Hello Jim, I just recently received my Technician license. So, not a General, but the advice you give makes sense no matter to whom you are speaking with. I watch you regularly and although I don't yet have enough knowledge to know some of the topics you are speaking about, I find them interesting and I take notes for future reference. Thanks you for sharing your knowledge with all of the license classes. You make learning fun!!! 73
AS a Canadian it drives me nuts when operators send their location by the two letter state abbreviation. I would rather hear new york than november yankee as a location. 73 jim from VA3XAP
Hi Jim. GREAT content. I think we forget to keep it simple and try instead to sound "cool" by using the slang. I hear as much jargon on HF as I do on CB sometimes. PS. I heard your contact with Lauro the other day. I immediately recognized your voice. Good signal here in MA. 73 OM
Great advice Jim. I'm not terribly new to HF, I find myself making a few of these mistakes. I always thought "Hi Hi" was just a cleaver way to indicate something you said is funny but didn't realize it's considered "bad form". Great information, best to you.
Nice job Jim, excellent video. Thanks for adding in the Hi-Hi, that drives me nuts too, especially the folks up there on 2 meters and 440! Anyway, take care Jim, 73's!
Jim, thanks for this particular video. We all have our bad habits, but I TRY keep them to a minimum! BTW, you answered my CQ on 20M a couple of weeks ago, but the band dropped out almost immediately. I was looking forward to chatting with you, so hopefully we can talk again soon. I use "QSL?" if conditions are bad, and I've been asked to repeat something a couple of times. I hear "roger roger, QSL" "personal", and "destinated" on the local repeaters (but I think the last one can be a joke). I have referred your videos to several new hams, and I will always try some "gentle, polite guidance" if I hear something that is really bad. I try not to nitpick, though. I think there has been a great effort to get people licensed, but then very little guidance after they get their ticket - and it shows. Bad operating on HF seems to be getting worse. It's not just misuse of language, but bad procedures, wide, dirty amps, people not understanding where their pass band is, calling DX stations that are operating outside of their privileges, and questionable subject matter. Recently, a new ham on 10M SSB answered my CQ and used CB lingo. He then complained that no one would talk to him. I kindly, and politely explained the situation, and made some suggestions. He was very receptive, as I think most folks are if you act like you want them to succeed. However, mentioning that someone's amplified signal is "kinda wide", is usually met with negativity... 73, Jim KO5V Cedar Crest, NM .
Well..hi hi is meant to convey that something is funny, or maybe mildly amusing, but a laugh, chuckle, guffaw, etc. would do just as well on phone. You cannot, of course, laugh, guffaw, chuckle, etc. on morse or other digital modes, so hi hi might be more appropriate there. Seems silly when you can actually laugh.
Watched this video when I was brand new and had no idea what HiHi was. I thought that was so bizarre that someone would say that in a voice call instead of just laughing but a week or two ago, it happened. There was a QSO I was listening to and the fine gentleman would say "HiHi" like a 13 yr old girl texts "Lol". Thought of this video immediately.
I have spent a lifetime accommodating folks who spoke differently than I. They did not meet my communications expectations, but I chose to accommodate them without mentioning their idiosyncrasies. I always believed that I got better cooperation and collaboration that way.
Great advice. These things drive me crazy also. Especially on FM / Repeaters when folks say their callsign then add "For ID" after their callsign. Your callsign per FCC guidlines IS your ID. LOL. Thanks for this video. W5KAL
Jim, THANK YOU ❤ Licensed in 1984 and you hit a home run! If i was in CA I'd give you a hug! I also 16:46 hate the "dit dit" at the end of CW contact which used to be "shave and a haircut" "dit dit" Alan, NY2G . THAT'S Netherlands Yesterday Twu Garden. OSL? RODGER BEEP! 😊
I taught English overseas for 21 years, and I learnt pretty quickly to speak in phrases instead of whole sentences all at once and to speak slightly more slowly than normal. That experience would probably transfer nicely to the radio.
Thank you for bringing this up. I refuse to use the term QSL on phone unless in the rare case I am talking about exchanging an actual QSL card. I avoid "Hi Hi" as well. The terms Whiskey for Watts, SWRS for SWR, and of course, the use of break to join in a conversation were popular back in my 11 meter CB days of the 1970s and 80s. "Personals" isn't that a very old term for undergarments? Again, thank you, Jim, for bringing up these habits that somehow became the norm for a lot of people. Some operators may not even be aware that they picked up some of these habits. Maybe one day you can run a quick video on good habits for DXing and also how to work stations running Split. 👍 -Over-
It never gets old. I have been a ham for over 30yrs. We have some new hams and they just love to use hi hi and many others you mentioned. Thanks for the video and 73 de Kc8aro
After a week of doing some POTA hunting, I can validate that a lot of these practices add more confusion than they solve, that's for sure! Good to help us avoid being "that guy"!
I think of this video every time I catch myself saying QSL too much. I'm working on it but I gotta say, QSL is harder to kick than cigarettes and I've only been a ham for 6 months or so. All from that first few wild weeks in 10m hearing QSL for everything.
