Frequency - General Discussion

[Free]

12 hours ago, Netfoot said:

It would be possible to send imagery -- and more -- back and forth via the radio.

Mom is an ass, and the sooner the Nightingale drops her, the better.

Frank is an idiot.  He's sitting in a Z28, and when the suspect shows up in a beat up pickup truck, he gets out and runs after him?!??

With morons like these it's no wonder the killer has been getting away with it.

[BigBlueMastiff]

Quote

 I am side eyeing Raimy's new bf because in the original movie wasn't the Nightingale a cop?

Yes.

[Latverian Diplomat]

16 hours ago, Netfoot said:

It would be possible to send imagery -- and more -- back and forth via the radio.

 

Limited bandwidth could make that very slow...but, in another difference from the movie, their connection is incredibly reliable, so they could do it overnight or something.

[TV Anonymous]

So why is she standing there all alone with her weapon drawn and pointing to the ground?

[shapeshifter]

9 hours ago, Latverian Diplomat said:

Limited bandwidth could make that very slow...but, in another difference from the movie, their connection is incredibly reliable, so they could do it overnight or something.

Is that something most ham radio operators would know how to do? It reminds me of the late 90s when a classmate I knew got a new computer but not a new printer, and said he would press print for a longish term paper, go take a shower, dry and dress, and the printer was still slowly printing his paper.

[Latverian Diplomat]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Is that something most ham radio operators would know how to do? It reminds me of the late 90s when a classmate I knew got a new computer but not a new printer, and said he would press print for a longish term paper, go take a shower, dry and dress, and the printer was still slowly printing his paper.

Probably not, but they have a fairly big incentive to figure it out.

Granted they are pretty busy tracking false (?) leads and having fights with co-workers, friends, and/or family. :-)

Equipment cost might be another issue. PC based systems were coming on the scene in the '90s, but a PC was still a major purchase back then, I think.

Here's one such system:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellschreiber

And another:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow-scan_television

[Netfoot]

On 10/28/2016 at 6:54 PM, Latverian Diplomat said:

Limited bandwidth could make that very slow...

Today, HF Packet runs at 300 baud.  1200 and 2400 baud are common on VHF or UHF FM (like what young Raimy used to talk to the shuttle).  I've run 9600 baud to the PacSats.  So yes, slow, but if you had a photo of the killer, or any other critical data you needed to transmit, you could, given enough time.

Old-time modems used to send data using audio tones on a phone line, with speeds up to 28,800!  The same is theoretically possible using audio tones on the radio.  The slower rates given above are a factor of the "line" quality of the radio, which can vary from crystal clear to very poor indeed.  But, as you say, the connection on the show exhibits high clarity.

17 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Is that something most ham radio operators would know how to do?

He might never have tried it himself, but Frank is an active ham radio operator, and in 1996 the technology was not new to the hobby.  He would almost certainly be familiar with the theory, if not the practice.  He would also have magazines containing articles on how to proceed, and adverts for hardware that he could use.  His ham radio buddies (either in town, or anywhere in the world, but frequently spoken to via radio) could advise him.  He should have little difficulty obtaining the hardware and setting it up.  

Raimy on the other hand, would be starting from square one.  But she has Frank to advise her, and she is using an identical (actually the same) radio, so he should be able to walk her through it.  He could even buy duplicate hardware and stash it in the attic or somewhere, so she wouldn't have to try and source parts she didn't understand or have prior knowledge of.  Hell, he caused a design to appear on the radio by burning it in his time, so he could simply add digital hardware to his radio, and it would magically appear as a part of her radio.

Can't remember when exactly, but prior to 1996 for sure, a G-land (English) ham radio buddy told me he would soon be visiting 8P-land where I live.  Using our radios, we exchanged JPEG images of ourselves, via OSCAR satellite, so we would recognize each other at the aeroport!  (I went to pick him up.)  So the technology was definitely achievable, and since I was able to arrange it easily enough, you didn't need to be a genius!

[shapeshifter]

11 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

...Hell, he caused a design to appear on the radio by burning it in his time, so he could simply add digital hardware to his radio, and it would magically appear as a part of her radio....

