wrote in message
ps.com

[snip]

Word meanings sometimes change over time. Like the word
"handle"....

Now that one really *does* irritate me. A handle is for opening a door. I
have a *name*, ok..?!

73 Ivor G6URP

On May 10, 12:26 pm, "Ivor Jones" wrote:



Now that one really *does* irritate me. A handle is for opening a door. I
have a *name*, ok..?!


Must be an individual preference thing. I've been licensed almost 50
years, and have been saying "The handle here is Hans" all that time.
Learned it from my elders way-back-when and old habits are hard to
break I guess.

73, de Hans, K0HB

"KØHB" wrote in message
ups.com
On May 10, 12:26 pm, "Ivor Jones"
wrote:



Now that one really *does* irritate me. A handle is for
opening a door. I have a *name*, ok..?!


Must be an individual preference thing. I've been
licensed almost 50 years, and have been saying "The
handle here is Hans" all that time. Learned it from my
elders way-back-when and old habits are hard to break I
guess.

73, de Hans, K0HB

Ok Hans, I can understand that, but just out of curiosity, *why* do you
say "handle" instead of "name" - it's not at all obvious to me.

Perhaps you don't know, tell me..! For my part, I don't know why it
irritates me, it just does..! But then I don't know why for a lot of
things..! Someone once asked me why I always put two dots before an
exclamation or a question mark, I don't know why, I just do ;-)


73 Ivor G6URP

On May 10, 3:37 pm, "Ivor Jones" wrote:


Ok Hans, I can understand that, but just out of curiosity, *why* do you
say "handle" instead of "name" - it's not at all obvious to me.


Probably mostly from ingrained habit. When I got into amateur radio
as a teen it was what "the oldtimers" did, and newcomers wanting
nothing more than to be perceived as "insiders", adopt the mannerisms
of those they heard on the air.

Many vocations and avocations have a "lingo" which, while it may
strike outsiders as "quaint" or "affected", identifies you to your
peers as "one of them".

73, de Hans

(For another example, why do we say "73" on phone, when it was
originally meant as Morse shorthand for some long flowery phrase like
"All the very best wishes, fair winds, following seas, and I hope you
get lucky with the fair maid who is the object of your humble but
earnest desire.")

On May 10, 9:41�am, K�HB wrote:
On May 10, 3:37 pm, "Ivor Jones" wrote:

Ok Hans, I can understand that, but just out of curiosity, *why* do you
say "handle" instead of "name" - it's not at all obvious to me.

Probably mostly from ingrained habit. When I got into amateur radio
as a teen it was what "the oldtimers" did, and newcomers wanting
nothing more than to be perceived as "insiders", adopt the mannerisms
of those they heard on the air.

Many vocations and avocations have a "lingo" which, while it may
strike outsiders as "quaint" or "affected", identifies you to your
peers as "one of them".

(For another example, why do we say "73" on phone, when it was
originally meant as Morse shorthand for some long flowery phrase like
"All the very best wishes, fair winds, following seas, and I hope you
get lucky with the fair maid who is the object of your humble but
earnest desire.")

Why is the (supposed) laugh on voice expressed as "HI HI."
And in a flat voice at that? :-) I've heard that all over HF
along with flat, emotionless voice expressions. Do radio
waves blank out emotions? :-)

Why do some "sign" messages with the "de" before a call sign?
The message originator on newsgroups is already identified in
the message header as to whom it is from. Questions,
questions. :-)

73, Len AF6AY

On May 10, 6:20 pm, AF6AY wrote:


Why is the (supposed) laugh on voice expressed as "HI HI."


For the same reason that hams give "59" signal reports instead of
saying "you're loud and clear", for the same reason that they say
"73" instead of "best wishes", and for the same reason that they say
"QSL" instead of "I got that". These, and "hi hi", are carryovers of
CW "shorthand" and have survived as a natural sort of "insiders
lingo". As a newer ham you may find them unnatural or awkward to
use, and the good news is that everyone will still be happy to snag
your prefix in WPX, even if you don't say TKS ES GL OM HI HI..

73, de Hans, K0HB

"KØHB" wrote in message
ps.com
On May 10, 6:20 pm, AF6AY wrote:


Why is the (supposed) laugh on voice expressed as "HI
HI."


For the same reason that hams give "59" signal reports
instead of saying "you're loud and clear", for the same
reason that they say "73" instead of "best wishes", and
for the same reason that they say "QSL" instead of "I got
that". These, and "hi hi", are carryovers of CW
"shorthand" and have survived as a natural sort of
"insiders lingo". As a newer ham you may find them
unnatural or awkward to use, and the good news is that
everyone will still be happy to snag your prefix in WPX,
even if you don't say TKS ES GL OM HI HI..

73, de Hans, K0HB

The CW shorthand I can understand, but why "handle"..?!

