ELECTRONIC GLOSSARY AND TERMS

• 73: Ham lingo for Best Regards.
• 88: Ham lingo for Love and kisses.
• ACES: Amateur Communications Emergency Services.
• ACS: Auxiliary Communications Service.
• Alternating Current (AC): Alternating current is electric current that alternates directions. It's the most frequently used type of power sent through power lines.
• Ampere: An ampere is a unit of measurement used to measure electric current.
• APRS: Automated Positioning and Reporting System.
• ARC/ARS/ARA: Amateur Radio Club/Society/Association.
• ARES: Amateur Radio Emergency Service.
• ARRL: The American Radio Relay League. The Amateur's representative and promotional organization.
• ATV: Amateur Television (fast scan) A method of exchanging moving pictures over radio waves.
• Battery: A battery is a chemical cell that can store electricity. Batteries are used to power a wide array of devices, from small toys to large machinery and computers.
• Capacitor: Two electrical conductors with an insulator in between make up a capacitor, which stores electric charge.
• CERT: Community Emergency Response Team.
• Conductor: Conductors are materials that allow electrical charge to pass through easily. The most common conductor is copper wire.
• Coulomb's Law: Charged particles exhibit an electrostatic interaction, and this law describes this interaction in detail.
• CQ: Calling all Stations.
• CW: Continuous Wave, another name for Morse code telegraphy.
• Diode: A diode is a device that regulates the direction in which current can flow.
• Direct Current (DC): Direct current is a type of electric current that only flows in one direction.
• DX: Distant contact or rare foreign country.
• Electric Charge: Electric charge is determined by whether something contains more protons, which are positively charged particles, or electrons, which are negatively charged particles.
• Electric Circuit: When electronic components are connected by a wire that allows electric current to flow, it makes an electric circuit.
• Electric Current: Measured in amperes, electric current is the flow of electric charge through a material.
• Electric Potential: Measured in volts, the electric potential is the difference in electrical charge between two points.
• Electromagnetism: Electric currents and magnetic fields interact in different ways, and this interaction is electromagnetism.
• Electron: Electrons are negatively charged particles that carry electricity by jumping from one atom to the next.
• Elmer: An amateur who enjoys helping new hams get started on a one-to-one basis.
• EME: Earth-Moon-Earth Communication ( Moonbounce ).
• Farad: Capacitance, or the ability to store an electric charge, is measured in Farads.
• Field Day: A popular Amateur Radio activity during which hams set up radio stations outdoors and away from electrical service to simulate the aftermath of a disaster. Field Day takes place the fourth full weekend in June.
• Henry: A henry is a unit of measurement of inductance.
• HF (High Frequencies): Radio frequencies from 3 to 30 MHz.
• Inductor: An inductor resists changes in electrical current. This resistance is measured in henrys.
• Insulator: An insulator prevents the flow of an electric current.
• Magnetic Field: Electric currents and electric materials interact to create a magnetic influence known as a magnetic field.
• MARS: Military Affiliate Radio System.
• MFSK: an easy-to-use chat mode for real-time amateur contacts, nets and bulletin transmissions. It performs well on long-path fading conditions and in the presence of interference.
• Net: An on-the-air meeting at a particular time, day, and radio frequency.
• Ohm: An ohm is the unit of measurement for resistance.
• Ohm's Law: Known as V = IR, Ohm's law describes the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance.
• OSCAR: Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio.
• Packet Radio: A system of digital communications whereby information is broken into short bursts.
• Public Service: Activities that Hams perform to benefit their communities.
• PSK31: ”Phase Shift Keying, 31 Baud" a form of modulation that offers a new and higher level of performance in conversational communications.
• Q Signals: International abbreviations, such as "QRP", used mainly by CW operators to shorten communications.
• QRA: What is the name of your station?
• QRB: How far, approximately, are you from my station?
• QRC: What authority/administration settles the accounts of your station?
• QRD: Where are you bound and where are you from?
• QRE: What is your estimated time of arrival at ...(place)?
• QRF: Are you returning to ...(place)?
• QRG: Will you tell me my exact frequency or that of ...(call sign).
• QRH: Does my frequency vary?
• QRI: How is the tone of my transmission?
• QRJ: How many radio telephone calls have you to book?
• QRK: What is the intelligibility of my signals or those of ...(call sign)?
• QRL: Are you busy?
• QRM: Are you being interfered with?
• QRN: Are you troubled by static?
• QRO: Shall I increase transmitter power?
• QRP: Shall I decrease transmitter power?
• QRQ: Shall I send faster?
• QRR: Are you ready for automatic operation?
• QRS: Shall I send more slowly?
