone multi-frequency. Tones sent by VHF or UHF transceivers to control repeaters.
DX
Long distance communications. A ham calling “CQ DX” is saying that she prefers to talk to distant stations, usually in another country.
E
Electromotive force or Voltage. \(E=IR\)
Extra
Amateur Extra class license.
FCC
Federal Commmunications Commission. The U.S. Government agency charged with regulating radio communications. The FCC grants amateur radio operators licenses.
FEMA
Federal Emergency Management Agency.
FET
Field Effect Transistor.
FM
Frequency modulation.
FT4
A digital mode of communication that is part of the WSJT-X software and has a 7.5 s cycle, half that of FT8.
FT8
A digital mode of communication that is part of the WSJT-X software and has a 15 s cycle, twice that of FT4.
General
The intermediate amateur radio service license class.
GHz
Gigahertz.
Grid square
A geographical region using the Maidenhead Grid Square system.
HF
High frequency. A set of frequencies between 3 MHz and 30 [MHz.] The 80/75m, 60m, 40m, 30m, 20m, 15m, 17m, 15m, 12m, and 10m ham bands are HF bands. HF signals can propagate for long distances under common atmospheric conditions.
I
Current. \(I=E/R\), \(I=P/E\)
IC
Integrated circuit.
IEEE
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
IRLP
Internet Radio Linking Project.
ISS
International Space Station.
ITU
International Telecommunications Union. The ITU has divided the world into three geographic regions (ITU Regions). Region 2 comprises the Americas.
By <a href=“https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Chumwa” class=“extiw” title=“de:User:Chumwa”>Maximilian Dörrbecker</a> (<a href=“https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Chumwa” class=“extiw” title=“de:User:Chumwa”>Chumwa</a>) - <span class=“int-own-work” lang=“en”>Own work</span>, using <a href=“//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:International_Telecommunication_Union_region.svg” title=“File:International Telecommunication Union region.svg”>this file</a> by <a href=“//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Denelson83” title=“User:Denelson83”>Denelson83</a>, CC BY-SA 2.5, Link
kHz
Kilohertz. A unit of frequency. 1 kHz is 1 thousand cycles/sec. The ‘H’ is capitalized because it is named after Henrich Hertz.
LED
Light emitting diode.
LEO
Low Earth Orbit. Satellites with amateur radio transceivers are often placed in this orbit.
\(LiFePO_4\)
Lithium Iron Phosphate. A type of rechargeable battery. Sometimes this is pronounced “life-po”.
LSB
Lower sideband.
m
Meter or meters.
mA
Milliamperes. A unit of current. 1/1,000 of an Ampere (A).
mF
Microfarad. A unit of capacitance. 1/1,000,000 of a Farad. \(\mu F\) is another abbreviation for microfarad using the Greek letter mu (\(\mu\)).
MHz
Megahertz. A unit of frequency. 1 MHz is 1 million cycles/sec or 1 million Hertz (Hz). The ‘H’ is capitalized because it is named after Henrich Hertz.
NCS
Net control station.
P
Power. \(P=IE=I^2R\). Power is usually measured in watts (w) or some multiple of watts.
Phone
Voice transmissions.
PL-259
A male-type of UHF coax connector. SO-239 is the female type.
PM
Phase modulation. A type of RF modulation that produces a signal similar to frequency modulation (FM).
POTA
Parks on the Air. An organized activity where hams set up and operate portable stations from parks and related entities all over the world. See https://pota.app for more information and the POTA/SOTA quest for a hands-on activity.
PSK
Phase shift keying. A type of signal modulation. PSK is used in a number of digital communication modes.
PTT
Push to talk. A button and associated circuit that allows a transmitter or transceiver to transmit when pressed.
R
Resistance. \(R=E/R\). Resistance in measured in [Ohms].
RACES
Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service.
RF
Radio frequency.
RG-58
A common type of coax used with low power at HF and VHF frequencies.
RG-213
A common type of coax used with low to high power at HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies. RG-213 has lower loss than RG-58.
RIT
Receiver incremental tuning.
SDR
Software defined radio.
SO-239
A female type of UHF coax connector. PL-259 is the male type.
SPDT
Single pole double throw. A type of switch.
SSB
Single Sideband. A mode of RF modulation where one half of the two symmetric halves of an amplitude-modulated (AM) signal is sent. Upper (USB) or lower (LSB) sideband are the most common modes for sending voice (phone).
SOTA
Summits on the Air. An organized activity where hams operate from mountain summits all over the world. See https://www.sota.org.uk for more information about the program and the POTA/SOTA quest for a related hands-on activity.
SWL
Shortwave listener.
SWR
Standing Wave Ratio. The ratio of forward power to reflected power. High SWR (> 3:1 or more) means that the impedance of your antenna is a poor match to the impedance of your transmitter. This doesn’t matter very much for receiving signals, but it does pose a potential problem if you decide to transmit.
Technician
The introductory amateur radio service license class.
UHF
Ultra-high frequency. A set of frequencies between 300 MHz and 3 GHz (3,000 MHz). The 70cm band is the most commonly used UHF ham band.
Also, a type of coax connector also called PL-259 (male) and SO-239 (female).
ULS
Universal Licensing System.
USB
Upper sideband.
UTC
Coordinated Universal Time. Primary worldwide time standard that does not adjust seasonally. See Wikipedia.
V
Volt or volts. A unit of electrical force.
VE
Volunteer examiner. A licensed ham who participates in conducting ham tests.
VFO
Variable frequency oscillator.
VHF
Very high frequency. A set of frequencies between 30 and 300 MHz. The 6m, 2m, and 1.25cm bands are VHF bands.
VOiP
Voice Over Internet Protocol. A technology for sending voice signals over the internet. Digital voice modes such as DMR, [D-STAR], [Allstar], [EchoLink], and Yaesu System Fusion ([YSF]), IRLP, and [P25] often rely on VOiP.
VOX
Voice-activated transmit.
W
Watts. A unit of power.
WSPR
Weak signal propagation reporter. A digital mode.
Q-codes
QRM
Man-made noise.
QRN
Natural noise.
QRP
Very low power, typically < 5W.
QRZ
Who is calling me?
QSL
Confirming your transmission or Can you confirm my transmission?
QSO
A ham radio contact.
QST
A message for any and all radio amateurs. Also, the name of the monthly magazine provided to members of the ARRL.
QTH
Home location or current operating location.