so i just got my technician license a few weeks ago and ive been lurking on some of the local nets and also just listening to HF a bit and honestly i feel like everyone is speaking a different language. like i know CQ means calling anyone but then theres QSL and QRM and QSY and QTH and like a dozen others that people just throw around like everyone obviously knows what they mean.

is there like a master list somewhere or do people just memorize these over time? also are there abbreviations that arent Q codes that i should know too because i keep seeing things like 73 and 88 and also stuff like OM and YL and i have no idea what any of that means either. just trying not to sound completely clueless when i finally get on and start talking to people

yeah the Q codes come from way back, like maritime and telegraph days, way before ham radio even existed. most of us just picked them up over time honestly, nobody sat down and memorized a chart. but the ones you'll hear constantly are QSO which is just a contact or conversation, QTH is your location, QSL means confirmed or yes i got your message (also refers to the cards people send), QRM is interference from other stations, QRN is natural static noise, QSY means change frequency, QRT means shutting down or going off air, and QRZ is who is calling me.

73 just means best regards, thats probably the most universal one. 88 is love and kisses and you mostly hear that between folks who know each other. OM is old man which sounds rude but its just how hams say hey buddy basically, and YL is young lady which gets used for any woman on the air regardless of age. there's a lot more but those'll get you through most conversations. honestly just listen for a while and youll pick it up faster than you think, after a few weeks it starts clicking

dont stress about it too much, i was in the same spot maybe a year ago and felt totally lost. one thing that helped me was just keeping a little notepad next to the radio and when i heard something i didnt recognize i'd jot it down and look it up later. the ARRL website has a Q code list and theres also some good cheat sheets people have made that float around online if you just search for ham radio Q codes.

also QRP is low power operation, you'll hear that a lot, and QRO is high power. and CW means morse code not just any radio thing, i got confused about that one for a while. once you get on air people are generally pretty patient with new folks in my experience