- 1.25 meters
- VHF band between 222 and 225 megahertz (MHz) in the United States
Example: There aren't many repeaters on the 1.25-meter band.
See also VHF, Band
- 10 meters
- HF band between 28 and 29.700 megahertz (MHz) in the United States
See also HF, Band
- 12 meters
- HF band between 24.890 and 24.990 megahertz (MHz) in the United States
See also HF, Band
- 15 meters
- HF band between 21.025 and 21.450 megahertz (MHz) in the United States
See also HF, Band
- 160 meters
- MF band between 300 kilohertz (kHz) and 3 megahertz (MHz) in the United States
See also MF, Band
- 17 meters
- HF band between 18 and 18.168 megahertz (MHz) in the United States
See also HF, Band
- 2 meters
- VHF band between 144 and 148 megahertz (MHz) in the United States
Example: There are a lot of repeaters on the 2-meter band in this area.
See also VHF, Band
- 20 meters
- HF band between 14 and 14.35 megahertz (MHz) in the United States; a very popular band for daytime use
Example: I can barely find an available frequency on 20-meters for my POTA activation!
See also HF, Band
- 2200 meters
- LF band between 135.7 and 137.8 kilohertz (kHz) in the United States
See also LF, Band
- 23 centimeters
- UHF band between 1270 and 1295 megahertz (MHz) in the United States
See also UHF, Band
- 30 meters
- HF band between 10.1 and 10.15 MHz in the United States with a maximum power of 200 watts
See also HF, Band
- 33 centimeters
- UHF band between 902 and 928 megahertz (MHz) in the United States
See also UHF, Band
- 40 meters
- HF band between 7 and 7.3 megahertz (MHz) in the United States; a very popular band for use during all seasons
See also HF, Band
- 44Net
- See AMPRNet
- 6 meters
- VHF band between 50 and 54 megahertz (MHz) in the United States
Example: The 6-meter band is the magic band!
See also VHF, Band
- 60 meters
- HF band between 5.332 and 5.405 megahertz (MHz) limited to five specific channels on upper side band (USB) in the United States
See also HF, Band
- 630 meters
- MF band between 472 and 479 kilohertz (kHz) in the United States; lies directly below the commercial AM broadcast bands
See also MF, Band
- 70 centimeters
- UHF band between 420 and 450 megahertz (MHz) in the United States
See also UHF, Band
- 73
- Cheers/Best Regards
Example: Thanks for the QSO and 73 from K0UOG.
- 80 meters
- HF band between 3 and 4 megahertz (MHz) in the United States; optimal for use at night during the winter
See also HF, Band
- 88
- Hugs and Kisses, rarely used, most often heard in Morse code QSOs
Example: 88 de K0UOG
- ADIF
- See Amateur Data Interchange Format
- AM
- See Amplitude Modulation
- Amateur Data Interchange Format
- An open standard for the electronic exchange of contact data (i.e., QSOs) between amateur radio operators using multiple versions and variants of logging software programs
Example: POTA requires all activation logs to be submitted in ADIF format.
- Amateur Radio Emergency Service
- An organized group of licensed amateur radio operators who voluntarily support local government or other public service agencies during emergency situations
- American Radio Relay League
- A national non-profit organization for amateur radio operators and enthusiasts in the United States
- Amplitude Modulation
- A mode of radio transmission that carries voice by altering the shape of the wave through changing the amplitude, or height, of the wave
- AMPRNet
- A block of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses (and associated network infrastructure) assigned to amateur radio operators for experimenting with digital communications over radio frequencies; IP addresses in the networks 44.0.0.0/9 and 44.128.0.0/10 are assigned for this purpose
- ANT
- Antenna; most radios label the jack for the antenna this way; also used in Morse code
- Antenna tuner
- A device that matches the antenna system input impedance to the transmitter or transceiver output impedance; allows for the optimal output of power to the antenna when transmitting
- APRS
- See Automatic Packet Reporting System
- ARES
- See Amateur Radio Emergency Service
- ARI
- See Associazione Radioamatori Italiani
- ARRL
- See American Radio Relay League
- Associazione Radioamatori Italiani
- A national non-profit organization for amateur radio operators and enthusiasts in Italy
- Automatic Packet Reporting System
- A digital communication protocol used by amateur radio operators to transmit real-time data about position, speed, direction, weather conditions, or other information
- Autopatch
- A device that allows users on a repeater to make telephone calls via the repeater; more common before the advent of cell phones
- Band
- A range of contiguous radio frequencies allocated for use by amateur radio operators or others; typically referred to by the approximate wavelength in meters (i.e., the 160-meter band)
Example: ARRL publishes a really useful band plan chart.
