If you’re looking to start Ham Radio or ( Amatur radio ) as it’s often called. Then you’ll need to learn some of the more common Phrases and Terms used by enthusiasts.
We have all heared the saying ‘ Roger, over and out ‘ but there are many more that you need to learn.
Some, you’ll probably never use.
But several of them are used in most conversations over the airwaves by all Ham radio operators.
Don’t sit there not understanding what they mean. Take note or memorize some of the more common ones below.
Ham Radio Common Words or Phrases you need to know
| Ham radio term | Meaning |
| ? | Slashed zero |
| 73 | Best regards |
| 807 | Ham lingo for beer |
| 88 | Love and Kisses |
| ACSB | Amplitude-companded single-sideband modulation |
| AGC | Automatic gain control for controlling gain on the receiver to the output level |
| A-Index | Is an index that shows the geometric level disturbance over 24 hours |
| AM | Amplitude Modulation |
| Amateur Radio Service | Is a ham radio service established by the FCC and other regulatory bodies |
| AMTOR | Amateur Teleprinting Over Radio |
| Antenna Farm | In an area with multiple dedicated amateur radio antennas |
| Antenna Gain | Is the measure of how strong an antenna signal is in a particular direction |
| Antenna Party | Is a congregation of amateur radio operators where they help each other erect antennas |
| AOS | Acquisition of signal |
| APRS | Automatic Packet Reporting System |
| ARRL | National Association for amateur radio operators in the US |
| ATV | Amateur television |
| Autopatch/phone patch | Is an amateur radio feature that allows operators to access local repeaters |
| AWG | American Wire Gauge |
| Barefoot | The act of transmitting amateur waves without using an amplifier |
| BFO | Basic Formal Ontology beat frequency oscillator to create audible frequency transmissions for CW |
| Bird | Amateur lingo to mean satellite |
| Birdie | Is a term used to describe internally generated spurious responses in amateur radio receivers |
| Boat Anchor | Is a large and old piece of ham radio equipment |
| BPSK | Binary Phase Shift Keying |
| Brass Pounder | Someone that sends morse using old analog CW key sets |
| Brick | Is a small, portable, and solid-state ham radio amplifier |
| Bug | Is a term used for mean semiautomatic keys that were used in retro CW amateur radio operations |
| Bureau Buro | Is a system that is used to send bulk QSL cards |
| Cans | Amateur radio headphones |
| Channel Guard | Is a name trademarked by General Electrics to mean CTCSS or Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System |
| Chirp | This a varying frequency in morse code transmission done by pressing the morse key on and off. |
| CBA | Callbook Address |
| CC&R’s | Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions |
| CG | Call Guard |
| Cloud Warmer | An antenna that radio most of the broadcasted signals straight up |
| Coax | Coaxial Cable |
| CQ JOTA/CQ Jamboree | Asking another station to answer your call |
| CTCSS | Continuous Tone-Coded Squelch System |
| CW | Continuous Wave |
| dB | Decibel |
| DCS | Digital-Coded Squelch |
| DE | “From” |
| Deviation | In Frequency Modulation, this is how the signal jitters or deviates from its resting position |
| Dielectric | This is a poor conductor of electricity that supports electrostatic fields and is used between the shield and conductor in amateur radio coax cables |
| Dipole | Is a half-wave and balanced (has symmetrical poles) antenna that is commonly used by hams |
| Digipeater | Is a digital repeater that receives broadcasted signals and retransmits them for a wider coverage |
| Director | This is an element that is placed in front of the driven element in a Quad or Yagi antenna to increase radiation in a certain direction |
| D-Layer | Is the densest and lowest part of the ionosphere with altitudes of between 50 and 80 Kilometers |
| DR | “Dear” |
| Driven Element | Is the element on a Yagi antenna that is connected to the transmitter using a feedline |
| Double | Two ham stations that transmit at the same time |
| Downlink | The frequency that a repeater uses to transmit |
| DSP | Digital Signal Processor |
| DSSB | Double Suppressed Sideband Modulation |
| DSW | Morse Code for Goodbye in Russian |
| DTMF | Dual Tone Multi-Frequency |
| Dual Band | Is an amateur radio transceiver that operates on two ham frequency bands |
| Dummy Load | Is a device similar to an antenna that radiates heat instead of RF transmissions usually for testing purposes |
| Duplex | Is an amateur radio station or device that broadcasts signals on one frequency and receives broadcasted signals on another frequency |
