ok so ive been listening on HF for a few weeks now and i keep hearing and seeing all these weird codes like QSL and QRM and QTH and honestly i have no idea what half of them mean or when you're supposed to use them vs just saying the normal word. like why would you say QTH instead of just saying your location? is there a list somewhere or is this just something you memorize over time? also saw someone write 73 at the end of a message and had no idea what that was either, is that a Q code too or different thing entirely

73 isnt a Q code, thats a numeric code that goes way back to telegraph days, means best regards basically. you'll also see 88 which is love and kisses, usually sent to close friends or family. the Q codes are a whole separate system that started with maritime and aviation radio and hams kind of adopted a bunch of them.

the reason people use QTH instead of saying location is partly tradition and partly because when the bands are rough and signals are weak, a short three letter code gets through static a lot better than a whole word. QRM means interference from other stations, QRN is natural static like lightning, QSB is when your signal is fading in and out. QSL means confirmed or acknowledged, which is why those little cards hams send each other to confirm contacts are called QSL cards.

honestly the easiest way i found to learn them was just to look up a Q code chart and keep it next to the radio for a few weeks. you pick them up pretty fast once you start actually hearing them in context.

yeah i was totally lost on this stuff when i started too. the ones i hear most on the air are QSL, QTH, QRZ (which means who is calling me, you'll hear this a lot when someone is calling CQ and trying to pull out a callsign through the noise), and QRM/QRN. once you know those five or six you can follow most casual conversations on SSB. CW operators tend to use way more of them since youre already sending abbreviated code anyway so why not abbreviate further lol