"Dee D. Flint" wrote in
:


"Brian Kelly" wrote in message
om...
"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.


Yup, zed is the French name for the letter Z. It is NOT part of a
phonetic alphabet. Outside of ham radio (which I got into in 1992) you
only hear it in areas subject to French influence.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE



Zed is the _English_ as well as French name for the last letter of the
alphabet. Zee is American, and likely also not understood in VK, ZL, etc.