| Duplexer | Is a device that allows an amateur radio operator to use one antenna for both transmitting and receiving signals |
| DX | Long-distance amateur radio communication |
| DXCC | DX Century Club |
| DXpedition | An exotic ham radio expedition |
| Earth Ground | Connection to Earth for grounding |
| Echolink | An internet connection communication software that uses Voice Over IP |
| Elmer | An experienced amateur radio operator that gives a helping hand to amateur radio beginners |
| E-Layer | Is a layer in the ionosphere at altitudes of between 90 and 160 kilometers |
| Eleven Meter Band | Is the frequency band that is used by Citizen Band (CB) operators |
| EME | Earth-Moon-Earth |
| EMF | Electromagnetic Field |
| ERP | Effective Radiated Power |
| Eyeball | Is an in-person meet between two hams |
| FB | Fine Business |
| FET | Field-Effect Transistor |
| Field Day | Is an event that is organized yearly to encourage hams to be prepared for emergencies |
| Field Strength Meter | Is a device that gives an accurate indication of an RF hotspot |
| Filter | An electrical circuit that only allows passage of specific frequencies and filters out the rest |
| Final | The last transmission |
| Fist | The characteristic style of a certain morse code operator |
| F-Layer | The topmost section of the ionosphere |
| FM | Frequency Modulation |
| FOC | First Class CW Operators’ Club |
| Foxhunt | Triangulating a pirate (unlicensed) amateur radio operator by licensed operators |
| FSTV | Fast-Scan TV |
| Full Quieting | Is used to describe a clear and high-quality RF transmission |
| Gain | Is the value of how strong an antenna can radiate signals in a certain direction |
| GOTA | Get On The Air |
| Gray Line | This is a section around the earth separating daylight from darkness that is used by amateur radio operators for long-distance communication |
| Green Stamp | A one-dollar bill from the USA |
| Ground Plane | Is a simulated horizontal conducting surface from where an antenna is placed for RF signal reflections |
| Ground Wave Propagation | Is the propagation of ham radio frequencies over the ground surface |
| Half-Wave Dipole | An antenna whose feedline runs to the center |
| Handheld | A small portable radio transceiver |
| Hang Time | The period between the release of the press to talk radio button and turning off of the transmitter repeater |
| Ham | An amateur radio operator |
| Hamfest | Is a ham event where various operators and people interested in ham radio meet |
| Harmonic | Unwanted transmissions where multiple frequencies of the same intended transmission frequency are broadcasted |
| Hertz | Is the SI unit for frequency measurements |
| HF | High Frequency |
| Hi Hi | Ham lingo for laughing |
| Hollow State | A term for tube equipment |
| Homebrew | This is a term that is used to mean homemade ham radio equipment |
| Hz | Hertz |
| Iambic | A keying style used for Morse Code |
| IC | Integrated Circuit |
| IF | Intermediate Frequency |
| Intermod | Audible interference due to other transmissions |
| IOTA | Islands On The Air |
| Ionosphere | Is the charged layer of the Earth’s atmosphere used for HF propagation |
| ITU | International Telecommunication Union |
| IQ | Zero IQ |
| IRC | International Reply Coupon |
| JOTA | Jamboree-On-The-Air |
| J-Pole | An omnidirectional half-wave antenna that is relatively easy to homebrew |
| Kc | Kilocyle |
| Kerchunk | The processing of keying up a ham repeater to see if it still in operation by briefly pressing the PTT button |
| Key | Button for sending CW (Morse Code) |
| Keyer | A semi-automatic device used to send Morse Code |
| KHz | KiloHertz |
| Kilo | A thousand |
| Kilocycles | A thousand cycles |
| K-Index | Semi-logarithmic measurements of geometric magnetic activity |
| Ladder Line | A feed line consisting of two unshielded lines separated by an insulator and resembling a ladder |
| LED | Light-Emitting Diode |
| LID | A poor Morse Code operator |
| Line of Sight Propagation | The process by which ham radio waves travel directly from the transmitter to the receiver |
| Limiter | A component that reduces wide-band static noise and receiver impulse |
| LIon | Lithium-Ion |
| Logging | Recording a log of contacts |
| Load | A circuit that provides electrical power at the output source |
| LOS | Loss of Signal |
| Lowfer | A ham that experiments with extremely low ham frequencies |
| LSB | Lower Sideband |
| Machine | Ham lingo for a repeater |
| Magic Band | The 6-meter ham band |
