Stu W0STU just posted an article on HamRadioSchool.com about the use of phonetic alphabets. I had previously posted a Shack Talk article on the same subject.
The “standard” phonetic alphabet is the ITU alphabet but I am starting to think that we might need to get a little more creative on our use of phonetics. Why not innovate in this area, just like we innovate on the technical front?
Towards that end, I was reminded of his phonetic alphabet listed over at netfunny.com:
A Are N Nine B Bee O Owe C Cite P Pseudonym D Double-U Q Queue E Eye R Rap F Five S Sea G Genre T Tsunami H Hoe U Understand? I I V Vie J Junta W Why K Knot X Xylophone L Lye Y You M Me Z Zero
Even this creative alphabet can be improved on. For example, I think H should be Honor.
What do you think?
73, Bob
I am sure thus is all done tongue in cheek, but in reality I am old school when it comes to the phonetic alphabet. As a former pilot I feel it is so important to use the same phonetics all the time. When people throw in their new phonetics that don’t conform it’s so confusing. it’s fun to have funny fanatics when you’re in a conversation but for clarity and identification use the standard. thanks 73
Can’t agree more Eddy – KK6EKF. I’m also a traditionalist and often am thrown way off when some folks use different phonetics.
Old fashioned for sure.
Very funny, and I’m sure a “great” benefit would be forcing everyone else to learn colloquial English. (Is N said as “nine” or “niner”? (Maybe we can use the first for the letter and the second for the number.) Someone once wrote that when talking with foreign hams using phonetics like “eternally knock kneed” might not be the best. Heck, I say go for it.
It is indeed funny. I use the ITU phonetics almost exclusively. I have to switch to some alternates when I’m talking thru heavy noise, or when talking to someone in Central or South America. Those folks have a hard time with X-ray (often heard as Echo), and Zulu. I use Zanzibar as a backup phonetic.
I think this is the dumbest thing I have ever heard!!
Cute! However, I believe Part 97 calls for the international phonetic alphabet to be used for a legal station identification. That doesn’t mean I can’t use “Kilowatt One Norway Italy Texas; I just can’t use it for i.d.
Bill K1NIT,
Part 97 says this about the use of phonetics (no specific phonetic alphabet is named):
§97.119 Station identification.
…..
(2) By a phone emission in the English language. Use of a phonetic alphabet as an aid for correct station identification is encouraged;
73, Bob
This is clearly tongue-in-cheek … or at least meant only for native english speakers. But what non-native english speaker knows how to pronounce Lye or Vie? After all, english is not a language where you can easily translate between the letters to the sound … or vica verca.
So I’d like to stick to the ITU alphabet … and to stick rigorously to it, without any inventions of new methods. If the channel has QRM, it’s so much easier to decipher known words (e.g. “Hotel”) over inventions like “Horst” or “Hoe” (whatever that is, a horse-shoe?).
Some people can’t take a joke. I think operators should strive to use standard phonetics but I do realize that sometimes they don’t get the job done. Let’s be a little flexible but at the same time train up new operators the right way.
Why do people say QR Nancy and QR Mary or QR Mexico? It ain’t ‘arf confusing. And why can’t people, certainly in the English Speaking World use the NATO Services Telephony Code?
We recently had an emergency exercise where the local emcomm hams in each city’s EOC in Los Angeles County tried to pass traffic to the Sheriff branch Stations Ham auxiliary operators (DCS). The were lots of problems because the Sheriff Hams use what is generally called the LAPD phonetic alphabet (Adam, Boy, Charles) because they generally only talk to police/sheriff. They couldn’t/wouldn’t understand the “regular” hams volunteering for the cities EOC’s that used ITU phonetics. It was fun to listen in on.
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Well, actually a great idea, especially as the current proposal leaves it to the audience to understand as they wish:
A = R
D = W
E = I
W = Y
Y = U
just to pick some outstanding samples.
I’d suggest a slight amendment: “Any misunderstanding is always the other party’s fault” …
73, Bob