ok so ive been licensed for about 3 months now, got my technician and just upgraded to general last week actually. been hanging around the local club and doing some HF now and everyone just throws around all these abbreviations constantly, like QSL, QRZ, QRM, QSB and a bunch of others i cant keep track of. i know QSL is like a confirmation card thing but thats about it honestly.

is there like a definitive list somewhere or do people just kind of pick these up over time? also what does 73 mean, i see that everywhere too. and someone said 88 to a lady on the air and i didnt know what that was either. feel kinda dumb asking but i figure someone here has been through this before

dont feel dumb at all, everyone goes through this. the Q codes go way back to telegraph days so theres a ton of them but you really only need to know maybe a dozen or so for everyday use. QSL is yeah, acknowledgement or confirmation, QRZ is basically whos calling me, QRM is interference from other stations, QRN is static or natural noise, QSB is your signal fading in and out, QTH is your location, QRT means shutting down or going off air. those are the big ones youll hear constantly.

73 just means best regards, its been that way forever, old telegraph shorthand. and 88 is love and kisses, thats why the guy said it to the woman, totally normal usage on the air. after a while these just become second nature, you stop thinking about them. arrl website has a decent list if you want to bookmark something.

yeah the Q codes are one of those things that seem overwhelming at first and then six months later you're using them without even thinking about it. one i didnt see mentioned above is QSY which means changing frequency, youll hear that a lot especially during contests or if theres a pileup situation. also QRP technically means low power operation, under 5 watts, theres a whole subculture around that if you ever get into it.

the abbreviations beyond Q codes are their own thing too, like ur is your, es is and, de is from, pse is please, tnx or tks is thanks. mostly CW stuff but people say them on phone too sometimes just out of habit. honestly just get on the air and lurk for a bit, youll pick it up faster than reading any list