'Roger' does not mean 'Yes'

[haiqu]

Originally Posted by monte

I have a Dual watch, tri scan VHF. I have no trouble keeping track of calling stations and as noted above I've never encountered this practice of stating the callers Channel in Australia or Europe. The only time I've heard it appears to be by Americans on small vessels (not ships) and most commonly in charter areas.

Actually you do hear it a lot in major cities. Sydney marine rescue monitors repeaters on about six channels and it sometimes helps to nominate the channel you're on.

[El Pinguino]

I say what channel I am on when making first contact with a station I know may be listening on several( did it back in the day job as well) .. I never say names three times.. thats for distress working... I will often on first contact repeat the name of the called station once so as to give them a nanosecond to engage brain...

Ping .... who learnt his radio stuff from Hop Harrigan....

[Rustic Charm]

I'm a little surprised by my Australian comrads supporting identifying the Channel your calling on. Regardless of how many channels your monitoring, if someone is 'calling' I assume their calling on 16. The only other channel I monitor is a local port channel. But communication is clear on that channel due to the nature (and slackness) of the calls.

I'm also interested in hearing more from the OP on 'roger' and 'yes'. As someone else suggested I always understood it to mean 'received and understood', which I would think is synomonous with 'yes'. Though I would not use 'yes' as its too easily lost. 'Affrimative', yes!

[shufti]

if someone is 'calling' I assume their calling on 16.

Problem being [in my region] that ch16 black spots do exist - many times we have to use a repeater channel to get through. And that repeater depends on location (ch81 north of Burnett River, 80 south of it) Hence my referring to the channel I'm hailing on when hailing.

I use 'romeo' for the positive - only reason is I have heard it used since I was knee high to a grasshopper and its use became 'one of those' habits when on the 27meg [back then] and VHF these days.

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by shufti

Problem being [in my region] that ch16 black spots do exist - many times we have to use a repeater channel to get through. And that repeater depends on location (ch81 north of Burnett River, 80 south of it) Hence my referring to the channel I'm hailing on when hailing.

I use 'romeo' for the positive - only reason is I have heard it used since I was knee high to a grasshopper and its use became 'one of those' habits when on the 27meg [back then] and VHF these days.

ok, that makes sense. I didn't think of that. Using repeater is necessary around Flinders Island too.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Rustic Charm

I'm a little surprised by my Australian comrads supporting identifying the Channel your calling on. Regardless of how many channels your monitoring, if someone is 'calling' I assume their calling on 16. The only other channel I monitor is a local port channel. But communication is clear on that channel due to the nature (and slackness) of the calls.

I'm also interested in hearing more from the OP on 'roger' and 'yes'. As someone else suggested I always understood it to mean 'received and understood', which I would think is synomonous with 'yes'. Though I would not use 'yes' as its too easily lost. 'Affrimative', yes!

Costs nothing, takes a nano second, removes confusion....

Beats calling ' Lonsdale Light, Lonsdale Light , Lonsdale Light... this is Super Double Big Bummed Wombat, Super Double Big Bummed Wombat, Super Double Big Bummed Wombat.... over'

[El Pinguino]

Back in the day job it would simply have been..'Lonsdale..Wombat ..16'

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Rustic Charm

I'm a little surprised by my Australian comrads supporting identifying the Channel your calling on. Regardless of how many channels your monitoring, if someone is 'calling' I assume their calling on 16. The only other channel I monitor is a local port channel. But communication is clear on that channel due to the nature (and slackness) of the calls.

I'm also interested in hearing more from the OP on 'roger' and 'yes'. As someone else suggested I always understood it to mean 'received and understood', which I would think is synomonous with 'yes'. Though I would not use 'yes' as its too easily lost. 'Affrimative', yes!

calling in practice actually tends not to use ch16 at all. ports , CG, ships etc are often called directly in their working channel.

All I would say , in all the words you use, dont say " over and out", everything else is good to go.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

calling in practice actually tends not to use ch16 at all.

In my part of the planet all comms start on 16...

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

In my part of the planet all comms start on 16...

Good thing there are other parts of the planet so.

vive la différence

Dave

[a64pilot]

Just so Ya'll know, as far as I can concern US VHF radio operators are required to take no test or training whatsoever, just buy the radio and start asking for radio checks on 16
That should I hope explain some of what you hear from US operators.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Back in the day job it would simply have been..'Lonsdale..Wombat ..16'

I think a lot of that being brief comes from former military operators where you wanted to stay "keyed" as little as possible. I'll admit the three times repetition annoys me, especially on a busy channel etc. I miss the abbreviated calls
I "grew up" monitoring four different radios in an aircraft, and being told which one the caller was on, helped and only took a sec. otherwise you weren't sure.

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Just so Ya'll know, as far as I can concern US VHF radio operators are required to take no test or training whatsoever, just buy the radio and start asking for radio checks on 16
That should I hope explain some of what you hear from US operators.

That is correct - back in the days when CB radios burst on to the scene millions of people (literally) sent in application forms for radio and operators licenses and the FCC (governing agency for telecommunications) was totally swamped. So the FCC made a new ruling that any citizen could use a broadcasting radio - CB, VHF, etc. without the need of a "license/permit" so long as they and the radio remained inside the territory of the USA and the equipment was not used for commercial purposes.

What gets strange here is that new boaters/cruisers do not know that the "no license/permit" rule does not apply to when they leave USA territorial waters. If you take your boat/radio, etc to the Bahamas or elsewhere on the planet you need to get the ship's license and additionally an operators permit for yourself. Just like everybody else in the world.

[boatman61]

Always thought a 'Roger' was a sexual thing...

[FlightPlan]

I was an RTO in the Army when there were no electronic boards and tube needed to be warmed up to start sending and receiving. A lot of voice transmissions today are a mix of the twang CB jargon, military protocol, and civil service 10** codes.
"over and out" was used by Brodrick Crawford on TV's Highway Patrol Show. It means in "your turn to talk" (over) I'm off the net (out) and not going to hear what you say.
Romeo is the correct phonetic word for the letter R.
Roger, means I understand your transmission. Sometimes Copy is used to replace roger because the listener may want to say I hear you clearly, but don't necessarily agree.
Channel 16 is a hailing channel to make contact and agree to go to a working channel for continued conversation. Unless in an emergency situation and you want everyone within hailing distance to know what your emergency is and get the most immediate attention. Then a working channel is selected so that you don't get walked on by some idiot requesting a "radio check"
Hailing three times is used to alert the receiver, so in case he thought he heard his hail, he is more certain that he did by three hails. Also, especially on old radio sets, the modulation thru the mic doesn't clear up until the mic is keyed and voice is transmitted clearly. Todays radios are much better at transmitting quicker than older units. SSB radios still lag a little on the modulation before clearly transmitting.
It all has purpose and order, just like Port and Starboard clears up the misunderstanding of right and left depending on which way you are facing on a boat.
'