Great stuff Jim. Thanks. I have to agree with everything you said. Of all of them though, the "Hi Hi" thing always cracks me up the most! I NEVER say it... I just laugh. It's phone, after all, and they can hear you laugh! The excessive use of "QSL" bugs me too. I find a lot of newer hams using it waaay too much (particularly POTA stations, for some reason). I rarely ever say it, and then, it's usually only when asked to repeat something, and when I repeat it, I may follow the repeated info with "QSL?". Lastly, while operators throwing out their call-signs too often can be annoying, what you did not mention was, those operators who don't give their callsign often enough. I hear SO many guys (again POTA, quite alot) finish a call, then say "QRZed" without giving their call. They may take two or three, or four more calls, all without ever giving their callsign. I usually just move on... Anyway, thanks again! 73 from west Texas, W5ARM
Very Good operating suggestions, Jim. Especially the guys that just stop talking usually after just a few words like we are in the same room - I never know how long to pause... makes me just want to change frequencies and move on. Also, I can not bring myself to ask for a "handle"... you may have already made a video for this but please encourage people to turn their SSB microphone compression Down. There are some beautiful signals on SSB but there are also some that are so hard to understand because of the amount of compression on the transmitter, it makes the QSO very difficult. Stay well, my friend. 73
Good one Jim, some of those drive me crazy too. 73's is saying "Best wishes-es". The hard one for me is the signal report. I have friends say how can someone give a 5-9, then ask that station to repeat? It happens often. After giving a 5-9, some LID starts keying, or a power mad station starts talking on a nearby frequency, some one tunes up on the freq. (some people think they have to tune on the exact frequency they want to use.) or an occasional static crash covers them up. this is more prevalent during contesting. Thanks for all you do
Right on Jim, I feel the same on all of that. I never used to hear people say swrs years back but seems like in the last few years everyone is saying that. They used to just say swr. By the way I heard you on about a week ago and gave you a call but you had to leave the radio for a while so I missed you but will talk again on 20!
Another classic on FM repeaters is when operators say "we" versus "I". I once asked an operator who else was with him when he kept saying "we", needless to say he was dumbfounded by my question. Thanks Jim.
Beautiful Jim! I learned everything from the New York State Phone Traffic and Emergency Net which my Elmer NR2B ran sometimes, and later, listening to the AM Community in New England with Irb and Timmy. I got confused of course.
Jim, long time EXTRA, VEC, agree 100% ... don't care if some hate, its true... thanks for sharing for new HF Peeps... so true... Jim speaks truth,,, and I appreciate it..
Smiling! One of mine is, base station. I was taught that is CB talk and hams use fixed station. Now even the radio stores say base station rigs. QRZ, who is calling me. Used a lot in the wrong way, was taught only if you hear someone but didn't get the call do you use QRZ, DX and other stations use it a lot at the end of each contact when no one has called them, or after calling CQ. CQ, CQ DE K5E##, QRZed. 73's always rubs my fur the wrong way. Haven't heard the Whisky one yet, that's got to be CB lingo, along with SWR's and many others.
One of my first contacts I had on HF kept saying he was barefoot and asking if I was barefoot. I said no because I was wearing shoes at the time. Then he asked my power and I said 100 watts. So again he said barefoot. It turned into a who's on first comedy skit until we figured it out then we laughed. Now when I hear someone say barefoot I laugh. Why not just say 100 watts? that seems so simple. Barfoot isn't any shorter.
This is really good content, I'm not particularly old but the plague of QSL QSL is bothering me a bit. Partly because it's being improperly used, but also because its an awkward phrase when "over" would suffice. Thanks for the clear explanation on the different terms!
Thanks for going over this Jim. This is really good. Clear and pretty much common sense advise. It seems bizarre that some operators seem to modify standard communication practice into something else. Why? To sound different? To try and make something straightforward complex as if it is a honed skill? Beats me.
Hi Hi drives me crazy when people use it on phone. When you send it on CW, especially at higher speeds, it sounds like laughter, and I suspect that's why it's used. That being said, I'm primarily a CW op, and I rarely hear it sent even on CW. Normally when I hear it it's a voice contact, and it sounds so out of place.
I would submit the term hi hi used in CW is because semi automatic keys (bugs) make the dits automatically. The letter H is 4 dits, I is 2 dits. A bug operator can send hi hi with 2 pushes of his thumb. 73 . .
My favorite one is the ham that keys the microphone (2 meters FM) and says "This is" and unkeys the microphone to see if he has doubled. One time I heard two stations do this at the same time and then thinking they did not double, doubled over each other again.
Some nets require this. When you have 30 people trying to check in at the same time it really does cut down on the collisions. Is it perfect? No, of course not - sometimes people double anyway. But that isn't a good reason not to use it. It does help greatly. And colliding with a one second "this is" is far faster than colliding when giving your call phonetically, plus your name and location. It just makes the net move faster.
@@stargazer7644 I have never heard of a net requiring people to say "This is" and drop the carrier. Please show me a net preamble where this is stated.
@@ths3900 Here's just one example: "This net meets nightly to handle formal written traffic into and out of the local area and to provide a link to the National Traffic System of the American Radio Relay League. This is a directed net, and a training net. When calling please say: “this is” and release the PTT a moment, wait for the repeater beep, re-key, and then give the following: Your call sign, slowly and phonetically Your name, location, and whether or not you have traffic..."
