Acronyms used for communications

There are a lot of acronyms for everything these days, and it would be nice to have a place to go to find ones specific to a category, in this case, communications. Here are the acronyms, and these will be updated as necessary.

AGC – Automatic Gain Control

AM – Amplitude Modulation

APRS – Automatic Packet Reporting System

ATT – Attenuator

CAT – Computer Assisted Transmitter

CB – Citizens’ Band

CPS – Customer Programming Software

CTCSS – Continuous Tone-Coded Squelch System

CW – Continuous Wave (mode used to transmit morse code)

DCS – Digitally Coded Squelch (aka DPL)

DMR – Digital Mobile Radio

DPL – Digital Private Line (aka DCS)

FM – Frequency Modulation

FRS – Family Radio Service

GPS – Global Positioning System

GMRS – General Mobile Radio Service

GNSS – Global Navigation Satellite System

HF – High Frequency

LSB – Lower Side Band

MURS – Multi-Use Radio Service

PL – Private Line (PL Tone, aka CTCSS)

POTA – Parks On The Air (make 10 contacts from an approved park)

PTT – Push-To-Talk

RF – Radio Frequency

RST – Readability, Signal strength, Tone

RTTY – Radio Teletype

RX – Receiver

SSB – Single Side Band

SOTA – Summits On The Air (make 4 contacts from an approved summit)

SQL – Squelch

SW – Shortwave

SWR – Standing Wave Ratio (for antennas, the close you are to 1:1, the better)

TX – Transmitter

TSQL – Tone Squelch (a tone used for both transmitting and receiving on a channel)

UHF – Ultra High Frequency

USB – Upper Side Band

VFO – Variable Frequency Oscillator

VHF – Very High Frequency

VOX – Voice Operated eXchanged (commonly known as Voice Activated Transmission)

YOU MUST BE AT THE AGE OF 18 YEARS OLD OR OLDER TO VISIT THIS SITE.

Please read carefully. Any links to products are affiliate links where I get a small payment for providing these links if you decide to buy the item using these links in a certain timeframe.  Any medical advice given on this site is informational, and you should consult a medical professional before attempting to self-remedy or help others based on what you learn here. I highly recommend taking a First Aid/CPR course every two years so what you see here is a reminder of what you have learned. Anything that can be dangerous or hazardous to you or others posted here is also informational and should also check your local and federal laws before attempting to conduct any of these actions. Anything you do that causes damage, injury to you or others is not my responsibility. This includes actions like: