[CQ-Contest] Phonetics

[Gerard Lynch]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tim Makins" <tim.ei8ic at gmail.com>

>I remember an article in the British mag 'Radcom' about twenty years ago
> suggesting a
> contest where all participants used the 'Aggle' series of phonetics:
> A=Aggle, B=Baggle, C=Caggle, D=Daggle, E=Eaggle, F=Faggle, G=Gaggle, etc.

I have a much better set of phonetics, with a proven record of getting
through with poor SNRs and heavy QRM, and readily idenitifiable to most
contesters regardless of native language or accent.  It goes:

A Didah
B Dahdididit
C Dahdidahdit
D Dahdidit
E Dit.... etc.

Not that this stopped me working stations down to 7003.5 at the weekend
(ahem!)

More seriously, with a Belfast accent I already have a very voiced T, so
"Tango" causes me few problems with Russians/Ukrainians but Romeo (or
Roewmeoew as I tend to say it) often plays merry hell with Eastern
Europeans.  Eight was the worst when I was starting out in radio... as a 14
year old who'd never left GI in my life my "äeyaht" just confused people...
I mean they didn't understand even it even enough to guess sometimes.  Even
the Ws struggled with it.  I remember an OH station in the ARRL 10m in
1991 - "GI0RTN is that 272?"  Nope, 278.  "275?"  Nope.  "273?"  Wise up.
Eventually, I had to learn how to say "ait" like the people on the TV, then
everything worked OK.

Which just goes to show, in a world of, literally, thousands of different
accents, even (and perhaps especially) among native English speakers, and
S9+30 QRM, you can never have to many alternatives.

Goodfer Nothin' Road To Nowhere

73

Gerry G0RTN
Vanity Page at http://www.gerrylynch.co.uk
"In days of old, when ops were bold, and sidebands not invented,
The word would pass, by pounding brass, and all were well contented."