[KC5FM] Verbose Verbiage Impedes Divulgation #ARRL #hamradio

[KC5FM via rec.radio.amateur.moderated Admin]

de KC5FM k

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Verbose Verbiage Impedes Divulgation #ARRL #hamradio

Posted: 20 Jul 2022 05:52 AM PDT
http://kc5fm.blogspot.com/2022/07/verbose-verbiage-impedes-divulgation.html

The original Twitter was probably best. In 140 characters per Tweet, folks
had an opportunity to offend the world. Early users of the Wireless
Emergency Alerts had to warn the world in 90 characters.

One Twitter user described it as writing the Great American Novel one Tweet
at a time.
In the Military Auxiliary Radio System, folks are taught to THINK about
what you will say. SAY it. Unkey.
In life and death situations, it would be a shame to have someone die
because one went one syllable too long.
This is KC5FM out.

[E. William Horne]

On Saturday, July 23, 2022 at 7:04:33 AM UTC-4, KC5FM via rec.radio.amateur
.moderated Admin wrote:
> de KC5FM k
>
> ///////////////////////////////////////////
from W4EWH

> Verbose Verbiage Impedes Divulgation #ARRL #hamradio
>
> Posted: 20 Jul 2022 05:52 AM PDT
> http://kc5fm.blogspot.com/2022/07/verbose-verbiage-impedes-divulgation.ht
ml
>
> The original Twitter was probably best. In 140 characters per Tweet, folk
s
> had an opportunity to offend the world. Early users of the Wireless
> Emergency Alerts had to warn the world in 90 characters.

Brevity is essential in military communications, and until Arthur C. Clarke
thought up the idea of Geostationary satellites, we hams were the reserve
corps of Morse Code specialists that the Pentagon could draft into service
quickly during a war. Ergo, we were taught to be concise and exact and clea
r and ... brief.

> In the Military Auxiliary Radio System, folks are taught to THINK about

> what you will say. SAY it, [and] Unkey.

And we all grew up with our teachers handing out brochures printed by AT&T
that taught us to answer the phone quickly, and get right to the point, and
take notes so we didn't have to call back ... and Joe Friday saying "Just
the facts, Ma'am" when Dragnet was on TV. Policemen work in paramilitary or
ganizations, Q.E.D.

> In life and death situations, it would be a shame to have someone die
> because one went one syllable too long.

Such as the difference between "Shoot" and "Don't shoot?" Sometimes, extra
words are required to convey important nuances, as well as to prevent rash
actions. More importantly, some added explanation or verbal scenery can he
lp to prevent the loss of intelligibility that is all-too-often inevitable
during a conversation which can't be held while two people are face-to-face
.

I'm not in the military anymore, and although I still know how to use a PRC
-25, I don't want to be concise and brief and no-nonsense like my Drill Ins
tructor and AT&T and Joe Friday taught us. I want to say what I mean withou
t having to pare my spoken thoughts down to the equivalent of Neanderthal g
runts.

After all, and no offense intended, but Ham Radio is a hobby, n'est-ce pas?

YMMV.

73,
Bill, W4EWH