using standard phonetiics

3/8/2008 2:57:55 PM (1 comments) Add a comment Add Comment

I haven't posted here in a while and this subject came up today on HRHG yahoo group.

This is a subject that I think is important. At least it is to me. Believe me I like to have fun with this hobby. My answer to this new ham about using standard phonetiics was not to dampen his enthusiasm but to make him aware that standard phonetics are something to be used and are important to a new ham.

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK..

>>

--- In HamRadioHelpGroup@yahoogroups.com, "xxxxxx"

wrote:

>

> Ok, i was wondering like when you say Tango for T whiskey for W does

> each club make up their own thing or what?

>

> Sxxxxxx

>

Hi,

My suggestion is to learn the proper phonetic alphabet. Stay with the standard (there are minor deviations) as much as possible unless you

are just talking to friends on a repeater. There is nothing worse than trying to work a station that uses some made up phonetics.

Especially when the station is very weak. Most all DX stations do use the standard. I worked a OM in Romania who not only used non-standard phonetics with his Romanian accent. It was

tough to figure out. Actually the Romanian accent was not bad it was his Yahoo Open 2 call would been much easier to figure out if he used

Yankee Oscar 2.

73!

Kilo 8 Echo Lima Romeo

Jim

http://www.myhamshack.com/K8ELR/

Comments

by NG9R 3/19/2008 7:24:18 PM

Phonetics are important when signals are not arm chair copy and sometimes just as important when they are loud. We had a large number of busted calls in the Illinois QSO Party a couple of years ago with the club call W9OAB. Most of the busted calls were W9OAD, amking me think the operators using the club station (all new licensees) were not using phonetics properly.
Depending on your voice characteristics, the standard IARU phonetics have a few issues but you sure don't want to get too cutesie. One of our club calls is W9AWE and we had a Field Day operation years ago where one of our newer licensees was using Whiskey Nine All Watermelon Eaters. It was funny at first, but it sure didn't bring up the QSO count any. Do follow standard phonetics, but in my case, I have found out with my voice and speech characteristics, I usually am understood better if I use Norway Germany Nine Radio than November Golf Nine Romeo. I use both but when I get requests 2 or 3 times for repeats, I seem to have beetr luck with my non-standard phonetics.
NG9R

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