Question Mark and Repeat Abbreviation (IMI) ?

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Question Mark and Repeat Abbreviation (IMI) ?	Reply
by N9GXA on October 25, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Just wondering how many of you use the repeat abbreviation, IMI, in your QSOs? It took me awhile to realize there was an abbreviation for repeat. I have had maybe three QSOs where the other OP sends their QTH, a question mark, and then repeat their QTH. Or so I first thought; What?, You don't know where you live? I find it interesting that two meanings use the same code. I figure it could have been avoided... Do you use the repeat IMI? 73 - Paul - N9GXA

RE: Question Mark and Repeat Abbreviation (IMI) ?	Reply
by K3STX on October 25, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Yes, I do it everytime. Not after my name, but always after my QTH. It is certainly common, maybe a holdout from traffic handling days. paul

RE: Question Mark and Repeat Abbreviation (IMI) ?	Reply
by KE3WD on October 25, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
There are many conventions, even could call it slang, perhaps, that have taken hold for CW QSOs over the years. The "Diddy-Dum-Dum-Diddy" of the question mark is just another example of that, an abbreviation that most can figure out what it means rather easily. Kind of like the difference when using Q signals with and without the question mark in a way. One is a statement, the other is a question about the stated parameter. QRP means low power, but QRP? can mean a request from the other party for you to lower your power. QRM means interference, but QRM? is asking you if you are experiencing QRM and so on. Use of the question mark by itself like you describe is actually an efficient way of saying, "I repeat" any piece of information that the sending op feels is critical to the communication. Make sure it is understood before the fact. That said, there ain't no law about it, some may prefer just sending that info twice, which should relay the same info to the savvy op at the other end: "Name hr is Mac (pause) Mac" or "Name es Mac ? Mac" Diddy-Dumb-Dumb-Diddy And HAVE FUN! --KE3WD

RE: Question Mark and Repeat Abbreviation (IMI) ?	Reply
by WB2WIK on October 25, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
I do it occasionally if condx for the particular contact are terrible and I figure the other guy hears me as badly as I hear him. When signals are strong, I don't bother repeating stuff. I don't use "name hr is" or even "name," it just takes up extra time. My typical first response is: "TNX OM UR RST 599 HR QTH LOS ANGELES OP STEVE HW?" Seems to do the job about 99% of the time. WB2WIK/6

RE: Question Mark and Repeat Abbreviation (IMI) ?	Reply
by K7KBN on October 25, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
In civilian communications, the "IMI", sent as one character, is a question mark, not a "repeat" sign. Military CW communications, at least up through the 60s and 70s, did not use a question mark. Navy RM "A" school did not teach the question mark. They taught IMI as a request for a repeat of a specific portion of a message (or even the entire message in some cases). The teletype keyboard DOES contain the question mark, and as RTTY gradually took over as the main traffic mover, the need for a question mark became moot. IMI, however, was still used at that time, before the advent of satellite communications. If part of the message was garbled, a service message went out with a request for "IMI".

RE: Question Mark and Repeat Abbreviation (IMI) ?	Reply
by AD7WN on October 26, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
on the subject of military procedure, u.s. army was different from most of the rest of the world. instead of using IMI for a question mark, they used INT (run together) to idicate interrogatory. they did, however, use IMI to indicate they were repeating. 73 de John/AD7WN

RE: Question Mark and Repeat Abbreviation (IMI) ?	Reply
by K7KBN on October 27, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
The Navy uses/used INT also, mainly for message headings.

RE: Question Mark and Repeat Abbreviation (IMI) ?	Reply
by N9GXA on October 28, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Tnx all. Always learning.... 73 - Paul - N9GXA

RE: Question Mark and Repeat Abbreviation (IMI) ?	Reply
by K3STX on October 28, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
FWIW, my 1950 ARRL Handbook describes the sending of a question mark as an "I repeat" signal in their Operating an Amateur Radio Station section. When I was growing up we all did it, but there are lots of things I did when I was growing up that weren't necessarily good! paul

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