I think a lot of this stems from former CB operators. I came from CB and quickly learned to leave this stuff behind. "Personals" is a huge one from CB SSB. To this 45 yr ham, it's cringeworthy. Glad you did this video.
Another great video. Lots of good tips. I catch myself saying QSL as a question sometimes while contesting-me: "You are 5-9 (serial number) 001. QSL?" But I certainly don't say it with every exchange and repeat it 3-4 times during a single transmission. LOL! Question: Does the phrase "please copy" followed by specific info (serial number, state country, etc.) for an exchange during contesting bother you? You've mentioned saying "seven three" in a one of your previous videos I think and I've adopted that one for sure. Good to see you back making videos Jim. Thanks for all the hard work. I know what it takes to produce videos. 73! Michael - WA5AZQ
Thankfully I had some damn good elmers coming up who have said the exact same things that you speak of, and I agree with you 100%! Thanks for trying to stop the madness with a video on good radio practice! 73, de NH7TR
Like a lot of things in life, we learn from observing what more experienced people do. As we get comfortable and relaxed with more formal practices, slang tends to slip in and what was meant to simplify something can actually make it complicated if in the end you aren’t sure how to conduct yourself. It would be great if the seasoned operators (like yourself, Cal from the UK, Dave C., Josh, Roly from NZ etc) could put together a PDF of standard practices that the larger representative organizations (AARL, RAC, OFFCOM, etc) could vet and post on their website for all to refer to. Otherwise we will just continue to do what we observe others do and adopt it without much question, because the cool kids are doing it. 73 Tim VE5THF
Thank you, Jim! This was another fantastic and very helpful video. Even though I was familiar with a lot of the information presented, this is an extremely useful reference. I liked and shared this video, and I look forward to more! ~ 73 ~ AC7WH
I struggle with amateur radio signal reports because I first learned marine VHF that uses the QSA/QRK system where strength and readability are reversed compared to RST, and the maximum is 5 for strength.
Had this problem several times talking on HF to other countries for sure just have to work hard to try and understand them the best you can but it can be hard to do anyway 73
Hi Jim, great video as usual. I‘ve completely the same opinion. I‘d like to ask you, if you could make a video of the correct TX Bandwith in SSB, even everyone should know it. I‘m so annoyed to see ham‘s using a very wide bandwith, even in DX (which is completely senseless) at least far wider than 3Khz. Sometimes 4-5Khz, only to make a kind of broadcast transmission in hifi audio quality. I always say, we’re actually do two way radio, not broadcast radio. Besides it occupies a lot of space, that maybe others would like to use to have a QSO. I read a comment from a ham in a youtube videoreview, not buying this radio, especially it could‘t offers more 3Khz Bandwith in TX. What the heck. Do i missed something in the last 40 years? So maybe that could be an item on your upcoming list? What do you think? 73, and stay well, Stefan DF6VI
Regarding "hi hi"I always figured it originated, either as a smooshed together "hee hee", or was morse onomatopoeia. I'll have to disagree slightly on 73 though. It is, of course, shorthand for "best regards′", just as you say and may need no embellishment. But how would it be improper to offer very 73, or, "vy 73"? Very best regards, or, sending my very best regards? 73s I agree is a bit much, The Old Man notwithstanding, and let's not even talk about 73rds (which is, what, 23 and a third?) Vy 73 and keep up the good work :-) de KB5ELV
When studying for my foundation license, one of the instructors mused that HI HI is derived from the sound it makes in CW - dit-dit-dit-dit dit-dit which resembles a laugh when heard. Don't know how true it is, but makes sense to me. However, saying HI HI instead of actually laughing in voice mode is generally pointless (unless you're laughing ironically I guess).
I do find that if the other station asks for clairification of part of the details, such as the last two letters of my locator, repeat just that twice and preferably with differnet phonetics each time, (golf, India then Germanyyy, Italyyy) and then I give the complete locator in case he has also not heard the first part correctly and doesn't know it! ...and then he can give me 59!!
I'm a fairly new ham, but I really wish people would use the "standard" phonetic alphabet. It just makes sense to me...why throw-in a confusion factor? 73 Jim
Sage advice as always Jim, though I am not as pedantic about the use of "73s", it takes up no more air time and I understand them. One of the most frustrating is probably stations starting on eulogies or their life stories when you have said that there is heavy QSB or other factor making them near unreadable. Other irritations I hear a lot in the UK are the overuse of the words "we, here there", some of these peculiar linguistics seemed to appear first on CB in the early 1980s. I guess the main lesson is to be reactive, your friend that you are 5/9 both ways with will understand when you are discussing an antenna and you say "I have high SWAR on 30m". Don't start me on "baluMs".... 73 de G0FVT
Hi and thank you. I'm currently in a hospital bed in Roseville California recovering from an attack. I'm dictating this and the phone is typing it out and of course there's going to be mistakes. I judge your email thanks for a good laugh. I also often make mistakes and use QTH or QSY. thanks again 73 Jim
@@ham-radio only someone with your manners would take the time to reply under such difficult circumstances. I am quite sure all of us are willing you to recover quickly. 73
Using "over" bothers me on repeaters but not on HF. I think some hams have nothing better to do than let things bother them. Sometimes it's hard to determine when someone unkeys on HF.
