Hey! In radio communications, why is the call and response "Do you copy?" and "Copy that" used to determine whether a message has been heard and understood??
Well, I'm glad you asked!
The phrase dates back to the early days of radio communication when Morse Code was the most common form of transmitting information. A radio operator receiving a message as a series of beeps would decode it and transcribe it as quickly as it came in.
"Do you copy?"
...and...
"Copy that."
...were used to confirm that a message had been received and copied to paper for delivery.
Some operators, rather than using "copy" would simply transmit an "R" which meant "Received". As verbal radio communication became more common, the "R" was spoken as "Roger". When receiving orders, or instructions, those radio operators would reply with "Roger Wilco", meaning the orders were received and the radio operator will comply.
how 'bout that, ah?
Well, I'm glad you asked!
The phrase dates back to the early days of radio communication when Morse Code was the most common form of transmitting information. A radio operator receiving a message as a series of beeps would decode it and transcribe it as quickly as it came in.
"Do you copy?"
...and...
"Copy that."
...were used to confirm that a message had been received and copied to paper for delivery.
Some operators, rather than using "copy" would simply transmit an "R" which meant "Received". As verbal radio communication became more common, the "R" was spoken as "Roger". When receiving orders, or instructions, those radio operators would reply with "Roger Wilco", meaning the orders were received and the radio operator will comply.
how 'bout that, ah?
VIEW 3 of 3 COMMENTS
maleficus:
Interesting! I was thinking about this the other day..always had my own assumptions as to what it meant but didn't think to actually look up the real meaning hahaha. Thanks for that!
issue_:
you are like...sooo smart.