so ive been on the air for maybe 3 months now, got my technician and then upgraded to general pretty quick, and i keep hearing and seeing all these weird abbreviations that i just dont know. like QSL, QRM, QSO, QTH... i know QSL is like a confirmation card thing? but people throw them around in conversation too and im not always sure what they mean in context. also saw someone type 73 at the end of a message and had to look that one up.

is there like a standard list somewhere or do you just kind of pick these up over time. also are there ones that are more important to know vs ones that are kinda obscure and rarely used in practice. i feel like ive been just nodding along half the time on digital modes especially and i dont want to look clueless when i respond

yeah you basically just absorb them over time honestly. but the ones you absolutely need day to day are probably QSO (a contact or conversation), QTH (your location), QRM (interference from other stations, like man-made), QRN (natural noise, static that kind of thing), QSB (signal fading), QRZ (who is calling me), and QSL which yeah means confirmed or understood depending on context. when someone says QSL on voice theyre usually just saying roger or got it, not necessarily talking about the card.

the 73 thing is just best regards, comes from the old telegraph days and nobody really knows why 73 specifically but its just what it is. 88 is used sometimes too but thats its own can of worms lol. ARRL website has a full list if you want to go down that rabbit hole, i think its in the handbook too. honestly though just hang around on the air and it clicks pretty fast, nobody expects a new general to know every single one

QRP is one i see a lot that trips people up — it means low power operation, like 5 watts or less. people also say theyre running QRP as kind of a badge of honor thing. and QRO is high power, the opposite. QRG is your exact frequency which comes up sometimes when you ask someone what frequency theyre on.

oh and PSE and TU are not Q codes but youll see them constantly especially on CW, PSE means please and TU is thank you. theres also OM which means old man but its not an insult, its just how hams refer to each other, and YL is a woman operator. some of the older guys use those a lot. once you start doing CW contacts the abbreviations get even more intense but one thing at a time i guess