| Mag Mount | Magnetic mount |
| MARS | Military Affiliate Radio Service |
| Matchbox | Is a circuit placed in an antenna line used to match the impedance |
| Mc | Megacycle |
| Medfer | A ham that experiments with low-frequency communications |
| Mega | A Million |
| Meteor Scatter | Is the use of ionized meteor trails for ham propagation |
| MHz | MegaHertz |
| Mixer | An RF component that converts a signal from one frequency to another in a superheterodyne receiver |
| Mobile | A ham station located in a car |
| Mode | Is the type of modulation |
| Modulation | Is the process of adding a message/information into a carrier wave |
| MPR | Mass Produced Rig |
| Multimode Transceiver | A transceiver that can operate in more than one type of modulation |
| MUF | Maximum Useable Frequency |
| NB | Noise Blanker |
| NCS | Net Control Station |
| Net | On the air gathering of hams |
| Negative | “No” |
| Negative Offset | This is when a repeater’s input frequency is lower than the output frequency |
| NiCad | Nickel Cadmium |
| NiMH | Nickel Metal Hydride |
| Node | An IRLP (Internet Radio Linking Protocol) radio |
| N-P Junction | The interface between two semiconductors (n-type and p-type) |
| NPN | The interface between 2 semiconductors |
| NTS | National Traffic System |
| NTSC | National Television System Committee |
| NVIS | Near Vertical Incidence Skywave |
| Odd Split | The pairing of different frequencies in different ham bands |
| Offset | This is the difference between the transmission and reception frequencies |
| Old Man | Reference of Morse Code operator regardless of his age |
| OM | Old Man |
| OO | Official Observer |
| Open Repeater | Is a repeater with unlimited access |
| OSCAR | Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio |
| Oscillate | The swinging back and forth of radio wave |
| Oscillator | A device that creates swings in a radio signal wave |
| Oscilloscope | A device that is used to monitor oscillations |
| Out | “Turning off my radio” |
| Over | “I am done talking and I am now listening” |
| Packet radio | Digital radio that communicates using packets of data |
| Paddles | Continuous Wave keyers |
| Patch | Short form for Phonepatch |
| PCB | Printed Circuit Board |
| PEP | Peak Envelope Power |
| Phase | Point location in an oscillating radio wave |
| Phase Modulation | Is modulation that involves varying the amplitude of a wave depending on the message |
| Phone Patch | Is an amateur radio feature that allows operators to access local repeaters |
| P-N Junction | The interface between two semiconductors (p-type and n-type) |
| Picket Fencing | Cutting in and out of ham signals rapidly due to path length changes |
| Pink Ticket | A ticket by the FCC for violating the rules |
| Pile-up | Is a term used to mean multiple stations calling the same ham station at the same |
| PL | Private Line |
| PM | Phase Modulation |
| PNP | Plug-N-Play |
| Pond | Slang for the Atlantic Ocean |
| Pond Brass | Operate on Morse Code |
| Positive Offset | This is when a repeater’s input frequency is higher than the output frequency |
| Product Detector | A demodulator that is used for single-sideband and AM radio signals |
| Propagation | How ham radio transmissions travel from the point of transmission to the receiver |
| PSK31 | Phase Shift Keying, 31 Baud |
| PTT | Push to Talk |
| Q | Figure of merit |
| QCWA | Quarter Century Wireless Club |
| Q-Signals | Set of common abbreviation used in Morse Code |
| QRP | Maximizing range at a low transmission power |
| QRZ | Who is calling me |
| QSL | “I confirm your transmission” |
| QSL Bureau | An organization that sends out QSL cards |
| QSL Card | A card confirming the reception of a transmission |
| QSL Manager | The individual that runs QSL operations for a DX station |
| QSO | Conversation or contact |
| Quad | A directional antenna for HF and VHF bands |
| Quagi | An antenna that combines both Quad and Yagi antenna designs |
| RACES | Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service |
| Rag Chew | Informal ham conversation |
| RDF | Radio Direction Finding |
| Reading The Mail | Listening to ham broadcasts without transmitting |
| Reflector | The rear passive element in a directional antenna |
| Refract | Bending ham radio waves |
| Repeater | A unit that receives radio signals and retransmits them for wider coverage |
| Repeater Directory | A published list of repeaters |
| Resonance | Ability to vibrate efficiently at certain frequencies |
| RF | Radio Frequency |
| RFI | Radio Frequency Interference |
| RF Burn | Radio Frequency Burn that is painful and can do damage to the body |