73 Ivor G6URP

On May 10, 6:20 pm, AF6AY wrote:


Why is the (supposed) laugh on voice expressed as "HI HI."

It is the telegraphic laugh.
"hi hi" is the Morse equivalent of a laugh as in Morse it sounds like
someone chuckling ("hehhehhehheh hehheh"). That is ditditditdit dit
it --- or dot dot dot dot dot dot. You really have to listen to it sent
in Morse to appreciate its laugh like sound. It is most commonly used in CW
(Morse Code), but has carried over to voice as well. Many CW expressions
have carried over to voice -- such as 73 (Best Regards) and 88 (love and
Kisses), etc. The origin probably dates back before radio to the telegraph
days. And since Hams used Morse long before voice became practical-- the
sound of the Morse characters HI HI was used to resemble a laugh sound. In
some sense it is equivalent of a smiley. It's onomatopoeic -- that is the
naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated
with it (as buzz, hiss) The definitive answer might be found in the "Dodge's
The Telegraph Instructor Manual" circa 1850 to 1900..So that is my best
guess -- based on what old time telegraphers have told me.

Another use of HI HI is sending a greeting to a fellow Ham when vehicles
pass -- four short horn beeps followed by two short horn beeps. Since many
Hams have Ham License plates -- a fellow Ham is easily spotted as well as
the seeing the mobile antennas.

Lamont

K?HB wrote on Fri 11 May 2007 03:32:

On May 10, 6:20 pm, AF6AY wrote:

Why is the (supposed) laugh on voice expressed as "HI HI."

For the same reason that hams give "59" signal reports instead of
saying "you're loud and clear", for the same reason that they say
"73" instead of "best wishes", and for the same reason that they say
"QSL" instead of "I got that".

I disagree a bit there, having listened to lots of voice
"conversations" and compared them to in-person conversations
without radios. The majority of amateur radio activity is done
solo by a ham using voice, CW, RTTY, data, etc. As such,
many just don't have the direct personal coupling to others
unless they are personal friends. A result of that is the flat,
rather emotionless speech patterns one can hear. They seem
to be talking to other radios, not other human beings.

Other radios don't laugh or cry or express emotions. People do
that. Some people in amateur radio want to emulate the
professionals and assume that pros talk only in flat, emotion-
less manner. That's not always the case when you get beyond
the "data reporting" communications kind of things on
commercial radio. Ahem, I've already been "chewed out" by
an unidentified Radio Kop on HF for daring to express some
slight emotion in my voice. shrug

There seems to be a difference in speech patterns in ham bands
above 30 MHz versus those below. The VHF and up folk tend to
sound more human and have been heard to actually express a
tiny bit of emotion! :-) Maybe that's just here in the southwest;
I haven't taken any scanner with me on cross-country (2K mile)
auto trips in the USA.

These, and "hi hi", are carryovers of
CW "shorthand" and have survived as a natural sort of "insiders
lingo".

Yes, yes, I think I know some of that... :-) I've already adapted
to several kinds of different radio service lingo. My only difficulty
on any of those was at around 2000 feet in a two-place single
engine aircraft with the (bad alternate) instructor hollering in my
right ear on flying the aircraft properly. "Clik, clik," the pilot's
"roger" using the PTT switch...which I "wasn't supposed to know"
according to the instructor. :-)

As a newer ham you may find them unnatural or awkward to
use, and the good news is that everyone will still be happy to snag
your prefix in WPX, even if you don't say TKS ES GL OM HI HI..

TNX, FB OM and roger that. :-) When I figure out how to
pronounce those capitalized letters, I'll use them. HI HI. :-)

Regards, Len AF6AY

KØHB wrote:
On May 10, 3:37 pm, "Ivor Jones" wrote:

Ok Hans, I can understand that, but just out of curiosity, *why* do you
say "handle" instead of "name" - it's not at all obvious to me.


Probably mostly from ingrained habit. When I got into amateur radio
as a teen it was what "the oldtimers" did, and newcomers wanting
nothing more than to be perceived as "insiders", adopt the mannerisms
of those they heard on the air.

Many vocations and avocations have a "lingo" which, while it may
strike outsiders as "quaint" or "affected", identifies you to your
peers as "one of them".

73, de Hans

(For another example, why do we say "73" on phone, when it was
originally meant as Morse shorthand for some long flowery phrase like
"All the very best wishes, fair winds, following seas, and I hope you
get lucky with the fair maid who is the object of your humble but
earnest desire.")

If I might respectfully offer a little perspective for us all....

Not everyone speaks as we do. There are different customs in different
areas.

I for one cringe every time that I hear someone speaking "HI HI" on
phone. To my way of thinking, if something is funny, I will laugh.

However, I realize that my personal dislike of that particular phrase
is MY problem, not the person who is saying the words that irritate me.

So unless the other person's words are obscene or suggestive, I'll just
avoid imposing my opinions on them.

- 73 de Mike KB3EIA -