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

"Ivor Jones" wrote in message
...

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

Handle means someone's name, has done since the early 1800.

This is the quote usually cited:

http://www.answers.com/topic/handle-to-one-s-name

"Ivor Jones" wrote in message
...
"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


For what it worth - from URL:
http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/Dumm...at-HOBBIES.htm
l

"The term handle is an old slang term for name that goes back to the cowb
oys
of the Old West. Telegraphers picked it up and the ham radio operators go
t
it from them. CB operators copied the hams, and there you have it."

I have heard several old time hams give this explanation

Lamont

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