[amsat-bb] Re: K5D an embarrassment / poor operating procedure.

[Darin Cowan]

Sean Cavanaugh [mailto:seanc at unixgeeks.ca] wrote:
>>Darin Cowan wrote:
>>> I'd be happy if people would just use the proper phonetic alphabet.  So
many
>>> logs have been messed up by "kilowatt" which is KW to me, as opposed to
the
>>> correct "kilo" and the other bizarre appellations of letters.
...[deletia]...
>>> 
>>> Combine proper phonetic use with "listen before transmitting" and 90% or
>>> better of the issues we see would go away.
>>
>>I am often guilty of not using the correct phonetics, but I do have a 
>>reason. 95% of the time, if the other station has marginal reception, 
>>they come back as VE5, not VA5. I think it's just the other ops' brain 
>>filling in the blanks with what they expect to hear, so I will correct 
>>as "Victor America 5" and it usually seems to solve that problem. I do 
>>try to stick with the ITU phonetics 99% of the time though.

VA and VE is a constant bugbear for me.  My hearing is less than excellent,
and
to me VEE AY and VEE EEE sound essentially the same.  I have to ask for
phonetics
even on local repeaters.  Some of the incorrect phonetics are more obvious
(America
for A) but I've heard United Airlines (Is it UAL or UA?),  Kilowatt (that's
KW for
someone with an electrical or physics background) and other perversions of
the 
phonetic alphabet that - when combined with a local speaker's accent, make
it
effectively unintelligible.

I will always be Oscar India Juliet, never Old Injun Joe.

>>I would also add to that the following:  If you can't hear the bird, 
>>don't transmit! 

That's certainly wisdom to be followed.


73 de VE3OIJ
-Darin