I hope they use this scenario on the show. It would be cool and would be efficient story telling.

Thanks for the detailed explanation.

[Netfoot]

I notice many of the images have disappeared from the forum.  Is there any reason for this?  Aren't images allowed?

[shapeshifter]

On October 30, 2016 at 10:03 AM, Netfoot said:

I notice many of the images have disappeared from the forum.  Is there any reason for this?  Aren't images allowed?

I even saw a mod's image/video gone, so maybe report this in the bugs thread: http://forums.previously.tv/forum/698-bugs/

[Netfoot]

^^^ They're back now, so...   

[Jordan27]

On ‎10‎/‎27‎/‎2016 at 6:07 AM, BooBear said:

Frank is just the worst cop ever.  He sees a potential serial killer and instead of quietly getting the tag numbers and then sneaking up on the guy, he gets out of the car and starts walking toward him, giving him plenty of time to escape.

This is becoming a trope on all television.  The cops give the bad guy a chance to run by alerting him of their presence before they can apprehend him.  Why not walk up to the truck and confront him?  It's just lazy writing.

[David T. Cole]

Yes, sorry, the devs fixed that but I have no idea why they disappeared in the first place. ¯\(°_o)/¯

[bros402]

Good episode, felt a bit off, though. Maybe because it was supposed to air last week?

[DoubleUTeeEff]

So this show makes my head hurt if I think about it too hard.

Item One:  If they change the timeline how do physical things exist from the old timeline?  Like the file that Frank hides in the rafters?  IIRC, in a previous episode Raimey was kicking who she thought was her mother's killer's ass and once the timeline changed, he disappeared.  Why wouldn't that happen with the file?

Item Two:  Have they ever discussed the fact that if Frank didn't die in the new timeline, why isn't he in Raimey's present?  Have they mentioned where he is or talked about it? Why doesn't Frank ask Raimey over the ham radio why she just doesn't talk to him in her present?  Are we just supposed to assume that he didn't die that day in 1986 but he will die before 2016?

ETA:  Ok so just found out he supposedly dies in a car accident in 2011.  I wonder why they don't discuss anything about various timelines, especially when he is supposed to die, on Raimey's first day of work.  Since that is part of the new timeline, you'd think Frank would be cognizant of the ham radio discussions at that time.

Edited November 3, 2016 by DoubleUTeeEff

[iMonrey]

I found it hard to focus on this episode and stay interested. It feels like a dead show walking, really. I don't understand why Frank and Raimy don't simply bring her mother over to the ham radio and show her how they're communicating through time so she can be adequately warned about when and how she's going to die. It was easy enough to convince Frank it was really a future version of Raimy on the radio, it should be equally simple to convince Julie. The secrecy of it all baffles me. 

I also don't get why Raimy is being so obvious that she's onto Stan Moreno. Hasn't he killed a bunch of people by now? What makes her think she's so safe from being his next victim? And how hasn't she figured out Satch is working with him? How dumb is she?

The side plot where Frank got jealous of the coach was just silly and predictable. 

[KaveDweller]

2 hours ago, DoubleUTeeEff said:

So this show makes my head hurt if I think about it too hard.

Item One:  If they change the timeline how do physical things exist from the old timeline?  Like the file that Frank hides in the rafters?  IIRC, in a previous episode Raimey was kicking who she thought was her mother's killer's ass and once the timeline changed, he disappeared.  Why wouldn't that happen with the file?

Item Two:  Have they ever discussed the fact that if Frank didn't die in the new timeline, why isn't he in Raimey's present?  Have they mentioned where he is or talked about it? Why doesn't Frank ask Raimey over the ham radio why she just doesn't talk to him in her present?  Are we just supposed to assume that he didn't die that day in 1986 but he will die before 2016?

ETA:  Ok so just found out he supposedly dies in a car accident in 2011.  I wonder why they don't discuss anything about various timelines, especially when he is supposed to die, on Raimey's first day of work.  Since that is part of the new timeline, you'd think Frank would be cognizant of the ham radio discussions at that time.

