so ive been listening to HF a lot lately and people keep throwing around all these codes and short words and i honestly have no idea what most of them mean. like i hear QSL and QRM and stuff like that but theres so many of them and i dont know where to start. someone told me to just look them up but when i did i got this huge list and it was overwhelming. is there like a shortlist of the ones people actually use because i dont think im ever going to memorize all of them

also on digital modes like FT8 i see stuff like 73 and 88 and RR73 and i kind of figured out 73 means goodbye or something but not totally sure. just trying to get a handle on whats actually common vs the stuff nobody really uses anymore

yeah totally get it, when i first got my ticket i felt the same way. the Q codes come from old telegraphy days so theres a ton of them but honestly you really only need to know maybe a dozen for everyday use. QSL is basically confirming you received the other stations transmission, or it can mean sending a confirmation card which is a whole other thing. QRM is interference from other stations, QRN is natural noise like static from lightning. QSB means your signal is fading in and out. QSY means youre changing frequency. QTH is your location. thats probably 80% of what youll hear on a regular basis.

as for 73, thats just best regards or a friendly farewell, its not really a Q code its more of an old telegraph prosign that stuck around. 88 means love and kisses which you mostly hear between operators who know each other well. RR73 in FT8 specifically means roger roger 73, so the other station got your last transmission and is signing off. the digital modes have their own little shorthand on top of the regular stuff which can be a lot at first but you get used to it pretty fast once youre actually operating

QRZ is one they dont always mention but youll hear it a ton, it means whos calling me or sometimes just who is calling. CQ is not a Q code technically but its what someone broadcasts when theyre just calling for any station to reply, like a general shoutout. i spent like three weeks listening before i figured that one out lol