ABT | about | NW | now |
AGN | again | OB | old boy |
ANT | antenna | OM | old man |
BCI | broadcast interference | OP | operator |
BCL | broadcast listener | OT | old timer |
BK | break | PSE | please |
C | yes | PWR | power |
CUD | could | R | received as transmitted |
CUL | see you later | RCD | received |
CUZ | because | RCVR | receiver |
CW | continuous wave | RFI | radio freq interference |
DX | distance | RIG | station equipment |
ES | and | RPT | repeat |
FB | fine business | SED | said |
GA | good afternoon | SIG | signal |
GE | good evening | SKED | schedule |
GM | good morning | SRI | sorry |
GN | good night | TMW | tomorrow |
GND | ground | TNX | thanks |
GUD | good | TVI | television interference |
HI | high, laugh | TT | that |
HR | here | TU | thank you |
HV | have | UR | your |
HW | how | VY | very |
LID | poor operator | WKD | worked |
MSG | message | WL | well |
N | no | WUD | would |
NR | number | WX | weather |
XMTR | transmitter | ||
XTAL | crystal | ||
XYL | wife | ||
YL | young lady |
AA | all after | NIL | nothing |
AB | all before | PBL | preamble |
ADR | address | REF | refer to |
BN | all between | SINE | op's personal initials |
CFM | confirm | VC | prefix to service msg |
CK | check | TXT | text |
DLD | delivered | WA | word after |
GBA | give better address | WB | word before |
MSG | prefix to radiogram | WD | word |
The Phillips code was developed to bring the sending operator's skill up
toward that of the receiving operator, who typically
could receive much faster than anyone could send by hand. Phillips code is a
systematic, rigid system of abbreviations
used along with normal spelling of all other words, and cuts total transmission
time about in half. There were about 6000
abbreviations under this long-used system. It was used in commercial press
(news) transmissions. A skilled operator could
easily keep up, typing out the words in full as fast as the sender could hand
send, but he didn't dare let his mind wander.
Words were cut to their "backbone", leaving only the letters that carry the
brunt of their pronunciation. See the list below
for how this was done. Abbreviated words were modified by, e.g., adding
"d" for the past tense of verbs and "g" for -ing;
"s" was added to nouns for their plural; some words added "b" for -able. A
couple of simple examples of text are given here.
Example of 188 letters reduced to 116 (?) 61.7%:-
"T DCN CD MEAN T END F UNPRECEDENTED TWO Y CDY BTL, T FS D US X A SURROGATE MOTHER WS TKN TO TRL FO BACKING OUT O AN AGM TO TURN OV A CHILD SHE BORE UND CAK."
Translated into normal text, it says:-
"The decision could mean the end of the unprecedented two year custody
battle, the first in the United States in which a
surrogate mother was taken to trial for backing out of an agreement to turn over
a child she bore under contract."
AB | about | GG | going | S | send |
ABV | above | GTG | getting | SAF | soon as feasible |
ADZ | advise | GV | give | ||
AF | after | GM | gentleman | SAP | soon as possible |
AG | again | ||||
AJ | adjust | H | has | SD | should |
ANR | another | HD | had | SED | said |
AR | answer | HM | him | SES | says |
AX | ask | HR | hear, here | SM | some |
AY | any | HS | his | SMG | something |
AYG | anything | HV | have | SM | somewhere |
AYM | any more | HW | how | SN | soon |
SNC | since | ||||
B | be | ICW | in connection | SPL | special |
BC | because | with | STN | station | |
BD | board | IM | immediately | SVL | several |
BF | before | INVG | investigate | ||
BH | both | IX | it is | T | the |
BK | break | TGH | telegraph | ||
BN | been | KN | know | TGR | together |
BTN | between | TI | time | ||
BTR | better | LV | leave | TK | take |
TM | them | ||||
C | see | M | more | TNK | think |
CCN | conclusion | MK | make | TRU | through |
CD | could | MSG | missing | TS | this |
CK | check | MSJ | message | TT | that |
CKT | circuit | MSR | measure | TTT | that the |
CL | call | TW | tomorrow | ||
CLO | close | TY | they | ||
CLR | clear | N | not | ||
CMB | combine | NA | name | U | you |
CNG | change | NF | notify | UN | until |
CT | connect | NI | night | UR | your |
CU | current | NTG | nothing | ||
CY | copy | NUM | number | VY | very |
NR | near | ||||
D | in the | NV | never | W | with |
DD | did | NW | now | WD | would |
DT | do not | NX | next | WG | wrong |
DUX | duplex | WH | which | ||
OD | order | WI | will | ||
EMGY | emergency | OFS | office | WIN | within |
EQ | equip | OP | operate | WIT | witness |
EQPT | equipment | OTR | other | WK | week |
OV | over | WN | when | ||
F | of the | WO | who | ||
FD | find | PGH | paragraph | WR | were |
FJ | found | PLS | please | WS | was |
FM | from | WT | what | ||
FR | for | Q | on the | WY | why |
FT | for the | QK | quick | ||
FYI | for your | YA | yesterday | ||
information | |||||
G | from the | ||||
GD | good |
In addition to these there were a large number of very short special
abbreviations for phrases common in news releases, such
as for "President of the United States," etc. Usually these consisted of 3
- 5 letters, very brief.
The Z-signals were developed and used for a time by some commercial
operators. A few of them which might be useful to
amateurs are:-
ZCG local receiving conditions good
ZCP local receiving conditions poor
ZLS we are suffering from a lightning storm
ZSH static is heavy here
ZOK we are receiving OK
ZSR your sigs strong readable
ZGS your signals are getting stronger
ZWR your sigs weak but readable
ZFS your signals are fading slightly
ZVS signals varying in intensity
ZFB your signals are fading badly
ZGW your signals are getting weaker
ZSU your sigs are unreadable
ZAN we can receive absolutely nothing
ZUB we are unable to break you
ZVF your signals are varying in frequency
ZDH your dits are too heavy(long), please adjust
ZDL your dits are too light(short), please adjust
ZMO stand by a moment
ZMQ stand by for...
ZLB give long breaks
ZWO send words once
ZWT send words twice
ZSF send faster
ZSS send slower
ZTH send by hand
ZCS cease sending
ZAP acknowledge please
ZHC how are your receiving conditions?
ZRO are you receiving OK?
You will notice that these signals are much easier to remember than the Q-signals. The two letters following Z- are suggestive. (QST 1943 No p. 63)
In 1910 some wireless abbreviations were:
GA= go ahead, 4= please start me, where..., 13= understand
25= am busy now, 30= no more, 77= message for you, 99= keep
out!