The suspect disappeared because the timeline changed to have him killed years earlier.  But I don't think they changed anything that would have made the file disappear. Didn't Frank specifically hide it for her to find? 

i don't remember if Raimy told Frank he died in a car accident. In theory she should be able to tell him they day it happened and keep him from getting in a car, but how long would it take before Raimy saw the impact. Time is moving at the same pace for both of them.

[Lebanna]

21 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

The suspect disappeared because the timeline changed to have him killed years earlier.  But I don't think they changed anything that would have made the file disappear. Didn't Frank specifically hide it for her to find? 

i don't remember if Raimy told Frank he died in a car accident. In theory she should be able to tell him they day it happened and keep him from getting in a car, but how long would it take before Raimy saw the impact. Time is moving at the same pace for both of them.

Yes, it makes sense. Except that if someone told you where and when your parents were going to die in completely preventable ways - even if those times were many months or even decades ahead - pretty much everybody would tell their parents immediately and to hell with any consequences. No kid who loved her parents would ever leave something like that up to chance or to be dealt with later.

What I did like in this episode was that moment where Raimy tried to get reassurance from her dad that he believed in her ability to become a successful cop and he gave her a noncommittal answer and avoided giving her the praise and support she was asking him for. I felt like maybe it gave us a bit of insight into their loving yet harsh way of dealing with each other - he loves her but he maybe makes her feel like she can never live up to his expectations. It was nice, because it's been bugging me why she's still so hard on him, even now when she has memories of him being a good guy - this suggests that Frank continued to be a not-awesome parent, even after Julie died. 

[Free]

4 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I found it hard to focus on this episode and stay interested. It feels like a dead show walking, really. I don't understand why Frank and Raimy don't simply bring her mother over to the ham radio and show her how they're communicating through time so she can be adequately warned about when and how she's going to die. It was easy enough to convince Frank it was really a future version of Raimy on the radio, it should be equally simple to convince Julie. The secrecy of it all baffles me. 

I also don't get why Raimy is being so obvious that she's onto Stan Moreno. Hasn't he killed a bunch of people by now? What makes her think she's so safe from being his next victim? And how hasn't she figured out Satch is working with him? How dumb is she?

The side plot where Frank got jealous of the coach was just silly and predictable. 

It's the annoying keeping the secrets trope in tv shows.

Raimy gets it from her dad, when he tried to confront the killer last episodes.  They can't seem to be covert, no wonder Frank got killed to begin with.

[KaveDweller]

2 hours ago, Lebanna said:

Yes, it makes sense. Except that if someone told you where and when your parents were going to die in completely preventable ways - even if those times were many months or even decades ahead - pretty much everybody would tell their parents immediately and to hell with any consequences. No kid who loved her parents would ever leave something like that up to chance or to be dealt with later.

What I did like in this episode was that moment where Raimy tried to get reassurance from her dad that he believed in her ability to become a successful cop and he gave her a noncommittal answer and avoided giving her the praise and support she was asking him for. I felt like maybe it gave us a bit of insight into their loving yet harsh way of dealing with each other - he loves her but he maybe makes her feel like she can never live up to his expectations. It was nice, because it's been bugging me why she's still so hard on him, even now when she has memories of him being a good guy - this suggests that Frank continued to be a not-awesome parent, even after Julie died. 

I didn't mean she would wait until the day in 2011 to tell him, I meant she could tell him today that he dies October 1, 2011. And most people probably would. But the way time works on this show, I don't know if Raimy would immediately see the impact, or if she has to wait the 15 years while Frank lives up until that moment. Then she'd develop yet a third set of memories.

When she told him he died the first time, she didn't immediately remember the alternate timeline with him alive, it wasn't until the next day when Frank (in his parallel time) actually avoided the gunshot.

[Netfoot]

Who knows the significance of "Seven Three", the episode title?  Who is interested?

[CooperTV]

Quote

In 2016, Raimy meets a strange character named Karl, who speaks to himself in the future. In 1996, Frank feels like he’s being taunted by the Nightingale. Meanwhile, having discovered new information, Raimy and Frank set up a plan to use the Nightingale’s next victim as bait.

