Using proper ITU phonetics well takes practice. It’s a fact. Using correct phonetics is an acquired skill, and it takes much repetition to both send and receive words phonetically.
You probably have heard the axiom: Practice makes perfect. That is quite simply, not true. Practice DOES NOT make perfect. Practice makes permanent. Practice something the wrong way and you will tend to do it less than perfectly. Furthermore, you will tend to continue to do it poorly. And… When and if the decision is made to do it correctly, you will find it more difficult to fix the errors because… Practice makes permanent. In order to use proper ITU phonetics, a radio operator must at all times avoid using incorrect phonetics. Right?
Well, I’m not so sure. The short answer is of course, yes. However, while I certainly would agree that a good radio operator should always avoid using non-standard phonetics, I learned something recently while I was serving as a NCS for a Local Traffic Net.
I was cruising along very comfortably taking check-ins when one of our local guys, whom I know to be a very proficient operator, checked in with a Foxtrot Zanzibar Tijuana… What???!! I recognized the voice, so I knew who it was… But… My brain went into a sudden state of confusion, and my pen seemed to be overtaken by some strange Ouija board force as it left an unintelligible scrawl across my up-until-that-moment fairly neat Net Roster page.
Some of the Net regulars, along with me, got a chuckle out of this “severe breach” of “proper net procedure”. How could such a well trained operator fall off of the correct Net discipline wagon? Everyone knows there is to be no “clowning around!! This is serious training!!! Well... most of the time; HI HI. Later that evening… sometime after the Net was closed, as I was considering my own incompetence, the fact of which allowed me to be so easily knocked off balance by a little bit of unexpected phonetics, my mind went back to Field Day 2010.
Every station was coming to the Traffic Net with radiograms; hoping to score a few more points. The problem was that all of our normal “thru” traffic handlers were out of town. So… not only was I the only person on the Net able to take the “thru” messages, but I was also the NCS. I assured all stations that I would take their traffic if they would just be patient… and they were, and I did. It was a long night.
But, the thing that I most remember was that the vast majority of the outgoing traffic was being brought by stations that did not normally handle radiogram traffic. Likewise they were not at all proficient in using correct ITU phonetics. The result: I had to deal with a multitude of strange and unfamiliar Tijuanas, Kilowatts, Japans, Marys, Bobs, and Igloos.
Here is what I have learned. The ARRL has its team of silent “Observer” stations whose task it is to monitor frequencies for errors; right? Well, I think that a team of operators should be recruited to go out into TrafficNetLand with the mission of purposely using incorrect phonetics… to make errors. Why? To keep guys like me from becoming lazy. To keep guys like me on my toes. To keep guys like me proficient in handling traffic coming from stations manned by ops that are not familiar with standard phonetics. To give guys like me the opportunity to take traffic from stations that in the pressure of E-COM conditions won’t know a Tango from a Tijuana… a Bravo from a Boulevard. We need a dedicated official ARRL team of Confusers. Where do I send my suggestion?
All of this is to say: Thanks to my Foxtrot Zanzibar Tijuana friend. Thank you for making me aware of my weakness. Thanks for waking me up!