I have a beginners license and like to listen in the mornings to see what bands are listenable and write down call signs to look up on the computer to see where folks are from . A few weeks ago I discovered it was you I was hearing on the 40 meter band with my first inverted dipole strung over the roof into the trees. I am in western NC . Lots to learn so I appreciate your teachings. Thank you sir.
Hi Hi is supposed to be a sarcastic response to HH - sent by German stations in the 1930s. You can guess what it stood for. That's the old timers story anyway.
I know here in the US we're supposed to speak in English. Is it alright to say words in other languages for the purposes of establishing comprehendable communication as long as we also provide the English translation? So far I have tried to avoid this, but I wonder what your take is. Thanks.
I would like it if we all spoke English. I hear groups in Spanish and they don't even ID in English. I know they are in the US. Also, their bandwidths are really broad. Bad audio, splatter, distortion, flat topping, IMD, because the mic gain is way too high. If I talk with them about that, they just say go away. They are doing that on purpose. 73, Jim
The use of "QSL?" or "Roger?" at the end of a transmission drives me crazy. It's like they're saying, "Do you agree? Are you onboard? Do you get it?" On a slightly different aspect of ham radio that I think could be improved is the use of PTT without releasing the PTT until the operator's filibuster is over. I release my PTT after every phrase or sentence to be sure I'm not doubling. Sometimes, I hear 2 stations doubling for 30 seconds or more. This problem could minimized by using VOX or PTT that is released every 5 seconds or so. 73 de K5AVJ
Aww come on Jim. 73's was used by the old man himself, Hiram Percy Maxim, and I'm sure you've seen his QSL card with 73's on it. "Handle" predates CB by over a decade. It was first used in amateur radio as anyone can evidence on pre-war QST magazines. Everything else is spot on especially not using ridiculous slang with DX like "your signal took a dip" or "batting the gums" which a certain station in VT contantly tells DX.
All good tips Jim- I remember you from when you bought High Sierra Antennas (and I still use one of your special RV models daily). I take exception to the phrase "handle" as a objectionable slang from the CB crowd- as I was a CBer in the early 1970s and became a ham in 1976 at age 13 - and prior to becoming a ham, never heard the term "handle" - IOW, never heard it on CB. It was only old timers (folks older than I and you). I don't use any of the other terms consider poor operating proceedures- and believe you missed one: Roger, roger, roger... lately I hear that term used redundantly all over the 20M band... not as bad as tuning in in 75M, but still pretty terrible to listen to people speaking and yet saying nothing for the effort. BTW- Whiskeys do annoy me too- seems it is very popular among Italian operators. 73 N4BKT
Hello Jim, I just recently received my Technician license. So, not a General, but the advice you give makes sense no matter to whom you are speaking with. I watch you regularly and although I don't yet have enough knowledge to know some of the topics you are speaking about, I find them interesting and I take notes for future reference. Thanks you for sharing your knowledge with all of the license classes. You make learning fun!!! 73
AS a Canadian it drives me nuts when operators send their location by the two letter state abbreviation. I would rather hear new york than november yankee as a location. 73 jim from VA3XAP
Hi Jim. GREAT content. I think we forget to keep it simple and try instead to sound "cool" by using the slang. I hear as much jargon on HF as I do on CB sometimes.
PS. I heard your contact with Lauro the other day. I immediately recognized your voice. Good signal here in MA.
73 OM
Great advice Jim. I'm not terribly new to HF, I find myself making a few of these mistakes. I always thought "Hi Hi" was just a cleaver way to indicate something you said is funny but didn't realize it's considered "bad form". Great information, best to you.
Nice job Jim, excellent video. Thanks for adding in the Hi-Hi, that drives me nuts too, especially the folks up there on 2 meters and 440! Anyway, take care Jim, 73's!
Great video. I have always heard that "hi hi" is a CW abbreviation.
Jim, thanks for this particular video. We all have our bad habits, but I TRY keep them to a minimum! BTW, you answered my CQ on 20M a couple of weeks ago, but the band dropped out almost immediately. I was looking forward to chatting with you, so hopefully we can talk again soon.
I use "QSL?" if conditions are bad, and I've been asked to repeat something a couple of times. I hear "roger roger, QSL" "personal", and "destinated" on the local repeaters (but I think the last one can be a joke). I have referred your videos to several new hams, and I will always try some "gentle, polite guidance" if I hear something that is really bad. I try not to nitpick, though.
I think there has been a great effort to get people licensed, but then very little guidance after they get their ticket - and it shows. Bad operating on HF seems to be getting worse. It's not just misuse of language, but bad procedures, wide, dirty amps, people not understanding where their pass band is, calling DX stations that are operating outside of their privileges, and questionable subject matter.
Recently, a new ham on 10M SSB answered my CQ and used CB lingo. He then complained that no one would talk to him. I kindly, and politely explained the situation, and made some suggestions. He was very receptive, as I think most folks are if you act like you want them to succeed. However, mentioning that someone's amplified signal is "kinda wide", is usually met with negativity...
