As copied from the Repeater Society of Middle Tennessee (RSMT) site:
I’d just like to pass along some operating tips, mainly for new hams that may have crossed over from 11 meters.. First of all, probably most hams have at one time experienced CB radio, including me, but ham radio is not CB and CB jargon needs to be left on 11 meters. I didn’t even use CB lingo on CB.
- There is no need to say “roger that” at the beginning of every transmission or roger anything, unless you’re talking to Roger.
- 10 codes are not acceptable and “Q” codes are generally not acceptable, except on CW.
- Terms like “personal” and “first personal” or “handle” are not acceptable. How about using “My name is Joe”.
- Terms like “bring it back” are not acceptable unless someone stole your radio and you want it back. If you didn’t hear a transmission, just ask them to repeat that.
- If you’re giving somebody a signal report, while you’re talking on a repeater, the signal you see on your S meter is not how strong the other station is, but the signal strength of the repeater. The station you’re talking to may be extremely weak, but your S meter indicating full scale. The only report you can give is the amount of “quieting” into the repeater.
The main thing to remember is to just talk NORMAL. Talk just like you would to someone in person. There’s nothing different about talking over the radio. Using slang jargon just labels a person as an X-CB’er. If you want to fit in, just talk normal. The only difference is that we’re required to identify with our call sign. Other than that, just talk normal.
We all have a responsibility to maintain certain standards for our hobby and make sure that you pass along operating practices that can keep Amateur Radio a hobby that you can be proud of.
Bob AF4TZ