• QRT: Shall I stop sending?
• QRU: Have you anything for me?
• QRV: Are you ready?
• QRW: Shall I inform ...(call sign) that you are calling him on ... kHz/MHz?
• QRX: When will you call me again on ... kHz/MHz. Must I wait?
• QRY: What is my turn?
• QRZ: Who is calling me?
• QSA: What is the strength of my signals or those of ...(call sign)?
• QSB: Are my signals fading?
• QSC: Are you a cargo vessel?
• QSD: Is my keying defective?
• QSE: What is the estimated drift of the survival craft?
• QSF: Have you affected rescue?
• QSG: Shall I send ... (number) telegrams at a time?
• QSH: Are you able to home on your direction-finding equipment?
• QSI: Will you inform ...(call sign) that I have been unable to break in?
• QSJ: What is the charge to be collected to ...(call sign), including your charge?
• QSK: Can you hear me between your signals and, if so, can I break in?
• QSL: Can you acknowledge receipt?
• QSM: Shall I repeat the last telegram which I sent to you?
• QSN: Did you hear me or ...(call sign) on ... kHz/MHz?
• QSO: Can you communicate with ...(call sign) QSP Will you relay to ...(call sign), free of charge?
• QSP: Will you relay to __? I will relay to __?
• QSQ: Have you a doctor on board or Is ...(named person) on board?
• QSR: Shall I repeat the call on the calling frequency?
• QSS: What working frequency will you use?
• QST: Is there any message for radio-hams?
• QSU: Shall I send or reply on this frequency or on ... kHz/MHz?
• QSV: Shall I send a series of V's on this frequency or on ... kHz/MHz?
• QSW: Will you send on this frequency or on ... kHz/MHz?
• QSX: Will you listen to ...(call sign) on ... kHz/MHz?
• QSY: Shall I change to transmission on another frequency?
• QSZ: Shall I send each word or group more than once?
• QTA: Shall I cancel message number __? Cancel message number __?
• QTB: Do you agree with my counting of words?
• QTC: How many telegrams have you to send?
• QTD: What has the rescue vessel or rescue aircraft recovered?
• QTE: What is my TRUE bearing from you or from ...(call sign)?
• QTF: Will you give me the position of my station according to the bearings taken by the direction-finding stations which you control?
• QTG: Will you send two dashes of ten seconds each followed by your call sign repeated ... times on ... kHz/MHz?
• QTH: What is your position in latitude and longitude (or according to any other indication)?
• QTI: What is your TRUE track?
• QTJ: What is your speed?
• QTK: What is the speed of your aircraft in relation to the earth's surface?
• QTL: What is you TRUE heading?
• QTM: What is your MAGNETIC heading?
• QTN: At what time did you depart from ...(place)?
• QTO: Are you airborne or Have you left dock/port?
• QTP: Are you going to alight/land or Are you going to enter dock/port?
• QTQ: Can you communicate with my station by means of the international code of signals?
• QTR: What is the correct time?
• QTS: Will you send your call sign for tuning purposes or frequency measurement?
• QTT: The identification signal which follows is superimposed on another transmission?
• QTU: What are the hours during which your station is open?
• QTV: Shall I stand guard for you on the frequency of ... kHz/MHz?
• QTW: What is the condition of survivors?
• QTX: Will you keep your station open for further communication with me?
• QTY: Are you proceeding to the position of the incident and, if so, when do you expect to arrive?
• QTZ: Are you continuing the search?
• RACES: Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services.
• Repeater: A two-way radio set that listens on one frequency, then re-transmits what it hears on another.
• Resistor: A resistor is something that prevents electric current from flowing.
• RTTY: Radio Teletype.
• Semiconductor: Semiconductors are in between conductors and insulators, carrying electrons well or less well depending on other variables.
• SSTV: Slow Scan TV. A method of exchanging still pictures over radio waves.
• Static Electricity: When an electric charge builds up on an object, it is known as static electricity.
• Traffic Net: An on the air meeting of amateurs for the purpose of relaying written messages.
• Transceiver: A radio transmitter and receiver in one unit.
• Transformer: A transformer moves electrical energy between two winding circuits using inductive coupling.
• Transistor: A transistor is a device that acts as a gate or amplifier for electric current.
• UHF (Ultra High Frequencies): Radio frequencies from 300 to 3000 MHz.
• VE (Volunteer Examiner): An amateur who volunteers to conduct amateur radio examinations.
• VHF (Very High Frequencies): Radio frequencies from 30 to 300 MHz.
• Volt: Electric potential is measured in volts.
• Watt:: Electric power is measured in watts.
• XYL:: Ex-Young Lady or wife.
• YL:: Young Lady.