73, Jim KO5V
Cedar Crest, NM
.
Thanks Jim, nice to reiterate good practices. take care.
Well..hi hi is meant to convey that something is funny, or maybe mildly amusing, but a laugh, chuckle, guffaw, etc. would do just as well on phone. You cannot, of course, laugh, guffaw, chuckle, etc. on morse or other digital modes, so hi hi might be more appropriate there. Seems silly when you can actually laugh.
Watched this video when I was brand new and had no idea what HiHi was. I thought that was so bizarre that someone would say that in a voice call instead of just laughing but a week or two ago, it happened. There was a QSO I was listening to and the fine gentleman would say "HiHi" like a 13 yr old girl texts "Lol". Thought of this video immediately.
I have spent a lifetime accommodating folks who spoke differently than I. They did not meet my communications expectations, but I chose to accommodate them without mentioning their idiosyncrasies. I always believed that I got better cooperation and collaboration that way.
Great advice. These things drive me crazy also. Especially on FM / Repeaters when folks say their callsign then add "For ID" after their callsign. Your callsign per FCC guidlines IS your ID. LOL.
Thanks for this video.
W5KAL
Jim, THANK YOU ❤ Licensed in 1984 and you hit a home run! If i was in CA I'd give you a hug! I also 16:46 hate the "dit dit" at the end of CW contact which used to be "shave and a haircut" "dit dit" Alan, NY2G . THAT'S Netherlands Yesterday Twu Garden. OSL? RODGER BEEP! 😊
I'm binge-watching your stuff here Jim! This is "top banana"..
I taught English overseas for 21 years, and I learnt pretty quickly to speak in phrases instead of whole sentences all at once and to speak slightly more slowly than normal. That experience would probably transfer nicely to the radio.
Thank you for bringing this up.
I refuse to use the term QSL on phone unless in the rare case I am talking about exchanging an actual QSL card.
I avoid "Hi Hi" as well. The terms Whiskey for Watts, SWRS for SWR, and of course, the use of break to join in a conversation were popular back in my 11 meter CB days of the 1970s and 80s.
"Personals" isn't that a very old term for undergarments?
Again, thank you, Jim, for bringing up these habits that somehow became the norm for a lot of people.
Some operators may not even be aware that they picked up some of these habits.
Maybe one day you can run a quick video on good habits for DXing and also how to work stations running Split. 👍
-Over-
Here's one....use the official phonetic alphabet.
Sick burn
P as in pterodactyl, k as in knife...
@@aarontooth crumbs.
I like to use tsar for T, czar for C, and either for Z
😂
It never gets old. I have been a ham for over 30yrs. We have some new hams and they just love to use hi hi and many others you mentioned. Thanks for the video and 73 de Kc8aro
After a week of doing some POTA hunting, I can validate that a lot of these practices add more confusion than they solve, that's for sure! Good to help us avoid being "that guy"!
I think of this video every time I catch myself saying QSL too much. I'm working on it but I gotta say, QSL is harder to kick than cigarettes and I've only been a ham for 6 months or so. All from that first few wild weeks in 10m hearing QSL for everything.
Great stuff Jim. Thanks.
I have to agree with everything you said.
Of all of them though, the "Hi Hi" thing always cracks me up the most! I NEVER say it... I just laugh. It's phone, after all, and they can hear you laugh!
The excessive use of "QSL" bugs me too. I find a lot of newer hams using it waaay too much (particularly POTA stations, for some reason). I rarely ever say it, and then, it's usually only when asked to repeat something, and when I repeat it, I may follow the repeated info with "QSL?".
Lastly, while operators throwing out their call-signs too often can be annoying, what you did not mention was, those operators who don't give their callsign often enough. I hear SO many guys (again POTA, quite alot) finish a call, then say "QRZed" without giving their call. They may take two or three, or four more calls, all without ever giving their callsign. I usually just move on...
Anyway, thanks again!
73 from west Texas,
W5ARM
Very Good operating suggestions, Jim. Especially the guys that just stop talking usually after just a few words like we are in the same room - I never know how long to pause... makes me just want to change frequencies and move on. Also, I can not bring myself to ask for a "handle"... you may have already made a video for this but please encourage people to turn their SSB microphone compression Down. There are some beautiful signals on SSB but there are also some that are so hard to understand because of the amount of compression on the transmitter, it makes the QSO very difficult. Stay well, my friend. 73
Good one Jim, some of those drive me crazy too. 73's is saying "Best wishes-es". The hard one for me is the signal report. I have friends say how can someone give a 5-9, then ask that station to repeat? It happens often. After giving a 5-9, some LID starts keying, or a power mad station starts talking on a nearby frequency, some one tunes up on the freq. (some people think they have to tune on the exact frequency they want to use.) or an occasional static crash covers them up. this is more prevalent during contesting. Thanks for all you do
I’m going to share this, because it’s so needed.
Right on Jim, I feel the same on all of that. I never used to hear people say swrs years back but seems like in the last few years everyone is saying that. They used to just say swr. By the way I heard you on about a week ago and gave you a call but you had to leave the radio for a while so I missed you but will talk again on 20!