See also 2 meters, 6 meters, 1.25 meters, 70 centimeters, 33 centimeters, 23 centimeters, 10 meters, 12 meters, 15 meters, 17 meters, 20 meters, 30 meters, 40 meters, 60 meters, 80 meters, 160 meters, 630 meters, 2200 meters
- Beaches on the Air
- An award program that encourages amateur radio operators to operate portable stations from beaches; making the required number of contacts from a qualifying beach results in a successful activation of that beach
- Boat Anchor
- An old (and most likely heavy) radio from the earlier years of amateur radio
Example: I bought a boat anchor at the swap meet.
- BOTA
- See Beaches on the Air
- C4FM
- A digital mode of radio transmission developed by Yaesu that offers voice, text, and file transfer capabilities
- Cabrillo
- An open standard for the electronic exchange of contest logging data (i.e., QSOs) between amateur radio operators supported by many logging software programs
Example: CQ WPX requires the use of the Cabrillo format for submitting logs after the contest.
- Callsign
- A series of letters and numbers uniquely identifying a particular amateur radio operator; callsigns are assigned by the government agency responsible for regulating amateur radio activities in any given country
Example: My callsign is kilo-zero-uniform-oscar-golf, K0UOG.
See also Federal Communications Commission
- Chirp
- A slight shift in transmitter frequency each time you key the transmitter
- Clear
- To signal or otherwise indicate that you are off the air
Example: 73 from K0UOG, clear
- Continuous Wave
- A mode of radio transmission in which the amplitude and frequency remain constant while the wave is turned off and on to transmit information at intervals
Example: Morse code is often sent using Continuous Wave (CW).
- Copy
- To acknowledge or understand an over-the-air transmission from another amateur radio operator
Example: Copy that, back to you.
- Courtesy beep
- See Courtesy tone
- Courtesy tone
- A tone or beep transmitted by a repeater to indicate the end of the current transmission signaling to other stations that they may transmit on the repeater
Example: Wait for the roger beep before you key up.
See also Repeater
- CW
- See Continuous Wave
- DARC
- See Deutscher Amateur Radio Club
- DE
- The Morse code abbreviation for from or this is
Example: 88 de K0UOG
See also Morse code
- Deutscher Amateur Radio Club
- A national non-profit organization for amateur radio operators and enthusiasts in Germany
- Digital Mobile Radio
- A digital mode of radio transmission (and digital radio standard) used in many commercial radio networks and also used by amateur radio operators
Example: Brandmeister DMR network provides great services to the ham radio community.
- DMR
- See Digital Mobile Radio
- Double
- To talk simultaneously with another amateur radio operator on a frequency or repeater resulting in both transmissions being heard by listeners at the same time
Example: There was a double on the last transmission.
- Duplex operation
- To transmit and receive on different frequencies, most often using a repeater; the opposite of simplex operation
See also Simplex operation
- Duplexer
- A device that allows multiple radio transmitters to share a single antenna; repeaters require a duplexer to receive input on one frequency and retransmit output on another frequency
See also Repeater
- DX
- Shorthand for the word distance; describes communication between two amateur radio operators separated by a large distance; often used to describe contacts with international stations
Example: I got some good DX contacts over the weekend when propagation was good.
- DXing
- The process of searching for, listening to, and/or operating geographically separated amateur radio stations, usually international stations
See also DX
- Earth-Moon-Earth
- A method of communicating with another amateur radio operator by reflecting radio signals off the Moon's surface
- Elmer
- An amateur radio operator who mentors a newly licensed operator
Example: My Elmer helped me program my radio correctly.
- EME
- See Earth-Moon-Earth
- eQSL
- A website providing online verification of contacts between amateur radio operators, including electronic exchange of QSL cards and awards
- eQSL.cc
- See eQSL
- Eyeball QSO
- A contact or meeting that occurs in person
Example: Let's schedule an eyeball QSO for next week.
- FCC
- See Federal Communications Commission
- Federal Communications Commission
- The government agency responsible for regulating the amateur radio service in the United States
- Feed line
- The wires or cable used to connect a radio to an antenna
- Final
- The end of an on-air transmission
Example: I'm clear on your final.
- FISTS
- An amateur radio club for Morse code (CW) enthusiasts founded in 1987 in the United Kingdom
See also Continuous Wave
- FM
- See Frequency Modulation
- Frequency Modulation
- A mode of radio transmission that carries voice (or other information) by changing the frequency, affecting the wavelength but not the amplitude
Example: Most repeaters on 2-meters use Frequency Modulation.
