so ive been licensed for about 4 months now and i mostly just listen on the local repeater and occasionally check in on the wednesday night net. everyone seems to know exactly what theyre saying but half the time i have no idea what they mean. like QSL, QTH, QRM, QSB -- i kind of figured out QSL means like confirming something? and QTH might be location? but then someone said QRN last week and i had no clue. also people say 73 at the end of everything and i know thats like goodbye or something but where did that even come from. is there like a standard list somewhere or do people just kind of pick these up over time. i feel like everyone else just knows this stuff already and i dont wanna ask at the club and look dumb

oh man i remember feeling exactly the same way when i first got my ticket. okay so youre mostly right -- QSL does mean confirmed or acknowledged, like you got the message. QTH is your location yeah. QRM is interference from other stations, man-made stuff, and QRN is interference from natural sources like lightning static. QSB is when your signal is fading in and out. QRZ means whos calling me, youll hear that a lot when someone finishes a contact and wants to know if anyone else is calling. there are honestly like hundreds of Q codes going back to the old maritime and telegraph days but most hams only actually use maybe a dozen or so regularly. as for 73, thats just best regards, its from old telegraph shorthand codes, nobody really uses 72 much anymore but thats the one for QRP operators technically. honestly the best thing i ever did was just download the ARRL operating manual pdf and skim the chapter on operating conventions, it lays out all the common ones. you pick it up fast once you start making contacts yourself, just jump in and dont worry about looking dumb, everyone was new once and most hams love helping newcomers

73 question comes up a lot lol. just to add -- youll also hear stuff like QRP which means low power operation, and QRO is high power. QSY means changing frequency. theres also a bunch of abbreviations that arent Q codes at all, like OM means old man which is just how hams say dude basically, and YL is young lady, XYL is wife (dont ask). FB means fine business like thats great. and HI is ham radio laughter for some reason. its a whole language honestly, felt weird at first but after a few months on the air it just clicks. keep checking into that net, youll absorb it pretty quick