Operating Terms

General amateur operating vocabulary — DX and pileup terms, contest basics, POTA/SOTA activating, and traffic/net procedure.

Activator ActivatorActivator (ผู้ปฏิบัติการที่จุดกิจกรรม)
AMATEUR USAGECOMMON

The same term, "Activator," is used by both POTA and SOTA for this role — but the term for the other side of the contact differs…

Break-in Break-in (full vs. semi)เบรกอิน (แบบเต็มรูปแบบ vs. กึ่งหนึ่ง)
AMATEUR USAGECOMMON

See the QSK entry for the full-break-in-specific term and its history. Semi break-in is far more common on typical amateur transc…

Calling frequency Calling frequencyความถี่เรียก
AMATEUR USAGESPECIALIZED

Common on VHF/UHF (e.g. a national or regional simplex calling frequency) and in some HF contexts. Keeping calling frequencies cl…

Callsign Callsignสัญญาณเรียกขาน
AMATEUR USAGECOMMON

Always send/say your full callsign, not just a suffix — required practice in most countries and directly tied to legal station id…

Chaser Chaser (SOTA)Chaser (SOTA)
AMATEUR USAGECOMMON

SOTA-specific terminology — the equivalent role in POTA is called a Hunter, not a Chaser.

Check-in Check-in (to a net)เช็คอิน (เข้าร่วมเน็ต)
AMATEUR USAGECOMMON

On a CW traffic net, checking in is done with QNI. On a casual phone net, it's usually as simple as giving your callsign and name…

Contest Contest (radiosport)คอนเทสต์ (กีฬาวิทยุ)
AMATEUR USAGECOMMON

Contest exchanges are typically an RST-style report plus something identifying (a serial number, zone, or location code) — see Ex…

DX DX (distant station)DX (สถานีระยะไกล)
AMATEUR USAGECOMMON

"DX" itself is not an abbreviation in the CW-shorthand sense — it's the core vocabulary word of an entire branch of the hobby. Wh…

DXCC DX Century Club (award program)DX Century Club (โครงการรางวัล)
AMATEUR USAGESPECIALIZED

"Worked All DXCC" bragging aside, DXCC is specifically an ARRL award program with an official entity list — not every geographic…

Dupe Dupe (duplicate contact)Dupe (การติดต่อซ้ำ)
AMATEUR USAGESPECIALIZED

Modern contest logging software checks for dupes automatically; in a dupe situation, operators typically just confirm briefly ("d…

Duplex Duplex operation (repeater use)การปฏิบัติการแบบดูเพล็กซ์ (ผ่านรีพีทเตอร์)
AMATEUR USAGECOMMON

Repeaters listen on one frequency (the input) and retransmit on another (the output), separated by a standard "offset" that varie…

Exchange Exchange (contest information)การแลกเปลี่ยนข้อมูล (คอนเทสต์)
AMATEUR USAGESPECIALIZED

The exact exchange content is defined by each contest's own rules — this Library does not assume one universal exchange format ap…

Hunter Hunter (POTA)Hunter (POTA)
AMATEUR USAGECOMMON

POTA-specific terminology — the equivalent role in SOTA is called a Chaser, not a Hunter. Using the wrong term for the wrong prog…

Multiplier Multiplierตัวคูณคะแนน (Multiplier)
AMATEUR USAGESPECIALIZED

What counts as a multiplier is entirely defined by each contest's rules — commonly DXCC entities, US states, CQ zones, or grid sq…

NCS Net Control StationNet Control Station (NCS)
AMATEUR USAGECOMMON

On a formal CW traffic net, the NCS is the only station authorized to use certain QN signals (marked with an asterisk in ARRL's o…

Net Net (organized on-air group)เน็ต (กลุ่มออกอากาศแบบมีการจัด)
AMATEUR USAGECOMMON

Nets range from formal CW traffic nets using QN signals, to relaxed weekly phone roundtables. See Net Control Station (NCS) and C…

POTA Parks on the AirParks on the Air (POTA)
AMATEUR USAGECOMMON

Each participating park has a reference number. Rules, the park directory, and logging are all maintained on POTA's own official…

Pileup Pileupไพล์อัพ (สถานีเรียกพร้อมกันจำนวนมาก)
AMATEUR USAGECOMMON

Working a pileup well is a real operating skill — listening, timing your call correctly, and following the DX station's instructi…

QSO rate QSO rateอัตราการติดต่อ (QSO rate)
AMATEUR USAGESPECIALIZED

Contesters watch their rate closely during an event; a strong "run" on a clear frequency typically produces a much higher rate th…

Run Running (contest strategy)Run (กลยุทธ์เรียก CQ ต่อเนื่อง)
AMATEUR USAGESPECIALIZED

The counterpart strategy to Search & Pounce. A station with a strong signal and a clear frequency can often "run" a fast rate of…

SOTA Summits on the AirSummits on the Air (SOTA)
AMATEUR USAGECOMMON

Each qualifying summit has its own reference number and point value based on height/prominence. As with POTA, program-specific ru…

Search & Pounce Search & Pounce (S&P)Search & Pounce (S&P) — ค้นหาแล้วเรียก
AMATEUR USAGESPECIALIZED

The counterpart strategy to "running" (calling CQ and working whoever answers). Most competitive contesters switch between the tw…

Self-spot Self-spotSelf-spot (แจ้งความถี่ตนเอง)
AMATEUR USAGESPECIALIZED

Common and generally accepted practice in POTA/SOTA activating (via each program's own app/website), in contrast to general DX-Cl…

Serial number Serial numberหมายเลขลำดับ
AMATEUR USAGESPECIALIZED

Often sent using cut numbers for speed (e.g. "001" as "AAT" or similar, or with leading zeros dropped where the contest rules all…

Simplex Simplex operationการปฏิบัติการแบบซิมเพล็กซ์
AMATEUR USAGECOMMON

The direct, repeater-free way to make a VHF/UHF contact — used when two stations are close enough to hear each other directly, or…

Split Split operationการปฏิบัติการแบบแยกความถี่ (Split)
AMATEUR USAGECOMMON

Announced as "listening up" or "UP 5" (listen 5 kHz higher than the transmit frequency) — see the UP entry for the exact conventi…

Spot SpotSpot (การแจ้งความถี่สถานี)
AMATEUR USAGECOMMON

Used across DX Clusters, POTA, and SOTA alike — an activator (or a hunter/chaser who heard them) posts a spot so the wider commun…

Traffic Traffic (formal message handling)Traffic (การรับส่งข้อความแบบทางการ)
AMATEUR USAGESPECIALIZED

Several existing entries already cover pieces of this: QTC (how many messages), QSP (will you relay), NIL (nothing to pass), NR (…

UP "Listening up" (split convention)"ฟังสูงขึ้น" (ธรรมเนียม Split)
AMATEUR USAGECOMMON

"UP 5" means listening 5 kHz higher than the transmit frequency; a bare "UP" without a number is genuinely ambiguous and consider…

Working frequency Working frequencyความถี่ทำงาน
AMATEUR USAGESPECIALIZED

Moving from a calling frequency to a working frequency keeps the calling frequency free for others to make new contacts — the sam…