Re: [amsat-bb] UO-14 Phonetics?

[John Geiger <johngeig@xxxxxxxxx>]

HI Bob,

THere is a problem with not using phonetics on FM-many
letters sound the same.  I can see not using phonetics
for the grid square, but if I don't get the callsign
correctly, it is not a good contact.  Just be glad
that the "Last 2" idiocy has not reached sats yet

73s John NE0P Echo Mike Zero Four Tango Oscar


--- Bob Bruninga <bruninga@usna.edu> wrote:
> Comment on UO-14 contacts:
> 
> I am not a DX "operator" and don't work contests or
> pileups, so the
> "problem"  is all my lack of talent at working a
> pileup, BUT... I do have
> an observation to make:
> 
> While demonstrating UO14 to a group of students
> outside in 20 deg weather
> with a 0 degree windchill, we came up on UO14 "from
> the Naval Academy".
> I had prepped the students to listen for Grid
> Squares, but what made it
> impossible for me was that everyone was using long
> drawn out PHONETICS for
> almost EVERY CALL.  Thus instead of saying "W3XYZ,
> EM43", we hear
> WHISKY-THREE X-RAY-YANKEE-ZANZIBAR
> ECHO-MIKE-FORTY-THREE.
> 
> Thus every call takes 6 times longer, has an 6 times
> higher chance of QRM,
> reducing througput by a factor of 6 and most
> importantly, requires 6 times
> more grey cells of temporary memory in my brain to
> be able to regurgitate
> the entire WHISKY-THREE X-RAY-YANKEE-ZANZIBAR
> ECHO-MIKE-FORTY-THREE which
> in the cold, the pressure, the distractions of 20
> students asking
> questions and the pileup is an order of magnitude
> harder than just saying
> "QSL W3XYZ EM43, this is W3ADO FM19".
> 
> On FM, there is no need for phonetics, you either
> hear it or you dont.
> ANd with all the pileup, the success probability of
> hearing "W3XYZ"
> complete is  six times higher than hearing the full
> phonetic version.  I
> thought this commmon knowledge in HAM RADIO 101?
> 
> Anyway, We heard dozens of stations, reliably, but
> due to my inability to
> regurgitate the full phonetics, or on the fly
> convert to spelling, the
> only ones we felt we completed were the few that
> simply said their
> callsign simply.  Yes, I know the phonetic alphabet,
> but It is my fault
> that it takes me a few milliseconds to convert from
> phonetics to letters
> because I am not a seasoned contester, so I cannot
> "complain" since it is
> my inexperience.
> 
> But... I can point out, that you can get a LOT more
> reliable contacts out
> of someone that is slow with the lips like me, (in 0
> deg windchill) if you
> just say the call, and not the phonetics on an FM
> channel!
> 
> Just an opinion from a casual satellite user...
> 
> Bob
> 
> 
> ----
> Sent via amsat-bb@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are
> those of the author.
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