Basic Operating rules
We have separate crib sheets for simplex working, and one for nets and repeater working
Always base initial calls on “Hello (you), this is (me) calling you.”
Even if this is reduced to just “(you), (me)” it is always in this order1.
Keep all messages as short as possible.
Speak clearly with uniform volume.
Prepare or rehearse what you will say.
Men to pitch voice slightly higher than usual.
Speak slightly slower than usual.
Long messages should be split into sections.
Do not give personal details on-air or discuss contentious subjects e.g. politics, sex, religion.
If you cannot communicate, move and/or adjust your antenna. Increase power only when these have failed.
Use phonetics to spell words if necessary.
PHONETICS
Alfa
Bravo
Charlie
Delta
Echo
Foxtrot
Golf
Hotel
India
Juliett
Kilo
Lima
Mike
November
Oscar
Papa
Quebec
Romeo
Sierra
Tango
Uniform
Victor
Whisky
X-Ray
Yankee
Zulu
These words were carefully chosen long ago to be clearly distinguishable from one another. They are known worldwide and must never be altered. Learn them by practicing reading car number plates.
Emphasis is italicised. Quebec is pronounced ‘Ké-bek’. Ju-li-ett has three syllables.
Before using phonetics (except for callsigns etc.) always say ‘I SPELL’, e.g. “Town’s name is York, I spell Yankee, Oscar, Romeo, Kilo.”
Numbers can be sent one digit at a time with the prefix ‘FIGURES’, e.g. “Meter reads four fifty millivolts, figures fower fife zero.”
Number phonetics are pronounced ‘Wun, Too, Tree, Fower, Fife, Six, Seven, Ate, Niner, Zero’.
ABBREVIATIONS
Rather than spelling abbreviations phonetically with a prefix, it is often quicker to say the unabbreviated term.
E.g. not “Rig is an SDR, I spell Sierra, Delta, Romeo” but “Rig is a software defined radio.”
Alphanumeric rig names are commonly spelled phonetically without prefixes: “Rig is a Fox Tango Four Fife Zero Delta.”
Foxtrot is for this purpose often unofficially abbreviated to Fox, as many Yaesu rigs are called ‘FT’.
CALLSIGNS
Give callsigns regularly. Using them every time is good but can waste time. If the other station has spoken for more than a minute without stopping you may wish to give both callsigns when you reply.
PROWORDS
These are fixed words or phrases which may be used for message control, etc. They must always mean the same everywhere and therefore must not be altered. There are many, mostly specialised (marine, aviation, etc.). Those we often use, which come from various sources, include:
AFFIRM / AFFIRMATIVE Yes (used e.g. with phonetics).
ALFA CHARLIE Military general call, equivalent to ‘CQ’. Used only by Service stations e.g. on Blue Ham exercises. Never ‘AC’. Never used by amateurs, only responded to on exercise.
“Alfa Charlie, Alfa Charlie, Alfa Charlie. This is Mike Romeo Echo Two Four Delta.”
ALL BEFORE, ALL AFTER, WORD BEFORE, WORD AFTER, FROM…TO What to ‘say again’.
“G3DEF, G4GHI: say again, all after ‘teabreak’, over.”
“Hello One, this is Six: say again. From ‘list’ to ‘seven’.”
CORRECTION Message continues from last correct word.
CQ General call, traditionally given three times. Never ‘Charlie Quebec’. Probably means ‘come quick’. Styles differ.
“CQ, CQ, CQ. This is GB3SM, Golf Bravo Tree Sierra Mike, calling CQ and listening.” This is complete and correct. “CQ, CQ, CQ; G1IJK, CQ, over.” In this case ‘over’ is unnecessary as nobody has yet replied, but still indicates ‘end of call’ for SSB.
“CQ, CQ, CQ. M1PQR, Mike One Papa Quebec Romeo, CQ, CQ, CQ.”
“CQ two, CQ two, CQ two, G1FGH calling CQ on two metres.” If listeners may have several rigs running this form could be useful.
“CQ contest G4RST.” The bare minimum for contesting.
In a digital mode this might reduce to
CQ CQ CQ G6IJK
While sinking the SS Titanic sent both the old distress signal CQD (perhaps ‘come quick, danger’) and the new one, SOS (selected for ease of use and having no meaning).
FIGURES Numerical phonetics follow.
“Club net on four thirty three four seventy five. Figures: Fower Tree Tree Fower Seven Fife.”