 

 

Promo pics

[zibnchy]

This show is doomed by bad acting and bad casting and bad makeup. The only condition the lead actress seems to be able to sell is constipated. I literally don't care about her at all. In fact, I may actively dislike her. While I kind of like Frank, the actor was a terrible casting choice. He isn't a very good actor and he's completely unbelievable as Older Frank. Raimie's mom? Terrible acting. Apparently doesn't know the meaning of the word subtle. Makes the character completely unlikable.

PLus, when they finally reveal the Nightengale are we going to care? Who have we met on this show that we care enough about to care if he's the Nightengale? Frank. But we know it isn't Frank. Maybe the South African boyfriend/not boyfriend. I know he's not old enough but maybe he's a copycat or the son of the original NG killer.

[BooBear]

18 hours ago, zibnchy said:

This show is doomed by bad acting and bad casting and bad makeup. The only condition the lead actress seems to be able to sell is constipated. I literally don't care about her at all. In fact, I may actively dislike her. While I kind of like Frank, the actor was a terrible casting choice. He isn't a very good actor and he's completely unbelievable as Older Frank. Raimie's mom? Terrible acting. Apparently doesn't know the meaning of the word subtle. Makes the character completely unlikable.

All of this. Plus I think the Frank actor looks nothing like he could be Raimy's dad and they all suffer from too stupid to live disease... they have to be stupid to keep the plot going. 

I also feel like they didn't give a lot of thought to this as a series and I can't see where things can possibly compellingly go. 

[nx74defiant]

On ‎10‎/‎26‎/‎2016 at 9:10 PM, CocoaGoddess said:

I'm at the end of my rope with this show. I finally realized that there is no real emotional connection linking any of the characters, and it affecting my ability to "bond" with them and desire to see them succeed. In the film, they were all so loving towards one another, you had no trouble buying Caviezel as a broken, tormented guy whose childhood was devastated and fractured by the loss of his heroic Dad. 

Here, all they do is bicker. Julia is pissed all the time, Raimy is pissed all the time, Frank seems emotionally uninvolved and almost going through the motions at this point. I had to remind myself that I'm supposed to actually give a shit about Julia's fate when in reality .... I don't. When she dies in the film, it hurts and you feel the sacrifice that was made so Frank could live. With these people, it doesn't seem like their lives are significantly changed in any way, no matter which parent lives. The show keeps TELLING us how fractured these people are, but the actors really aren't selling it. 

I'm so apathetic to everything that's happening and it's barely keeping my attention. I can't fathom a five year plan for this show. 

My feelings exactly. I dislike the whiny, pissed off characters. I wanted to like this but, I've had it.

[TimetoShine]

I'll be in the minority and say that I like the show. Is it great? No, but I want to watch it. 

I like Frank. I think he's stuck between a rock and a hard place and he/s getting crap from all sides Not sure how I would act in his place. Adult Raimy does suck though. Like mother like daughter.

Edited November 6, 2016 by TimetoShine

[Netfoot]

3 hours ago, TimetoShine said:

Like mother like daughter.

Yes, because for sure, they are both major sources of suckage.

[iMonrey]

Did the CW sign some kind of contract promising to try to make Peyton List happen, or something? She was in The Flash, she was in The Tomorrow People, she was in One Tree Hill, she was in 90210. It's like they keep trying to launch her. It's not working.

[shapeshifter]

So Karl is sort of a well-meaning serial killer who may talk to the future, or may just be schizophrenic and hearing voices — is that right?

Anyway, with the introduction of Karl, I wish they hadn't started with the corrupt cop plot. It seams like there are too many balls in the air.

[bros402]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

So Karl is sort of a well-meaning serial killer who may talk to the future, or may just be schizophrenic and hearing voices — is that right?

Anyway, with the introduction of Karl, I wish they hadn't started with the corrupt cop plot. It seams like there are too many balls in the air.

