"Dee D. Flint" wrote in message ...
"Brian Kelly" wrote in message


I find that people have a high error percentage in getting my call
correct
even with a clear, strong FM signal unless I give it at least once
phonetically. While my call is N8UZE, the Z is frequently repeated
back to
me as B, C, D, G, P, T, or V. The only people who don't make that
mistake
are those who have known me for a while and are familiar with my call.

There's an ancient quick fix for that problem. Use N 8 U Zed E.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE

w3rv

I am aware of that but am not used to it, not having grown up around
speakers of French or people from Canada or near the Canadian border.

I didn't realize "Zed" has a "French connection". Live and learn. I
never noticed that there are any regional trends to it's use, I'm ten
minutes from the Mason-Dixon line and it's been SOP everywere I've
tuned since AM days. It's used unconsciously even on the machines and
in face-to-face conversation. N 3 N Zed is one of the locals, I
suspect that if somebody called him N 3 N Zee it would cause a
back-up-and-think-about-it moment. Maybe it's just an Old Fart thing.
Heh.

Besides, I like to make absolutely sure that someone I've never spoken to
before gets it right. Occasionally the "E" also causes problems.

I have a long-established policy: I *always* use phonetics to open
*every* QSO with somebody I haven't worked previously, on HF or on the
machines. I really don't care if the machine politically-correctness
cops like it or not.


Dee D. Flint, N8UZE

w3rv