Ham Radio Jargon

Jargon Alert!

Most hobbies and areas of interest seem to have their own language. Get a group of car nuts, stamp collectors, computer geeks, or whatever together, and those not involved in the groups will have a hard time understanding much of any part of the conversation.

I have been a ham for over 26 years. The words, abreviations and terms common to that hobby are a natural part of my vocabulary. If you aren't into ham radio or have never spent much time around a radio hobbiest, much of what is on my pages may be difficult to understand.

To help, I've compiled a list of some of the slang and jargon found on my pages with layman's explainations for each. Sorry if I've missed any, this list is under construction.

Amateur Radio A communication service authorized by the Federal Communications Commision (FCC). It authorizes licensed individuals and clubs to operate their own radio stations. The individuals, often known as "hams" can use their radios to talk around town or around the world. Hams often aid in emergency communications during disasters, and help improve international goodwill.

ARRL The American Radio Relay League - The largest US organization of hams.

CQ A general call by a radio operator who is looking for any answers.

CW "Continuous Wave" - Morse Code over the radio. It is a mode of operation still used by many "hams". It is especially useful for those who like to operate low-powered, simple equipment.

DX A distant station or radio contact. Usually, it refers to stations in foreign countries, but at VHF and UHF frequencies, DX may be someone in the next state or county.

QRP One of many Q-signals, used by radio operators since the early days of radio. The meaning of these 3 letter codes are know by radio operators, no matter what their language. QRP means "reduce power" and has come to represent the whole area of low power, ham radio operation

QSL A confirmation of a radio contact - usually a personalized post card with the details of a radio contact. They are often exchanged for operating awards by many Amateur Radio organizations

QSO A radio contact

Novice The entry level class of Amateur Radio license issued by the FCC. It was created to provide a simpler path into the hobby. Originally it was a 1 year, non-renewable license. Today, it is renewable and there are proposals out to eliminate the novice license in order to simplify Ham licensing.

Click here to return to the Start of my Web Pages.

Amateur Radio	A communication service authorized by the Federal Communications Commision (FCC). It authorizes licensed individuals and clubs to operate their own radio stations. The individuals, often known as "hams" can use their radios to talk around town or around the world. Hams often aid in emergency communications during disasters, and help improve international goodwill.
ARRL	The American Radio Relay League - The largest US organization of hams.
CQ	A general call by a radio operator who is looking for any answers.
CW	"Continuous Wave" - Morse Code over the radio. It is a mode of operation still used by many "hams". It is especially useful for those who like to operate low-powered, simple equipment.
DX	A distant station or radio contact. Usually, it refers to stations in foreign countries, but at VHF and UHF frequencies, DX may be someone in the next state or county.
QRP	One of many Q-signals, used by radio operators since the early days of radio. The meaning of these 3 letter codes are know by radio operators, no matter what their language. QRP means "reduce power" and has come to represent the whole area of low power, ham radio operation
QSL	A confirmation of a radio contact - usually a personalized post card with the details of a radio contact. They are often exchanged for operating awards by many Amateur Radio organizations
QSO	A radio contact
Novice	The entry level class of Amateur Radio license issued by the FCC. It was created to provide a simpler path into the hobby. Originally it was a 1 year, non-renewable license. Today, it is renewable and there are proposals out to eliminate the novice license in order to simplify Ham licensing.