Karl isn't really a serial killer - no real MO - more of a serial murderer

[CooperTV]

Quote

Raimy and Satch’s detective work begins to pay off when a cold case victim leads them to their biggest break; a room where the Nightingale held his first victim.

 

[KaveDweller]

I don't believe any young woman would ever joke with her father about her sleeping around. Even via a magical radio.

[iMonrey]

So are they changing the premise here? Now, all of Nightingale's victims are doomed to die sooner or later unless they "cut off the trunk?" Because Raimy's mother didn't die in the original timeline. 

Once again, as Frank is telling Raimy he wishes he could just bring her mother in and tell her how Raimy grows up to be all right, I will ask - why the hell can't you? Seriously, there's no logical reason why they can't just tell Julie what the hell is going on besides manufacturing conflict for the show. Keeping a character in the dark just as a plot point is so cliche, and so lazy and irritating.

Frank is once again the Worst Cop Ever. Look how easily Nightingale got the drop on him. And then Julie says she feels safer when he's around? Why? He's already failed to catch Nightingale twice now. (Granted, the rest of the police force seems to be corrupt. Nightingale has to be either Satch or Moreno, right?)

Assuming this show got a full 22-episode order, I can't see myself watching these two knuckleheads chasing after Nightingale all season long. I'm already kind of bored with it.

Edited November 10, 2016 by iMonrey

[Netfoot]

As someone who enjoyed the original movie (and as a ham radio operator to boot), I was keen to see this show.  I didn't expect it would necessarily meet the standard set by it's predecessor for plot, dialogue, acting, etc, nor was I expecting 100% verisimilitude with regard the ham radio stuff.  

But this is starting to border on unwatchable.

Frank finds himself in the same house as the Nightingale.  Couldn't he have quietly texted for backup and waited for them to get there before making his move?  Or at very least, not gotten his ass handed to him, despite being armed with a gun?  This is the second time Frank has dropped this same, particular ball.  Meanwhile Raimy herself is all over the map.  Not to mention that they should simply tattoo the word "EVIL" on the forehead of Kyle (?) Raimy's new boyfriend, in case any viewers haven't figured it out yet.  And we have Carl the crazy guy in jail talking to the future too.  And can they stop trying to save Julie?  Because dat bitch need killing!

Every week, the rig becomes even more magical than ever!  The radio is left on all the time, so when Raimy enters the room, she can start talking as soon as she clears the door. Possible?  Yes, using a VOX* circuit that activates the transmitter when the microphone picks up the sound of Raimy's voice.  But to pick her up right across the room like that, the VOX would have to be so sensitive, it would trigger every time a car drove up the street, or the next door neighbor's dog farted!  And how likely is it to find a VOX circuit on an old boat-anchor of a rig like that?  Not very, but:  Plot Magic.  Also, unlike most ham rigs which generally work one way at a time (simplex), Frank & Raimy can talk simultaneously (duplex).  Possible, but again, not something you expect from a boat anchor, and not a flip of a switch for Raimy (who isn't an experienced ham radio operator, after all) to set up.  

* VOX = Voice Operated Switch.  No, I don't know why they use X to mean Switch.  But they do.  

[Bort]

3 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

I don't believe any young woman would ever joke with her father about her sleeping around. Even via a magical radio.

I would, my father and I have that type of humor between us. I don't know if I buy that Frank and Raimy do.

2 hours ago, Netfoot said:

VOX = Voice Operated Switch.  No, I don't know why they use X to mean Switch.  But they do.  

Ooh, I know this one. X is a common radio abbreviation for "trans" as in transmit (xmit) or transmission (xmsn). In this case, it's not that it's a Voice Operated Switch, it's a Voice Operated Transmitter. 

[CooperTV]

1 hour ago, kariyaki said:

I don't believe any young woman would ever joke with her father about her sleeping around. Even via a magical radio.

It's especially appropriate seeing as Frank is essentially sharing a sex joke with a person he currently knows as an underaged child.

[Lebanna]

Yes, that was weird. It was weird he was even encouraging her to date or hinting at her having a sexual relationship when he only really knows her as a little girl. Especially since last week we saw a glimpse of their adult relationship and he was still kind of babying her even then, which she called him out on. The character development from week to week doesn't really make sense. 

