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.
• ARDF:  Amateur Radio Direction Finding.
• 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.
• IOTA:  Islands On The Air.
• 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.
• POTA:  Parks On The Air.
• 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.
• SOTA:  Summits On The Air.
• 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.
• WLOTA: : World Lighthouse On the Air.
• XYL: : Ex-Young Lady or wife.
• YL: : Young Lady.