- Full quieting
- A term used by amateur radio operators to describe a good quality FM signal with no static or other background noise other than the sounds picked up by the microphone; often used to describe a quality signal on a repeater
Example: Bob, you are full quieting into the repeater.
See also Frequency Modulation, Repeater
- Fusion
- See C4FM
- German Amateur Radio Club
- See Deutscher Amateur Radio Club
- Grid square
- See Maidenhead Locator System
- Ham radio
- Amateur radio
Example: She discovered ham radio when she was in college.
- HF
- High frequency; the range of the radio spectrum between 3 and 30 megahertz (MHz)
Example: Propagation on the HF bands is really good right now.
See also 10 meters, 12 meters, 15 meters, 17 meters, 20 meters, 30 meters, 40 meters, 60 meters, 80 meters
- Homebrew
- Homemade amateur radio equipment
Example: I'm using a homebrew antenna.
- IARU
- See International Amateur Radio Union
- Impedance
- The opposition to electrical current in a circuit; when transmitting, the transmitter output impedance and antenna input impedance should be as closely matched as possible
- International Amateur Radio Union
- An international confederation of national organizations representing amateur radio operators worldwide
- IOTA
- See Islands on the Air
- Islands on the Air
- An award program that encourages amateur radio operators to visit, explore, and operate portable stations from islands around the world; making the required number of contacts from a qualifying island results in the successful activation of that island
- Italian Amateur Radio Association
- See Associazione Radioamatori Italiani
- Japan Amateur Radio League
- A national non-profit organization for amateur radio operators and enthusiasts in Japan
- JARL
- See Japan Amateur Radio League
- Kerchunk
- To press and release the push-to-talk button without speaking or transmitting an audible signal, usually on a repeater
Example: Someone is kerchunking the repeater a lot this afternoon.
- Key up
- To transmit a signal over the air
Example: Key up when you are ready.
- LF
- Low frequency; the range of the radio spectrum between 30 and 300 kilohertz (kHz)
See also 2200 meters
- Logbook of the World
- A web-based contact logging service operated by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) that includes contact verification for claiming awards
Example: I uploaded all my contacts from Field Day to Logbook of the World this year.
- LoTW
- See Logbook of the World
- Lower Sideband
- A mode of radio transmission that carries voice (or other information) in the area of the wave below the carrier frequency
Example: Most voice operations on the 40-meter band use lower sideband (LSB).
- LSB
- See Lower Sideband
- Maidenhead Locator System
- A system used by amateur radio operators to describe a specific geographic coordinate on the Earth; a grid square is approximately 1° latitude by 1° longitude, and is written using letters and numbers
Example: My grid square is DM79pq.
- MF
- Medium frequency; the range of the radio spectrum between 300 kilohertz (kHz) to 3 megahertz (MHz)
See also 160 meters, 630 meters
- Mobile
- To transmit while traveling or moving
Example: This is K0UOG, mobile, checking in to the net.
- Moonbounce
- See Earth-Moon-Earth
- Morse code
- A mode of radio transmission that encodes letters, numbers, and punctuation as a series of dots and dashes (dits and dahs) that are transmitted as electrical pulses using Continuous Wave (CW) in most cases
Example: Bob learned Morse code in the 1960s when he first got his license.
See also Continuous Wave
- National Parks on the Air
- A one-year event hosted by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) in 2016 that celebrated the 100th anniversary of the National Park System in the United States; amateur radio operators were encouraged to operate portable stations from the boundaries of US National Parks
- Net
- An organized on-air meeting or gathering, usually dedicated to a particular club, group, or topic
Example: I checked in to the weekly net on Sunday.
- NPOTA
- See National Parks on the Air
- Offset
- The difference between a repeater's input frequency and its output frequency, predetermined for each band by regulation and convention
Example: The offset for the 70-centimeter band is +/- 5.0 MHz, while the offset for the 2-meter band is +/- 600 kHz.
See also Repeater
- OM
- Old man; all male amateur radio operators are referred to as OMs regardless of age; female amateur radio operators often refer to their husbands as OMs
Example: My OM convinced me to get licensed.
- Parks on the Air
- An amateur radio award program that encourages operators to visit parks and public lands around the world to make contact with other amateur radio operators; making contact with the required number of stations from the boundaries of the park results in a successful activation of the park
Example: Bob and I did a POTA activation last weekend at Chatfield.
