so i just got my technician license a few weeks ago and ive been listening on the local repeater and also trying to get into HF a bit and everyone keeps throwing around all these abbreviations and codes and i can barely keep up. like QSL, QRM, QSO, 73, 88 and a bunch of others i cant even remember now. i know 73 means best regards or something like that but thats about it. is there like a standard list somewhere or do people just kind of pick these up over time? also some of the older guys on the net use abbreviations i cant even find when i search for them, not sure if those are just local things or what. just feel like im missing half the conversation every time i check in

yeah this trips up basically everyone at first, dont worry about it. the Q codes originally came from maritime and commercial radio back before voice was common, so operators could send short codes over morse instead of spelling everything out. most of the common ones you'll hear on voice are QSL which just means acknowledged or confirmed, like when someone says QSL my signal report that just means got it, copy. QRM is interference from other stations, QRN is natural static and noise, QSB means your signal is fading in and out, QRZ is who is calling me or sometimes used at end of a transmission to mean go ahead. QSO is just a contact or conversation. there are honestly dozens of them and you wont use most of them in everyday conversation but those are the ones that come up constantly. the ARRL website has a full list, just search Q codes and youll find it. as for 73 that is best regards yeah, and 88 means love and kisses which is usually only used between close friends or couples on the air, some people have opinions about when its appropriate to use that one lol. just keep listening and youll pick it up faster than you think

honestly i was in the same boat like six months ago. what helped me was just keeping a little notepad next to the radio and writing down anything i didnt recognize and looking it up after. you also start to figure them out from context pretty quick. like if someone says QRM on the frequency you can usually tell from the conversation that somethings causing interferance. the one that confused me for a while was QRX, which means stand by or wait a moment, people dont use that one as much but it shows up. oh and 55 means good luck, see that sometimes in contesting. most of the older abbreviations that arent technically Q codes are just CW shorthand that carried over to voice, stuff like OM which is old man basically just means male operator, YL is young lady for any female operator regardless of age, XYL is wife. its a whole little language honestly