GO AHEAD (or ‘send’) Go ahead with your transmission.
“G1HIJ, G2KLM, over.” “G2KLM, G1HIJ, go ahead, over.”
GRID Grid reference follows.
“Three tents and two vehicles. Grid. Figures. One Fower Fife, Too Niner Zero.”
HELLO ‘Calling…’
“Hello M6MNO, this is G0STU calling you.”
This prescribed form of words should always be used in case of difficulty.
HOW ME Signal report, please (obsolete but still heard).
“Hello One, Five; you are weak readable, how me?”
IN Countdown in seconds follows.
“G9FGH, G0STU: data in fife, fower, tree…”
I READ BACK I will read your last message back to you
I SAY AGAIN Used rarely for emphasis only, not to respond to ‘say again’:
“…your onboard niner-triple-zero computer is in error predicting the fault, I say again, in error predicting the fault…” [Clarke: 2001]
I SPELL Phonetics follow.
“’Phonetics’, I spell: Papa, Hotel, Oscar, November, Echo, Tango, India, Charlie, Sierra.”
LISTENING Receiving on this frequency, listening for calls.
“G5PQR listening.” “G1TUV listening on two metres sked for members of the Amateur Radio Club.”
MESSAGE I have a message requiring logging / notes (“You’re going to have to write this down.”).
“G7JKL, G8MNO; message, over.” “G8MNO, G7JKL; stand by, over.” “G8MNO standing by.”
[pause while G7JKL prepares to log message]
“G8MNO, G7JKL; send, over.”
MONITORING Receiving on this frequency, not necessarily expecting a call.
“G5CDE monitoring four three three decimal five zero zero.” “M7BCD monitoring.”
NEGATIVE No
OUT Transmission concluded, no reply expected.
“G6UVW now QSY to 3 centimetres, on this frequency now QRT, out.”
OVER Transmission concluded, reply expected.
“Name here is Roger, over.” “Roger Roger, name here is Ivor, over.”
It is not necessary to use ‘over’ or ‘out’ on FM as the squelch will be heard to close, but they are always used on SSB and are a good habit. They are never used together.
READ BACK Read my last message back to me.
ROGER Received and understood.
Also in response to ‘radio check’ means ‘loud and clear’:
“Hello One, this is Niner; radio check, over.” “Niner, One; roger, out.”
SAY AGAIN If used alone, say again the entire message:
“G1ABC, G2XYZ, say again, over.”
Never use REPEAT as it means ‘artillery, etc. to repeat the last fire mission’.
SEND (or ‘go ahead’) Go ahead with your transmission.
“Four, One; message, over.” “One, Four; send, over.”
STAND BY My next message will follow after a brief pause.
“G1DEF, G0LMN; stand by; rotating beam.” “G1DEF standing by.”
STANDING BY Awaiting your next message shortly and will temporarily answer no other regular calls (distress or emergency calls are always answered).
If nothing heard after a reasonable time, a reminder (‘still standing by’, or similar) is in order.
“G0LMN, G1DEF: still standing by here, old man.” “G1DEF, G0LMN: sorry about that, rotator plug fell out, had to climb the tower.”
THIS IS This is my callsign.
“This is 2LO calling; 2LO calling. Here is the Palm Court Orchestra…”
WAIT, OUT Further message to follow, no acknowledgement expected now.
“Hello One, this is Fife. Nothing heard. Moving. Wait, out.”
**WILCO ** Will Comply.
WRONG Used to correct an error during transmission:
“…northing is figures seven one niner, wrong, northing is figures seven one ate…”
YOU ARE Signal report follows.
“You are three and six, I say again, you are three and six; how me?”
Q-CODES
Voice use often derives unofficially from CW practice. On CW the strict official meanings, often different from these, must be observed.
QRM Man-made interference
QRN Natural interference
QRO High power
QRP Low power (there is a ‘G-QRP Club’)
QRT Station shut down (not listening)
QRZ Who is calling me?
QSL Written acknowledgement of contact
QSO Contact with another station
QSY Change frequency
QTH Position on the ground (‘my QTH’ often used loosely for ‘my home’; should be QTHR)
QTHR Registered address of station; often used in small-ads (‘G8UVW, QTHR’)
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David Bowie was procedurally wrong with Ground Control to Major Tom. Major Tom, this is Ground Control would have messed up his song, art can always bend the rules for dramatic effect. The order is this way because people listen out for their callsign so they are paying attention when it comes to copying down the calling station. ↩