Love hearing your coming in 5 by 9....followed by I'm having a hard time making you out.
Another classic on FM repeaters is when operators say "we" versus "I". I once asked an operator who else was with him when he kept saying "we", needless to say he was dumbfounded by my question. Thanks Jim.
Beautiful Jim! I learned everything from the New York State Phone Traffic and Emergency Net which my Elmer NR2B ran sometimes, and later, listening to the AM Community in New England with Irb and Timmy. I got confused of course.
Jim, long time EXTRA, VEC, agree 100% ... don't care if some hate, its true... thanks for sharing for new HF Peeps... so true... Jim speaks truth,,, and I appreciate it..
It is good to see you here and thank you for this wonderful tutorial concerning some long used procedure on the ham bands.
THANK you, W6LG. This is the way.
Disney isn’t.
@@forgetyourlife Walt Disney care.
@@TheManFrayBentos yes, Walt did. I true artist. 2023 Disney though is just a mess.
I am so glad you talking about the miss use of the QSL on the bands. It is a peeve of mine to Jim.
Smiling!
One of mine is, base station. I was taught that is CB talk and hams use fixed station. Now even the radio stores say base station rigs.
QRZ, who is calling me. Used a lot in the wrong way, was taught only if you hear someone but didn't get the call do you use QRZ, DX and other stations use it a lot at the end of each contact when no one has called them, or after calling CQ. CQ, CQ DE K5E##, QRZed.
73's always rubs my fur the wrong way. Haven't heard the Whisky one yet, that's got to be CB lingo, along with SWR's and many others.
I like the guy that asks for call 4 times then gives you signal report of 5-9. 73s
Hi Jim, newer ham here. This is really useful for me. Appreaciate this and hope more newbe's watch.
One of my first contacts I had on HF kept saying he was barefoot and asking if I was barefoot. I said no because I was wearing shoes at the time. Then he asked my power and I said 100 watts. So again he said barefoot. It turned into a who's on first comedy skit until we figured it out then we laughed. Now when I hear someone say barefoot I laugh. Why not just say 100 watts? that seems so simple. Barfoot isn't any shorter.
6:52 I just reply that I'm using 400 Vodkas! 😂
You look great, Jim. Glad to see you looking better. As always, good information. Thanks.
Lots of good sense here Jim. Overzealous callsign repetition is a pet hate of mine!
Callsign ping pong is one of my hates too
This is really good content, I'm not particularly old but the plague of QSL QSL is bothering me a bit. Partly because it's being improperly used, but also because its an awkward phrase when "over" would suffice. Thanks for the clear explanation on the different terms!
Great stuff Jim. As I try to get on phone more this is very helpful.
Thanks for going over this Jim. This is really good. Clear and pretty much common sense advise. It seems bizarre that some operators seem to modify standard communication practice into something else. Why? To sound different? To try and make something straightforward complex as if it is a honed skill? Beats me.
Hi Jim, you are my mentor. Thank you so much for another educational video. All the best.
Always nice to speak with Jim...I break too many rules..im Australian VK3OZY
This should be required viewing for new hams.
Hi Hi drives me crazy when people use it on phone. When you send it on CW, especially at higher speeds, it sounds like laughter, and I suspect that's why it's used. That being said, I'm primarily a CW op, and I rarely hear it sent even on CW. Normally when I hear it it's a voice contact, and it sounds so out of place.
I use heehee 😉
I would submit the term hi hi used in CW is because semi automatic keys (bugs) make the dits automatically. The letter H is 4 dits, I is 2 dits. A bug operator can send hi hi with 2 pushes of his thumb. 73 . .
My favorite one is the ham that keys the microphone (2 meters FM) and says "This is" and unkeys the microphone to see if he has doubled.
One time I heard two stations do this at the same time and then thinking they did not double, doubled over each other again.
Some nets require this. When you have 30 people trying to check in at the same time it really does cut down on the collisions. Is it perfect? No, of course not - sometimes people double anyway. But that isn't a good reason not to use it. It does help greatly. And colliding with a one second "this is" is far faster than colliding when giving your call phonetically, plus your name and location. It just makes the net move faster.
@@stargazer7644 I have never heard of a net requiring people to say "This is" and drop the carrier. Please show me a net preamble where this is stated.
@@ths3900 Here's just one example:
"This net meets nightly to handle formal written traffic
into and out of the local area and to provide a link to the National
Traffic System of the American Radio Relay League. This is a directed
net, and a training net.
When calling please say: “this is” and release the PTT a moment,
wait for the repeater beep, re-key, and then give the following:
Your call sign, slowly and phonetically
Your name, location, and whether or not you have traffic..."
I think a lot of this stems from former CB operators. I came from CB and quickly learned to leave this stuff behind. "Personals" is a huge one from CB SSB. To this 45 yr ham, it's cringeworthy. Glad you did this video.
Another great video. Lots of good tips.
I catch myself saying QSL as a question sometimes while contesting-me: "You are 5-9 (serial number) 001. QSL?" But I certainly don't say it with every exchange and repeat it 3-4 times during a single transmission. LOL!
Question: Does the phrase "please copy" followed by specific info (serial number, state country, etc.) for an exchange during contesting bother you?
