# Why did marine radio go romeo?



## andybear (Jan 15, 2006)

Hi all,

Just something that has had me wondering for a year or so now, and no body else has brought the matter up. Radio procedure requested by the rules of marine radio operation.

Why was rodger ever replaced by romeo? I have been using radios nearly all my adult life, on many different nets and bands, and the word that means "I acknowlege and understand what you have said" was alway "rodger". In CW (morse) fair enough it was reduced to "romeo" there or" di dah dit" (obviously because spelling out the whole thing would be silly di dah dit, dah dah dah, dah dah dit, dit, di dah dit!

If that is the way its gone, it should follow that "over" now should be "Kilo" (dah di dah).
Why ever would they mess with something that has been going since Marconi was playing with Mecanno? :?

I must say, that when on the marine band, I have to choke back my roger, to say romeo instead! it does not go easy with me.

I'm sure people out there are wondering what the hell i am rabbiting on about here.....sorry folks, but there are probably other radio operators wondering the same thing.
BT
AR
Andybear


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

Andy I have only ever used marine and no other, on both VHF and HF and was Romeo when I first started about 45 years ago, but have seen some changes in the phonetic alphabet in that time, like sugar to sierra etc.

And if you say its easier when keyed in Morse, wonder if its a carry over from shipping changing from Morse to voice transmissions and the operators just retaining old habits.

My pet hate is 'over and out'......are you ending, or continuing with this one?, its neither your arse nor your elbow ....you are either 'over' or you are 'out'


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## ArWeTherYet (Mar 25, 2007)

Rodger that Romeo!

It was always Rodger in those old WW2 movies........and that's all the radio training I ever got......Over and out ;-)


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## andybear (Jan 15, 2006)

Thanks for that Richo!

I was not aware that marine radio had been using "romeo" for a long time. It just seems to me to be out of step (allied military worldwide) and a host of other nets. Must make working with Air sea rescue when in combination with military assistance a bit of a dogs breakfast. Still its only a minor thing but it has me guessing.

I'm with you on that "over and out" malarky.....makes me cringe too!

cheers
BT
AR
Andybear
QRT :lol:


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

ArWeTherYet said:


> ......Over and out ;-)


bloody plumbers


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## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

Romeo is clearer and less mistakable over the radio than rodger, I believe it is only written into the marine radio laws not the land lubers stuff but I could be mistaken.

Another strange but try fact womens voice are more easily understood over radios due to there higher pitch.

Cheers Dave


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## andybear (Jan 15, 2006)

justcrusin said:


> Romeo is clearer and less mistakable over the radio than rodger, I believe it is only written into the marine radio laws not the land lubers stuff but I could be mistaken.
> 
> Another strange but try fact womens voice are more easily understood over radios due to there higher pitch.
> 
> Cheers Dave


When I was at School of Sigs, we were also taught to raise the pitch of our voices, not so much as to imitate a girls voice, but up just the same. That is certainly true that it helps.

I think the point I'm trying to make, is that if Romeo is now what roger was, then it follows that Kilo is over, and 
Alfa Romeo is out (oooh look an Italian car just got into the subject!. This is all too hard, I think I will QSY for a bit :lol:

Cheers all andybear


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## danh124 (Sep 29, 2008)

what do you do if you need to phoeneticaly spell "R"?

andy bear R.S.V.P and S.A.D 
;-)


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## sunshiner (Feb 22, 2006)

While certainly not as qualified as Andy is, I've sent a lot of info by voice over military radio. When I got my marine VHF I found I couldn't, just couldn't, use Romeo where I'd normally use Roger. So I use Roger. Coastguard and others seem to accept that some old dogs can't be taught new tricks and tolerate that and other foibles.

Speaking of Roger -- one of my favourite TV series "lines" emanated from the mouth of Mr Bean when he was starring in a series as a Police Officer. His wife worked with him and one day he said to her: "What you need my dear, is a jolly good rogering!" What on earth did he mean?


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## andybear (Jan 15, 2006)

danh124 said:


> what do you do if you need to phoeneticaly spell "R"?
> 
> andy bear R.S.V.P and S.A.D
> ;-)


Answer. "Romeo, I spell, Romeo oscar mike echo oscar, over"

Cheers Andybear


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## andybear (Jan 15, 2006)

sunshiner said:


> While certainly not as qualified as Andy is, I've sent a lot of info by voice over military radio. When I got my marine VHF I found I couldn't, just couldn't, use Romeo where I'd normally use Roger. So I use Roger. Coastguard and others seem to accept that some old dogs can't be taught new tricks and tolerate that and other foibles.
> 
> Speaking of Roger -- one of my favourite TV series "lines" emanated from the mouth of Mr Bean when he was starring in a series as a Police Officer. His wife worked with him and one day he said to her: "What you need my dear, is a jolly good rogering!" What on earth did he mean?


Quite frankly old mate, I just shudder to think!

Cheers Andybear   :shock: :shock: :twisted: :twisted: ;-)


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## Yak4ever (Nov 19, 2010)

I am from a aircraft back round and the way we were taught was OVER ment your statement was finish and you were waiting for a reply, OUT ment your conversation was finish and you would no longer be transmitting so some one else could come on. This was from a a long time ago though so has probably all got lost in translation.


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## andybear (Jan 15, 2006)

Yak4ever said:


> I am from a aircraft back round and the way we were taught was OVER ment your statement was finish and you were waiting for a reply, OUT ment your conversation was finish and you would no longer be transmitting so some one else could come on. This was from a a long time ago though so has probably all got lost in translation.


And still true now.

Cheers andybear


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

You should hear someone who doesn't know his phonetic alphabet from his spaghetti using it to communicate with an offshore call centre operator :lol:

"....was that P"

"NO, B"

"Ah yes sir, P?"

"NO, B...B for Blowjob"

"err, sorry could you repeat that sir"


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## doddsj (May 24, 2010)

G'day,

Interesting topic. I haven't been on the airwaves for a while but am a qualified Ham Radio Operator. As i understand it and have always used it ROGER is just an acknowledgement of someone or something that is said in a Broadcast. ROMEO has allways been the Phoenetic spelling of the letter R. to different words and meanings. Oh the good old days CQDX CQDX :lol:

Cheers, Steve.


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## danh124 (Sep 29, 2008)

rhetorical question was meant to be funny obviously was not never mind ;-)


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