Serious Post: "Learn a PHONETIC ALPHABET" of your choice. And practice very-very regularly..

[Sourdough]

There are a few different options. Just my opinion, pick one, it is fun. I use the phonetic alphabet about three or five times a week on the telephone. There are so many companies employing personnel that can't enunciate clear english. I often have someone ask if I am military, I respond no commercial pilot. Practice in the shower or driving down the highway.

 

[Sourdough]

It is easy & fun. Just learn three or four words each day. Turn it into a song if you choose. But get skilled, your life "might" depend on it.

English is required language "WORLD WIDE" for pilots for all communication on radio.

When I am in LAX air traffic control, I really have zero grasp what most traffic is saying. It can get very-very funny at times.

If you have children make it a game to teach them a Phonetic Alphabet.

 

[Bacpacker]

They are almost a requirement at times when talking with someone with a weak signal on ham radio

 

[Neb]

There are a few different options. Just my opinion, pick one, it is fun. I use the phonetic alphabet about three or five times a week on the telephone. There are so many companies employing personnel that can't enunciate clear english. I often have someone ask if I am military, I respond no commercial pilot. Practice in the shower or driving down the highway.

We had to learn it in boot camp. There are variations allowed.

Ben

 

[Weedygarden]

My first year out of h.s. I went to business school. This was part of a class that was required, called telephone training.

I am attaching the NATO phonetic alphabet. I don't think it is exactly the same as what I learned.

 

[Sourdough]

I am 186 y/o and I'll be 187 y/o in two weeks. So sometimes my ultra sharp quick-thinking slows down or stops for a few mega-seconds. If I am using the phonetic alphabet, I'll just fake it with a common word with the same first letter.

 

[Sourdough]

So called "N" numbers on your aircraft are Phonetic Alphabetic. I got a special giggle driving my neighbors PA-18-150 "N"-number "123 WW" (One-two-three Whisky-Whisky).

 

[OldSchool]

Foxtrot Tango Sierra

 

[Haertig]

Learn the NATO one. It is called by different names, but the words are the same. It has been around, unchanged AFAIK, since the mid-50's. That is the "international standard" one. Choosing your own variation of words confuses things. People are expecting to hear specific and agreed upon words, and get thrown off when someone makes a substitution. e.g., The last letter of our alphabet is "zulu", not "zed" or "zebra" or some other thing. People that do not have English as their first language may not know what a "zebra" is, let alone that it starts with the letter "z". The graphic that Weedy posted is the one to use.

 

[Weedygarden]

Learn the NATO one. It is called by different names, but the words are the same. It has been around, unchanged AFAIK, since the mid-50's. That is the "international standard" one. Choosing your own variation of words confuses things. People are expecting to hear specific and agreed upon words, and get thrown off when someone makes a substitution. e.g., The last letter of our alphabet is "zulu", not "zed" or "zebra" or some other thing. People that do not have English as their first language may not know what a "zebra" is, let alone that it starts with the letter "z". The graphic that Weedy posted is the one to use.

I was thinking that when I learned it, 50 years ago, that Z was zebra. But that was 50 years ago, and I have only used it here and there.

I think it is worth printing out and either laminating it or putting it in a plastic page.

 

[Alaskajohn]

I find it refreshing when the other person on the phone understands the NATO phonetic alphabet. With most companies offshoring their call centers, it is the only way I can understand them and I surely want to make sure they understand me.

 

[Hardcalibres]

I most commonly use the NATO phonetic alphabet when I am booking flights over the phone......to communicate my name.

These days, if they misspell your name on a booking, and it doesn't match your ID, you may not get to fly.

 

[INresponse]

The police departments I worked for, and most others in the area, use
Adam, Baker, Charlie, David, Edward, Frank, George, Henry, Ida, John, King, Lincoln, Mary, Nora, Ocean, Paul, Queen, Sam, Tom, Union, Victor, William, X-ray, Yellow, Zebra.
Yes it is different than the military but most are common names and less confusing to "civilians" than some of the words like Juliette, Lima, and Papa. I know, simple words to emphasize the first letter but, common names catch the ear better to the untrained. I use it quite often when trying to spell things over the phone and even when in person while someone is trying to type it into the computer.
I can understand the military version but that is due to improvising based on my many years of experience. Is one better than the other? Maybe, maybe not, it will all depend on the situation and who you are talking to.

 

[lonewolf]

there are so many foreigners employed at call centres these days, if I cant understand them I say so and put the phone down.

 

[Sourdough]

I most commonly use the NATO phonetic alphabet when I am booking flights over the phone......to communicate my name.

These days, if they misspell your name on a booking, and it doesn't match your ID, you may not get to fly.

Same for me, not for flights, but for the spelling my last name in communicating with medical clinics.

 

[Morgan101]

I learned the NATO Alphabet quite by accident when I was in college. A friend's father owned a large fishing vessel, and we used the NATO Alphabet on the ship-to-shore radio. I never forgot it.