You've mentioned saying "seven three" in a one of your previous videos I think and I've adopted that one for sure.
Good to see you back making videos Jim. Thanks for all the hard work. I know what it takes to produce videos.
73!
Michael - WA5AZQ
Great video Jim, QSL??? Hi Hi . This may sound funny but, I hear Japanese operators using Hi Hi alot.
Thanks Jim Good to see YA!
"I have you full scale on the repeater."
I've been a ham for 30 years and I don't ever remember "first personal" until very recently
Another great video, thank you Sir
I hope to catch you on the air someday
73
Thankfully I had some damn good elmers coming up who have said the exact same things that you speak of, and I agree with you 100%! Thanks for trying to stop the madness with a video on good radio practice! 73, de NH7TR
Great video Jim. I have enjoyed several of your elmer videos.
Like a lot of things in life, we learn from observing what more experienced people do. As we get comfortable and relaxed with more formal practices, slang tends to slip in and what was meant to simplify something can actually make it complicated if in the end you aren’t sure how to conduct yourself. It would be great if the seasoned operators (like yourself, Cal from the UK, Dave C., Josh, Roly from NZ etc) could put together a PDF of standard practices that the larger representative organizations (AARL, RAC, OFFCOM, etc) could vet and post on their website for all to refer to. Otherwise we will just continue to do what we observe others do and adopt it without much question, because the cool kids are doing it. 73
Tim VE5THF
Looking good Jim
Thank you, Jim! This was another fantastic and very helpful video. Even though I was familiar with a lot of the information presented, this is an extremely useful reference. I liked and shared this video, and I look forward to more! ~ 73 ~ AC7WH
I always figured "hi hi" was a French laugh, a hehe without the H sound.
I struggle with amateur radio signal reports because I first learned marine VHF that uses the QSA/QRK system where strength and readability are reversed compared to RST, and the maximum is 5 for strength.
Honestly, it has become so subjective as to almost mean anything you interpret.
This will be good! Always some bad habits to break!
I hope it will be good. Thanks, Jim W6LG
This was priceless Thanks you😀73
Had this problem several times talking on HF to other countries for sure just have to work hard to try and understand them the best you can but it can be hard to do anyway 73
Hi Jim, great video as usual. I‘ve completely the same opinion. I‘d like to ask you, if you could make a video of the correct TX Bandwith in SSB, even everyone should know it. I‘m so annoyed to see ham‘s using a very wide bandwith, even in DX (which is completely senseless) at least far wider than 3Khz. Sometimes 4-5Khz, only to make a kind of broadcast transmission in hifi audio quality. I always say, we’re actually do two way radio, not broadcast radio. Besides it occupies a lot of space, that maybe others would like to use to have a QSO. I read a comment from a ham in a youtube videoreview, not buying this radio, especially it could‘t offers more 3Khz Bandwith in TX. What the heck. Do i missed something in the last 40 years?
So maybe that could be an item on your upcoming list? What do you think? 73, and stay well, Stefan DF6VI
Thank you this is much needed info for many. Hope your health is stabilized!
KG5LTL 73
Regarding "hi hi"I always figured it originated, either as a smooshed together "hee hee", or was morse onomatopoeia.
I'll have to disagree slightly on 73 though. It is, of course, shorthand for "best regards′", just as you say and may need no embellishment. But how would it be improper to offer very 73, or, "vy 73"? Very best regards, or, sending my very best regards? 73s I agree is a bit much, The Old Man notwithstanding, and let's not even talk about 73rds (which is, what, 23 and a third?)
Vy 73 and keep up the good work :-) de KB5ELV
Great video Jim . W4ZSZ 73 .
When studying for my foundation license, one of the instructors mused that HI HI is derived from the sound it makes in CW - dit-dit-dit-dit dit-dit which resembles a laugh when heard. Don't know how true it is, but makes sense to me. However, saying HI HI instead of actually laughing in voice mode is generally pointless (unless you're laughing ironically I guess).
100 Whiskeys must be a regional thing. I've not run across that in 30 years as a ham.
I do find that if the other station asks for clairification of part of the details, such as the last two letters of my locator, repeat just that twice and preferably with differnet phonetics each time, (golf, India then Germanyyy, Italyyy) and then I give the complete locator in case he has also not heard the first part correctly and doesn't know it! ...and then he can give me 59!!
Sounds like contesters slang every time 😂
Your comment at 8:04 ... well that's what Roger Beeps are for HIHI
The FCC rules say that the minimum is as you stated. A little more often is fine.
Thanks for the information. 73, Jim
I'm a fairly new ham, but I really wish people would use the "standard" phonetic alphabet. It just makes sense to me...why throw-in a confusion factor? 73 Jim
Thanks for the video!
Great pointers
I don't think I have ever said QSL in a phone QSO other than in relation to QSL cards.
Shit have you been on the air lol?
@@shigityshigityshwa :: He probably never said shit, either.
