On this page you will find a very useful reference for use during HF contacts or contacts which require the use of the phonetic alphabet. Basically think of it as spelling on the air.
You may find variations of the Phonetic Alphabet on the Air, but the generally accepted ARRL version. For Example: W6AER would be Whisky Six Alpha Echo Romeo. But once in a while when I need to get through and the other end is having a hard time hearing I will try using America for A and Radio for R. This usually does the trick.
The APCO / Commercial is what you are likely to hear when listening to your scanner. It is widely used by commercial entities as well as most police departments. Examples would be spelling of names during pull overs and clarifications on addresses, etc.
| Letter | Ham Radio / DX | Alternates | APCO / Commercial |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Alpha | America / Amsterdam | Adam |
| B | Bravo | Baltimore / Boston | Boston / Boy |
| C | Charlie | Canada / Chile | Charles |
| D | Delta | Denmark | David |
| E | Echo | England / Egypt / Ecuador | Edward |
| F | Foxtrot | France / Finland | Frank |
| G | Golf | Germany / Geneva / Guatemala | George |
| H | Hotel | Honolulu / Hawaii | Henry |
| I | India | Italy / Italia / Indigo | Ida |
| J | Juliet | Japan | John |
| K | Kilo | Kilowatt / Kentucky | King |
| L | Lima | London / Luxembourg | Lincoln |
| M | Mike | Mexico / Montreal | Mary |
| N | November | Norway / Nicaragua | Nancy / Nora |
| O | Oscar | Ontario, Ocean | Ocean |
| P | Papa | Pacific, Portugal | Paul |
| Q | Quebec | Queen | Queen |
| R | Romeo | Radio / Romania / Roma | Robert |
| S | Sierra | Santiago / Sweden | Sam |
| T | Tango | Tokyo / Texas | Tom |
| U | Uniform | United / Uruguay | Union |
| V | Victor | Victoria / Venezuela | Victor |
| W | Whiskey | Washington | William |
| X | X-Ray | --- | X-Ray |
| Y | Yankee | Yokohama | Young |
| Z | Zulu | Zanzibar / Zed | Zebra |
And of course once you get the hang of these, have some fun with it! Link on cup opens if you would like to purchase one.
If you find something incorrect, have an update, or if there is something you would like to see added to the site, drop me a line here. I like to keep things as up-to-date and as accurate as possible. Thank you! - Lucas / W6AER
