# Did you know?..or will you "learn something new"..with the following...



## Jace (Tuesday at 9:06 AM)

'You' probably know or have heard..the first three letters..Alpha, Bravo, Charlie..​but do you know the entire ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) or 
NATO phonetic alphabet?

if not..
Delta 
Echo 
Foxtrot 
Golf 
Hotel 
India 
Juliette
Kilo 
Lima 
Mike 
November 
Oscar 
Papa 
Quebec 
Rome 
Sierra 
Tango 
Uniform 
Victor 
Whiskey 
X-Ray 
Yankee 
Zulu 

How many knew all?

Ever had to use?

Do tell...


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## 1955 (Tuesday at 9:20 AM)

I use marine VHF and Ham Radio equipment but I only remember the ones in my call signs. Otherwise I just make-up a word for the letter I don’t know and it seems to work. Good thing that wasn’t on my license test!


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## Alligatorob (Tuesday at 9:29 AM)

Jace said:


> How many knew all?


Not me.


Jace said:


> Ever had to use?


Almost every time I talk with some helpline person on the phone.  Or some version of it anyway.


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## horseless carriage (Tuesday at 9:42 AM)

In 1936, the comedy double act Clapham and Dwyer recorded the following version, entitled "A Surrealist Alphabet":

_A for 'orses_ (hay for horses)
_B for mutton_ (beef or mutton)
_C for 'th highlanders_ (Seaforth Highlanders)
_D for 'ential_ (deferential)
_E for Adam_ (Eve or Adam)
_F for 'vescence_ (effervescence)
_G for police_ (chief of police)
_H for respect_ (age for respect)
_I for Novello_ (Ivor Novello)
_J for oranges_ (Jaffa oranges)
_K for 'ancis_, (Kay Francis), 
_L for leather_ (Hell for leather)
_M for 'sis_ (emphasis)
_N for 'adig_ (in for a dig, or infra dig.)
_O for the garden wall_ (over the garden wall)
_P for a penny_ (pee for a penny)
_Q for a song_ (cue for a song), or _Q for billiards_ (cue for billiards)
_R for mo'_ (half a mo'-moment)
_S for you_ (it's for you)
_T for two_ (tea for two)
_U for films_ (UFA films)
_V for La France_ (vive la France)
_W for a bob_ (double you for a bob, (shilling) as in gambling)
_X for breakfast_ (eggs for breakfast)
_Y for Gawd's sake_ (why, for God's sake?)
_Z for breezes_ (zephyr breezes.)


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## -Oy- (Tuesday at 9:51 AM)

Years ago I worked at Manchester Airport and had a radio to communicate to the control tower. I had to pass an exam on "RT Code" - at the time it was slightly differemt from the abve.

Romeo
Zebra


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## Llynn (Tuesday at 9:52 AM)

I knew them all thanks to my ham radio license and US Navy training.


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## Jace (Tuesday at 11:50 AM)

Such smart people..'we' have here..on the SF.


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## Lewkat (Tuesday at 12:04 PM)

I was in the military, so yes, I know them well.  We also used them in the police department.

24 hour time as well.


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## hawkdon (Tuesday at 1:36 PM)

Navy Crypto Tech here, so yes I had to learn the code....


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## Jules (Tuesday at 2:32 PM)

Know them.  Haven’t used them in years so had forgotten a few.


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## jimintoronto (Tuesday at 3:16 PM)

Canadian military, Toronto Ambulance, and Toronto Police Service Auxiliary, all used the NATO phonetic alphabet when I was serving. The original concept was to use words that had 2 parts like YanKee, or BraVo, or QueBec. Because NATO has so many member nations, most of which don't speak English as their first language, the words also had to be short. My last name would be Bravo Uniform November Tango India November Golf. JimB.


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## hollydolly (Tuesday at 3:27 PM)

Yes I knew them all , having had a CB radio back in the 80's


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## Capt Lightning (Wednesday at 12:51 AM)

Yes, I was in the Observer corps in the 60's and knew them.  It was Romeo, not Rome.


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## Jean-Paul (Wednesday at 2:02 AM)

Alpha Bravo Charlie


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## Tommy (Wednesday at 6:22 AM)

Hehe . . . I'm "pre-NATO".  I first learned it as Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog, Easy, Fox . . .


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## Jace (Wednesday at 6:38 PM)

@Capt Lightning...Yes, I thought I remember it being that..
Musta been a_ finger fumble_


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## Right Now (Wednesday at 7:19 PM)

My grandfather was a HAM radio operator for decades, used to hear him in wonder.  All of my work at the State Police HQ depended on spelling precisely when reporting arrests to state agency.  I haven't used it in 5 years.


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## Farrah Nuff (Wednesday at 7:41 PM)

This appeals to _MY_ sense of mischief!

​


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## Disgustedman (Wednesday at 7:56 PM)

I learned some from my BIL (ARMY) and books (The Thirteenth Valley")  where a commander was wanting to "DEROS" out. Plus assorted military reading


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## HoneyNut (Wednesday at 8:15 PM)

Jace said:


> How many knew all?


I got one right!  I don't know why (maybe I don't speak clearly) but I find myself needing to use that system to spell my name a lot for people.  I just make up the words, I see now why lots of times when I'm doing it people on the phone are telling me 'echo'.


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## jimintoronto (Yesterday at 8:24 AM)

Right Now said:


> My grandfather was a HAM radio operator for decades, used to hear him in wonder.  All of my work at the State Police HQ depended on spelling precisely when reporting arrests to state agency.  I haven't used it in 5 years.


One of the running jokes at Toronto Police Service was when asking the radio room to do a CPIC ( Canadian Police Information Center ) name check was to say the subjects last name and given name, which was some nearly impossible to spell Yugoslavian or Romanian one, followed by the phrase "common spelling ". The radio room come back was " spell it phonetically please " with a gruff voice. Now that all the patrol vehicles have MDT that joke is not happening anymore. Back then getting a return on a NCIC check could take up to an hour.

 A Niagara Regional officer did a NCIC check on a vehicle that had recently crossed into Ontario from New York at Buffalo. The return took so long the officer let the vehicle and driver go......An hour later the NCIC return revealed that the driver was wanted in Kentucky for 2 murders. The Ontario Provincial Police caught the driver for speeding the next day in eastern Ontario. He was driving to Quebec. JimB.


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