Sage advice as always Jim, though I am not as pedantic about the use of "73s", it takes up no more air time and I understand them. One of the most frustrating is probably stations starting on eulogies or their life stories when you have said that there is heavy QSB or other factor making them near unreadable. Other irritations I hear a lot in the UK are the overuse of the words "we, here there", some of these peculiar linguistics seemed to appear first on CB in the early 1980s. I guess the main lesson is to be reactive, your friend that you are 5/9 both ways with will understand when you are discussing an antenna and you say "I have high SWAR on 30m". Don't start me on "baluMs".... 73 de G0FVT
Hi and thank you. I'm currently in a hospital bed in Roseville California recovering from an attack.
I'm dictating this and the phone is typing it out and of course there's going to be mistakes.
I judge your email thanks for a good laugh.
I also often make mistakes and use QTH or QSY. thanks again 73 Jim
@@ham-radio only someone with your manners would take the time to reply under such difficult circumstances. I am quite sure all of us are willing you to recover quickly. 73
Using "over" bothers me on repeaters but not on HF. I think some hams have nothing better to do than let things bother them. Sometimes it's hard to determine when someone unkeys on HF.
Not all repeaters have a courtesy tone.
@@BobDarlington fair but most radios produce a burst when the FM carrier is lifted.
Hi, hi and QSL ninety times bugs me too.
I have a beginners license and like to listen in the mornings to see what bands are listenable and write down call signs to look up on the computer to see where folks are from . A few weeks ago I discovered it was you I was hearing on the 40 meter band with my first inverted dipole strung over the roof into the trees. I am in western NC . Lots to learn so I appreciate your teachings. Thank you sir.
Hi Hi is supposed to be a sarcastic response to HH - sent by German stations in the 1930s. You can guess what it stood for. That's the old timers story anyway.
I call malarkey. HI is used as laughter on CW because that's what it sounds like - ha ha ha ha ha ha
food for thought thanks jim
Jim, hi hi = hee hee, as in 'tee hee hee'!
I know here in the US we're supposed to speak in English. Is it alright to say words in other languages for the purposes of establishing comprehendable communication as long as we also provide the English translation? So far I have tried to avoid this, but I wonder what your take is. Thanks.
I would like it if we all spoke English. I hear groups in Spanish and they don't even ID in English. I know they are in the US. Also, their bandwidths are really broad. Bad audio, splatter, distortion, flat topping, IMD, because the mic gain is way too high. If I talk with them about that, they just say go away. They are doing that on purpose. 73, Jim
Thanks Jim...my pet peeve is "puff" for picofarad...
Well, not Jim, but I am a retired EE, and we always said puff for pF. I have heard it so long it does not bother me.
The use of "QSL?" or "Roger?" at the end of a transmission drives me crazy. It's like they're saying, "Do you agree? Are you onboard? Do you get it?" On a slightly different aspect of ham radio that I think could be improved is the use of PTT without releasing the PTT until the operator's filibuster is over. I release my PTT after every phrase or sentence to be sure I'm not doubling. Sometimes, I hear 2 stations doubling for 30 seconds or more. This problem could minimized by using VOX or PTT that is released every 5 seconds or so. 73 de K5AVJ
Only reason to use qsl in Cw is if you’re confirming a number or message. Many send 5nn CA. Other guy sends qsl when he should’ve sent rr. Pet peeve 😊
Hey Jim, good video.
For me, QS-Baker.
I'm a bit of a NATO-phonetic zealot. Baker? C'mon 😂
my peeves as well but also Q sigs are for morse code only NOT voice....Oh by the way you are LIMA CHARLIE
I only say "Break" if the people are quick keying and not allowing room to insert call sign.
SWR, often pronounced swar here in the UK.
People that say Hi Hi should get their radios taken away.
Thank you. W8DD
That qso sounded very computer generated to me Jim. QSL?
I see what you did there. Hi Hi
That QSL QSO couldn't be real, right?
That recording was a computer speaking!!
Aww come on Jim. 73's was used by the old man himself, Hiram Percy Maxim, and I'm sure you've seen his QSL card with 73's on it. "Handle" predates CB by over a decade. It was first used in amateur radio as anyone can evidence on pre-war QST magazines.
Everything else is spot on especially not using ridiculous slang with DX like "your signal took a dip" or "batting the gums" which a certain station in VT contantly tells DX.
Yes, I'm sure "handle" predates CB, and the CBers copied it, whereupon hams stopped using it because it made them sound like CBers Go figure.
All good tips Jim- I remember you from when you bought High Sierra Antennas (and I still use one of your special RV models daily). I take exception to the phrase "handle" as a objectionable slang from the CB crowd- as I was a CBer in the early 1970s and became a ham in 1976 at age 13 - and prior to becoming a ham, never heard the term "handle" - IOW, never heard it on CB. It was only old timers (folks older than I and you). I don't use any of the other terms consider poor operating proceedures- and believe you missed one: Roger, roger, roger... lately I hear that term used redundantly all over the 20M band... not as bad as tuning in in 75M, but still pretty terrible to listen to people speaking and yet saying nothing for the effort. BTW- Whiskeys do annoy me too- seems it is very popular among Italian operators. 73 N4BKT
99s, Jim…
And don't call CQing station with their call
You can use QSL to acknowledge on ham radio, just don't use it overboard like that recording, that was way overboard.
That is why I send and say He He.