- Part 97
- A section of the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) rules defining and regulating the amateur radio service in the United States
- Peak envelope power
- The average power of a signal at its largest amplitude peak
- PEP
- See Peak envelope power
- Phone
- Refers to any voice transmission or operation on the amateur radio bands
Example: I worked Steve on 40-meter phone last night.
- POTA
- See Parks on the Air
- PTT
- The push-to-talk button on a radio or microphone
Example: Press the PTT then wait a second before talking.
- Q-code
- See Q-signal
- Q-signal
- A series of standardized three-letter codes starting with the letter Q originally developed in commercial telegraph operations and later adopted by amateur radio operators with some minor modifications; most Q-signals can be used as questions or answers depending on whether or not a question mark is present after the signal
Example: QRP stations are stations operating 5 watts or less of power.
- QRL
- A Q-signal asking or confirming if a frequency is busy
Example: This is K0UOG, is this frequency in use? QRL?
See also Q-signal
- QRM
- A Q-signal used to inquire about or indicate interference from other radio signals
Example: There was a lot of QRM on 20 meters earlier today.
See also Q-signal
- QRP
- A Q-signal indicating a reduction in transmitting power; may also be used to refer to low-power operations as a whole
Example: I enjoy operating QRP during SOTA activations.
See also Q-signal
- QRQ
- A Q-signal used in Morse code to request that the transmitting station send faster
See also Q-signal
- QRS
- A Q-signal used in Morse code to request that the transmitting station send more slowly
See also Q-signal
- QRT
- A Q-signal indicating an intention to cease transmission or operation
Example: After making 45 contacts during my POTA activation, I went QRT.
See also Q-signal
- QRV
- A Q-signal indicating an intention to begin transmission or operation or signaling a readiness to receive messages
Example: I'll be QRV tomorrow at 0800.
See also Q-signal
- QRZ
- A Q-signal used to request the identification or callsign of the calling station; often used during busy amateur radio activities to signal the next station to make contact
Example: This is K0UOG on Mount Herman for Summits on the Air. QRZ?
See also Q-signal
- QRZ.com
- A widely used amateur radio website with a user base from around the world
Example: Check out my page on QRZ.com!
- QSL
- A common Q-signal used to ask for confirmation of a transmission or confirm receipt of a transmission; may also be used to confirm understanding of information relayed over the air
Example: My callsign is kilo-zero-uniform-oscar-golf. QSL?
- QSL card
- A written or electronic confirmation of a two-way radio communication between amateur radio operators or a one-way reception of a transmission by a shortwave listener; often sent via the postal mail and very similar in size and format to a postcard; takes its name from the Q-signal QSL which indicates confirmation of a transmission
Example: I got a QSL card from a DX station in Peru.
- QST Magazine
- Amateur radio magazine published monthly by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL)
- QSY
- A Q-signal indicating a request or intention to change frequency
Example: QSY to 14.25 MHz.
See also Q-signal
- QTH
- A Q-signal providing or requesting a station's location
Example: What's your QTH?
See also Q-signal
- QTH locator
- See Maidenhead Locator System
- RACES
- See Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service
- Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service
- A part of the amateur radio service that provides radio communications for civil preparedness organizations during local, regional, or national civil emergencies
- Radio Society of Great Britain
- A national society for amateur radio operators and enthusiasts in the United Kingdom
- Radio Teletype
- A text-based mode of radio transmission in which information is transmitted using a series of codes to represent letters, numbers, and punctuation; sometimes referred to as the first digital mode in amateur radio
- Ragchew
- An informal over-the-air discussion between two or more amateur radio operators
Example: We were ragchewing last night on 40 meters.
- Repeater
- Radio equipment that receives a signal on one frequency and retransmits (repeats) it on another frequency with higher power and from a better location (i.e., located on a tall building or atop a high mountain); repeaters often use Frequency Modulation as their transmission mode on the VHF and UHF bands
Example: The local FM repeater is located on Squaw Mountain and has a coverage area from the state line all the way to the western edge of the metro area.
See also VHF, UHF, Frequency Modulation
- Rig
- Refers to radio equipment used by an amateur radio operator to transmit and/or receive
Example: Steve bought a new Yaesu rig last night.
- Roger
- To agree with a previously transmitted statement or comment
Example: Roger that, Bob.
- Roger beep
- See Courtesy tone
- RSGB
- See Radio Society of Great Britain
- RST
- A system used by amateur radio operators or other radio enthusiasts to describe the quality of a radio signal; R stands for Readability, S stands for Strength, and T stands for Tone; Tone is only applicable to Morse code transmissions
Example: I've got you as a 59 into the park.