I thought the idea of a scientist inventing something similar to the timeradio was equally badly thought out since we know there's no scientific reason - this show is about magic. Because the timeradio is just a regular radio that got hit by lightning. So are we supposed to buy the idea that it's all science now?

And last week Frank is jealous of his wife even maybe spending time with someone else when he's been secretly screwing around for maybe years? He's shocked she want a divorce? Why was she even still 'with' him after all these years? And here I thought he might be the one likeable member of this crapsack of a family. I wonder if he has other secret kids with the mistress?

[iMonrey]

Wait, Frank was unfaithful? I don't recall any dialogue about that.

Netfoot - the ham radio stuff is just sheer laziness. They've got an actual machine sitting right there, they don't know how it works? It's not as if it would be way too difficult for Frank and Raimy to push the damn button every time they talk to each other or interrupt the scene. I'm guessing the director figures nobody knows how ham radios work anymore so nobody's going to notice, but that's an awfully stupid assumption to make when you have a show that centers around that technology. 

[Netfoot]

2 hours ago, kariyaki said:

In this case, it's not that it's a Voice Operated Switch, it's a Voice Operated Transmitter. 

You learn something every day!

44 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Wait, Frank was unfaithful?

Well, the photos of him snogging with a pretty girl seem to indicate so.

37 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I'm guessing the director figures nobody knows how ham radios work anymore so nobody's going to notice, but that's an awfully stupid assumption to make when you have a show that centers around that technology. 

Exactly.  Given that the major premise of the show is the magic ham radio, you'd think they'd expend a little effort to see that the scenes involving it's use at least tipped the hat in the general direction reality, when it comes to operations!  As things stand, they could as well be using a magic cornflakes box that operates by means of a magic spoon!  Why not aim for a modicum of realism?  It's like if Frank were seen reloading his service weapon by pouring gunpowder into the muzzle!

[Free]

4 hours ago, iMonrey said:

So are they changing the premise here? Now, all of Nightingale's victims are doomed to die sooner or later unless they "cut off the trunk?" Because Raimy's mother didn't die in the original timeline.

Once again, as Frank is telling Raimy he wishes he could just bring her mother in and tell her how Raimy grows up to be all right, I will ask - why the hell can't you? Seriously, there's no logical reason why they can't just tell Julie what the hell is going on besides manufacturing conflict for the show. Keeping a character in the dark just as a plot point is so cliche, and so lazy and irritating.

Frank is once again the Worst Cop Ever. Look how easily Nightingale got the drop on him. And then Julie says she feels safer when he's around? Why? He's already failed to catch Nightingale twice now. (Granted, the rest of the police force seems to be corrupt. Nightingale has to be either Satch or Moreno, right?)

Assuming this show got a full 22-episode order, I can't see myself watching these two knuckleheads chasing after Nightingale all season long. I'm already kind of bored with it.

It went nowhere fast, it hasn't gotten a backorder but I don't think it should be dragged out any further.  I hate the in the dark trope as well.

[KaveDweller]

5 hours ago, Lebanna said:

I thought the idea of a scientist inventing something similar to the timeradio was equally badly thought out since we know there's no scientific reason - this show is about magic. Because the timeradio is just a regular radio that got hit by lightning. So are we supposed to buy the idea that it's all science now?

In the movie, they did try and explain it from a science perspective. There was rare solar activity going on in both timelines making the Northern Lights visible, and it was implied that was what allowed the radios to communicate across time. I'm not saying that is actually possible scientifically, but they did have an explanation. I don't think the show has tried anything like that to explain things.

Edited November 11, 2016 by KaveDweller

[Bort]

59 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

In the movie, they did try and explain it from a science perspective. There was rare solar activity going on in both timelines when the Northern Lights were visible, and it was implied that was what allowed the radios to communicate across time. I'm not saying that is actually possible scientifically, but they did have an explanation. I don't think the show has tried anything like that to explain things.

Lightning struck the antenna in the pilot, that's the best they've gone with so far.

