HAM Radio Phonetics

The following are the phonetics which we use in amateur radio. You are likely to hear all kinds of craziness when we are in a hurry. These are the proper phonetics and you should practice them so that when you are hurried you will use the correct ones.

These are the ITU accepted International Phonetics. They are used by all professionals on the radio world round. This includes military, aviation, maritime, and of course amateur radio operators.

Phonetics aren’t usually necessary on a repeater as communications are usually quite clear and it wastes air time. If someone is having trouble understanding what you are saying, then would be the time to use phonetics to spell it out.