 

[Mountain trapper]

I understand it, but I've never seen the need to use anything but English in this country. On the rare occasion that someone calls that I can't understand I either hang up or ask for an American speaker.

 

[Cabin Fever]

--- -. -.-. . / -.-- --- ..- / .... .- ...- . / - .... . / .--. .... --- -. . - .. -.-. / .- .-.. .--. .... .- -... . - / -- . -- --- .-. .. --.. . -.. / -.- . . .--. / .. - / --. --- .. -. --. / - .-. -.-- / -- . -- --- .-. .. --.. .. -. --. / ... --- -- . - .... .. -. --. / -.. .. ..-. ..-. . .-. . -. - .-.-.-

 

[Weedygarden]

--- -. -.-. . / -.-- --- ..- / .... .- ...- . / - .... . / .--. .... --- -. . - .. -.-. / .- .-.. .--. .... .- -... . - / -- . -- --- .-. .. --.. . -.. / -.- . . .--. / .. - / --. --- .. -. --. / - .-. -.-- / -- . -- --- .-. .. --.. .. -. --. / ... --- -- . - .... .. -. --. / -.. .. ..-. ..-. . .-. . -. - .-.-.-

ONCE YOU HAVE THE PHONETIC ALPHABET MEMORIZED KEEP IT GOING TRY MEMORIZING SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

https://morsecode.world/international/translator.html

 

[Weedygarden]

ONCE YOU HAVE THE PHONETIC ALPHABET MEMORIZED KEEP IT GOING TRY MEMORIZING SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

https://morsecode.world/international/translator.html

I once had a student whose last name was Morris. He was an odd kid, perhaps on the autism spectrum. He was a very smart kid. Since his name was Morris, he related that to Morse, and he set out to learn the Morse code. He would come into school in the mornings and hand me notes all written out in Morse code. Of course I couldn't read them, and with around 30 students present, no way I could have taken the time to find a way to translate them then. I would ask him to translate them for me. It was a little bit fun.

 

[Cabin Fever]

Once you've learned the phonetic alphabet and Morse code, you can start on semaphore code.

 

[DrHenley]

ONCE YOU HAVE THE PHONETIC ALPHABET MEMORIZED KEEP IT GOING TRY MEMORIZING SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

https://morsecode.world/international/translator.html

Every time I memorize something new, I forget something I already memorized. The reason I never could pass the code test for a ham license back when it was a requirement. I could only remember so many at a time.
I am dyslexic and I was completely miserable in school until I started studying chemical engineering (open book tests), and then I was top of the class.

 

[Weedygarden]

Once you've learned the phonetic alphabet and Morse code, you can start on semaphore code.
View attachment 170266

How long do you hold the flags in each letter position?

And then there is sign language. In a SHTF situation, that would be good to know as a family to be able to communicate in front of a potential enemy.

 

[Cabin Fever]

How long do you hold the flags in each letter position?

And then there is sign language. In a SHTF situation, that would be good to know as a family to be able to communicate in front of a potential enemy.

Possibly a second. It's like a dance, the arms are almost continuously moving.

 

[Cabin Fever]

And, there is always pig latin.

 

[Haertig]

I have to stop and think about a few of the NATO words these days. I learned it well when I was getting my ham license. But nowadays I do struggle to quickly come up with a few of the words farther down the alphabet. I just don't use it much. I never got big into ham. I still ONLY have my Technicians license and handhelds. I will probably get General and maybe Expert at some time, just to say I did, but for me currently those won't add anything to what I can do. I don't have the real estate, and to be honest the desire either, to set up a good ham shack and a set of antennas in my yard. If I do ever set up a nice ham shack, no doubt the NATO phonetic alphabet will be on a poster hung on the wall to cover for those elderly brain freezes that come around fairly regularly.

 

[Weedygarden]

I have to stop and think about a few of the NATO words these days. I learned it well when I was getting my ham license. But nowadays I do struggle to quickly come up with a few of the words farther down the alphabet. I just don't use it much. I never got big into ham. I still ONLY have my Technicians license and handhelds. I will probably get General and maybe Expert at some time, just to say I did, but for me currently those won't add anything to what I can do. I don't have the real estate, and to be honest the desire either, to set up a good ham shack and a set of antennas in my yard. If I do ever set up a nice ham shack, no doubt the NATO phonetic alphabet will be on a poster hung on the wall to cover for those elderly brain freezes that come around fairly regularly.

You know my last name and that no one would spell it correctly if I didn't spell it out for them, and even then, people mess it up. I always say "P as in Paul, and S as in Sam." Nope, not the NATO terms. Sometimes the E is thought to be an A.

 

[Haertig]

You know my last name and that no one would spell it correctly

Most people swap the two vowels in mine. Dyslexic people tend to do fine however.

 

[Weedygarden]

Most people swap the two vowels in mine. Dyslexic people tend to do fine however.

I still confuse the spelling of your name.

 

[UserNameTaken]

Foxtrot Tango Sierra

I think you got it wrong, it's: Sierra, Tango, Foxtrot, Uniform.