- RTTY
- See Radio Teletype
- Rubber duck
- A short, inefficient antenna often bundled with handheld transceivers
Example: I can't hit the repeater using my rubber duck antenna.
- Shack
- The radio room or primary location where radio activities occur in an amateur radio operator's home
Example: I'm getting a new computer for my shack.
- Shortwave listener
- A person who listens to shortwave radio broadcasts, including amateur radio transmissions, on the medium frequency (MF) and high frequency (HF) bands
Example: Bob collected QSL cards before he was a licensed ham, back in his shortwave listening days.
See also HF, MF, Band
- Silent key
- An amateur radio operator who is no longer alive
Example: Bob is a silent key now.
- Simplex operation
- To transmit and receive on the same frequency (i.e., without the use of a repeater)
Example: Almost all transmissions on HF are simplex.
- Single-Sideband
- A mode of radio transmission that carries voice (or other information) by filtering out the upper or lower side of the wave; much more efficient for transmitting voice than Amplitude Modulation
- SK
- See Silent key
- SKCC
- See Straight Key Century Club
- Slow-scan television
- A mode used by amateur radio operators to transmit non-moving images via radio
- SOTA
- See Summits on the Air
- SSB
- See Single-Sideband
- SSTV
- See Slow-scan television
- Stand by
- To wait for a response on the air without transmitting, usually indicating that you are listening for further transmissions
Example: Take your time, Bob; this is K0UOG, standing by.
- Standing-wave ratio
- A measure of the impedance match between the feed line and the antenna
Example: My SWR is 1:1 right now.
- Step on
- See Double
Example: Sorry, Bob, I stepped on you.
- Straight Key Century Club
- An organized group of amateur radio operators who utilize only mechanical-key Morse code devices
Example: Straight Key Century Club members only use straight keys, bugs, or cooties.
- Summits on the Air
- A program that encourages amateur radio operators to operate portable or mobile stations in mountainous areas. Obtaining the required number of contacts from the summit of qualified mountains results in a successful activation of the mountain.
Example: I did a Summits on the Air activation on Mount Herman last weekend.
- SWL
- See Shortwave listener
- SWR
- See Standing-wave ratio
- SWR meter
- A device or instrument for measuring standing-wave radio (SWR); used to determine when an antenna system is working well
See also Standing-wave ratio
- Ten-code
- A code word or signal used by some amateur radio operators or other radio enthusiasts to transmit short, concise information; although there are no officially standardized ten-codes, a small number of codes are well understood and have entered into common usage
Example: 10-4, Bob, I understand.
- Ticket
- A common name for an amateur radio license
Example: Bob got his ticket in the 1960s.
- Transceiver
- A radio transmitter and receiver combined in one unit
- Transmission line
- See Feed line
- UHF
- Ultra high frequency; the range of the radio spectrum between 300 megahertz (MHz) and 3 gigahertz (GHz); many FM repeaters operate on UHF frequencies
Example: You can hit the local repeater on UHF on 443.500 MHz.
See also 70 centimeters, 33 centimeters, 23 centimeters
- Unkey
- To stop transmitting
Example: Unkey your microphone before coughing.
- Upper Sideband
- A mode of radio transmission that carries voice (or other information) the area of the wave above the carrier frequency
Example: Most voice operations on the 20-meter band use upper sideband (USB).
- USB
- See Upper Sideband
- VE
- See Volunteer Examiner
- VHF
- Very high frequency; the range of the radio spectrum between 30 and 300 megahertz (MHz); many FM repeaters operate on VHF frequencies
Example: There's a VHF contest next weekend.
See also 2 meters, 6 meters, 1.25 meters
- Volunteer Examiner
- An amateur radio operator who administers the exam required by government agencies to license a new amateur radio operator
- WIRES-X
- Wide-coverage Internet Repeater Enhancement System; a digital mode of radio transmission developed by Yaesu that extends the range of amateur radio communication by connecting nodes together via the Internet
Example: Bob usually hangs out in the Colorado rooms on WIRES-X.
- World Wide Flora & Fauna
- An award program that encourages amateur radio operators to operate portable stations in nature reserves and other protected areas; making the required number of contacts from a qualifying area results in the successful activation of that area
- WWFF
- See World Wide Flora & Fauna
- XYL
- Wife (i.e., ex-YL or Extra Young Lady); can be interpreted as derogatory in some contexts, use YL instead
Example: My XYL decided to stay home for Field Day this year.
See also YL, OM
- YL
- Young lady; originally an unmarried female amateur radio operator, now used for any female
Example: Being a YL in ham radio is exciting!