| Rig | A ham radio |
| RIT | Receive Incremental Tuning |
| Rock | Is a quartz crystal that is used to control ham frequency |
| Rock Bound | A transmitter that uses crystals (rocks) |
| Roger | “Loud and clear” |
| RST | Readability, Strength, Tone |
| RTTY | Radio Teletype |
| Rubber Duck | Inefficient and flexible rubber antenna mainly found on handheld transceivers |
| RX | Receiver |
| SASE | Self-Addressed, Stamped Envelope |
| Schedule | Planned contact between ham radio operators |
| Selectivity | The ability of a receiver to filter out signals that are close to the intended frequency |
| Sensitivity | An indication of the weakest radio signal a receiver can pick |
| Shack | A ham radio station |
| Sideswiper | CW key that moves side to side |
| Silent Key | A ham that has passed away |
| Simplex | Transmission and reception of signals on the same frequency |
| Simplex Repeater | Is a repeater that takes incoming signals, records them before retransmitting them on the same frequency |
| SK | Silent Key |
| Skip Zone | The region between the transmitter and the receiving region in ionospheric propagation where signals cannot be received |
| SkyWave | Propagation of radio waves through the ionosphere |
| Slug | A device that allows for the reading of wattage for a certain ham frequency |
| S-Meter | Signal Strength Meter |
| Solar Flux Index | Number of solar flare emissions by the sun |
| Special Event | A special amateur radio operation event |
| Split Operating | This is where a ham broadcasts on one frequency and receives transmissions on another frequency |
| Sporadic E | Unusual propagation of higher HF band signal by the ionosphere |
| Spurious Emissions | Unintended radio frequencies |
| SSB | Single-side band |
| SSTV | Slow Scan TV |
| Straight Key | A device that sends morse code |
| Superheterodyne | Is a receiver that takes an incoming signal and combines it with a variable signal before demodulation |
| Switching Power Supply | Is a power supply that includes a switching regulator for efficient power conversion |
| SWL | Shortwave Listener |
| SWR | Standing Wave Ratio |
| SWR Meter | Standing Wave Ratio Meter |
| Tail Gating | Starting another transmission quickly after you are done with a transmission |
| Talk-around | Transmissions from radio to radio without a repeater |
| Third-Party Communications | Communications of one ham to another on behalf of a third individual usually unlicensed |
| Ticket | Ham radio license |
| Time-Out | Is a timing circuit in a repeater to cut off long transmissions after the PTT button is pressed |
| TNC | Terminal Node Controller |
| Traffic | Passing radio messages |
| Transceiver | A radio device that contains both a transmitter and a receiver in one |
| Transistor | A semiconductor with 3 connections |
| Tropospheric Ducting | Transmission of amateur radio signal beyond-line-of-sight propagation |
| Tone | Transmission of a CTCSS tone to a repeater |
| Top Band | Frequencies between 1.8 MHz and 2.0 MHz |
| TX | Transmitter |
| UHF | Ultra-High Frequency |
| Uplink | The frequency at which a receiver receives a transmission |
| USB | Upper Sideband |
| UTC | Universal Time Coordinates |
| VAC | Volts Alternating Current |
| VE | Volunteer Examiner |
| VEC | Volunteer Exam Coordinator |
| Velocity Factor | The velocity of propagation of signals in a feedline in reference to the speed of light in a vacuum |
| VHF | Very High Frequency |
| VFO | Variable Examiner Oscillator |
| VOX | Voice Operated Exchange |
| WAC | Worked All Continents |
| Wallpaper | Amateur radio awards and certificates |
| WAN | Worked All Neighbors |
| WARC | World Administrative Radio Conference |
| WAS | Worked All States |
| WAZ | Worked All Zones |
| WOLF | Weak-signal Operation on Low Frequency |
| Work | The lingo used to mean making contact with someone |
| Wouff Hong | The symbol for implementation of amateur radio rules |
| WWW | A station in Colorado that broadcasts standard time |
| WWVH | A station in Hawaii that broadcasts standard time |
| WX | Weather |
| XCVR | A device that contains both a transmitter and a receiver |
| XIT | Offsetting (up or down) of the VFO frequency during transmission |
| XYL | Ex-Young Lady (wife) |
| Yagi | A very directional single-band antenna |
| YF | Wife |
| YL | Young Lady |
| Zed | Letter “Z” |
| Zero Beat | Perfectly matching morse code transmission frequency with the receiver’s frequency to minimize bandwidth |
| Zepp Antenna | An end-fed half-wavelength resonant antenna |
| Zulu | UTC (Universal Time Coordinate |
