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Ah yes but...

Posted by Word Camel on September 17, 2004

In Reply to: Ah yes but... posted by Lotg on September 17, 2004

: : : This term is common enough and used in radio communications, and even now, more casually in email communications. eg. I'll be off the air for a while, but I'll email you later.

: : : I assume this originated from the term 'air waves', but can anyone tell me when?

: : : Also there seem to have been some transitions re communication rules as well.

: : : eg. Once to acknowledge receipt of a radio communication people would say 'roger', 'over' - seems to be used to indicate that you've finished what you're saying but you're 'handing over' for a response, 'out' seems to finalise the communication. Dunno what 'Roger Wilco (sp?)' is supposed to signify. But I've heard variations such as 'roger that' - which seems to be yes, I acknowledge or understand, but then I also thought that 'roger' meant the same thing - so when was the word 'that' appended? And the very latest is 'copy that', which seems to mean the same thing.

: : : Are there consistent international rules? Does anyone know them? What is the correct lingo now?

: : We've had a number or good discussions about "Roger" (note the R) and "Wilco" (will comply) ... all available in the archives. try typing these words into the Search box.

: Yes, I did search for something different hence I didn't find all that. ie. I was looking for on & off air.

: But doing a Roger and Roger Wilco search still only answers one of my questions. So I'll list the remaining questions...

: When and why was 'roger that' introduced and did it replace 'roger' or 'roger wilco'?

: When and where would 'over' and/or 'out' be used instead and by whom?

: As above for 'copy that'?

: What is the current standard - or is there a current standard?

: Who introduced the term on/off the air and when?

Roger didn't replace anything. It appeared in 1941 and was subsequently replaced by Romeo.

But if you really want to know the history of Aviation terminolgy, chapter and verse, the site below is a good start, plus there are quite a few others according to Google.

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