[iMonrey]

Quote

As things stand, they could as well be using a magic cornflakes box that operates by means of a magic spoon!

Say, that might be an improvement. Especially if they're communicating through a living Tony the Tiger! "They're grrrrrrrrrrrreat!"

[Netfoot]

On 11/3/2016 at 9:33 PM, Netfoot said:

Who knows the significance of "Seven Three", the episode title?  Who is interested?

Probably apocryphal, but:

The 1873 lever-action Winchester rifle (The Gun that Won the West) was highly valued by those who owned one -- and by everyone else!  And they weren't nearly as common as Hollywood would have you believe.  So if, upon their death, someone left you their '73, they were almost certainly leaving you their prized possession.  And you would have been extremely happy to receive it.

Telegraphists of the day used to pass the time by chatting with each other, using Morse Code on the wire.  When a conversation was concluded, they would end off with a valediction.  Something like "ALL THE BEST" or "MY BEST TO YOU".  Morse being slow to send, this was quickly shortened to "73 TO YOU", and eventually, simply "73".

Present-day ham radio operators use various abbreviations constantly, including valedictions like: "GN" (good night), "GB" (good bye / God bless), "CUL" (see you later), "CUAGN" (see you again).  But by far, the most common and frequently used valediction is still, after all these years, "73".

(Exercise for the reader: What does "BCNU" mean?)

[jewel21]

Be seeing you?

[Netfoot]

16 hours ago, jewel21 said:

Be seeing you?

Gold star!  :)

Hams use many abbreviations that originate from shortening the time taken to send the word/phrase in morse.  From the well known "CQ" (seek you), to the less well known "OM" (old man -- many age), "YL" (young lady -- any age), "XYL" (wife - Ex YL).  Many of these have made the transmission from morse to phone/voice and are spoken.  So the morse signal "XYL CLG FER LUNCH SO 73 ES CUL"  becomes "The Ex Wye Ell is calling me for lunch, so seven three, and see you later" when spoken into the microphone.  

Some morse abbreviations are not used with phone.  For example, "PSE" or "PLS" (please) is used with morse, but when using phone the "OP" (operator) will simply say "please".  

(Another exercise for the reader:  Why do you suppose hams use "PSE" more often, and rarely use "PLS"?)

Edited November 13, 2016 by Netfoot

[jewel21]

I'm assuming it was faster to tap out in Morse code?

[Netfoot]

Two gold stars!  

"PLS" and "PSE" both contain a "P" and an "S".  So the deciding factor is "L" vs. "E".  

"L" is "di-dah-di-dit" whereas "E is "dit".  (Yes, "E" is just a single "dit".)

Since a "dah" is three times longer than a "dit" and the delay between elements is the same as a "dit", the "L" is nine times longer than the "E".   Overall, "PLS" is ⅓ longer than "PSE".   For the same reason, ham radio ops usually choose "TKS" over "TNX" for "thanks".

[jewel21]

Sweet, thanks for the lesson!

[Netfoot]

19 hours ago, jewel21 said:

...faster to tap out in Morse code?

Despite the fact that we see people do it all the time on TV/movies, it is actually very difficult to "tap" out a message in morse code.

International morse code, standardized in 1865 uses a series of short and long tones ("dits" and "dahs") to signify the various characters.  If you try to tap out morse code on a pipe (say), you quickly discover that you can't produce a long "dah" by tapping.  The famous example of tapping out SOS comes out as "tatatap tap tap tap tatatap" or "dididit dit dit dit dididit"  This spells out "SEEES" and not the "SOS" people think it does.   (Mind you, if you are in an emergency situation, go ahead and tap out "SEEES" because even though it isn't right, most people who hear it will figure out that you need help!)

If you have a message to send and tapping is all you've got, the usual work-around is to tap once for a "dit" and twice for a "dah".  It's excruciatingly difficult to get your head around this, if you're accustomed to using "normal" morse.

 

Is everyone's brain melting with all this mind-numbingly dull radio talk?  Because if so, I won't bore you with some curious facts about the International distress signal incorrectly written here as SOS.