In Search of the Real Wouff Hong
Among the fibers from which the fabric of any culture is woven are the legends surrounding its cultural icons. Stories about them serve to remind a community of its identity and help to propagate its ideals and values to future generations. Examples of this from American history might be the tale of George Washington and the cherry tree, the midnight ride of Paul Revere, or the story of Benjamin Franklin and his famous kite.
Similarly, the amateur radio community has its own history, cultural icons, and stories. That includes legends like the Wouff Hong. If you’re a licensed amateur radio operator and don’t know what a Wouff Hong is, you most certainly should.
A Bit of History
The story of the Wouff Hong begins in 1917. Radio pioneer Hiram Percy Maxim (Photo A), writing under the pseudonym “The Old Man,” penned a series of letters to QST magazine collectively entitled “Rotten Radio.” These articles were humorous in nature — the purpose of which was to highlight and poke fun at sloppy and poor radio operating practice. By modern standards, The Old Man’s style might now seem biting or even mean-spirited. However, it’s been said that even those who could recognize themselves among the subjects of The Old Man’s wrath would nonetheless find themselves chuckling.
Beyond mere entertainment, the articles served the greater purpose of encouraging professional behavior and the development and practice of technical excellence on the air. As W1UJR says in his 2017 article “The Rotten Radio Series,” The Old Man was “… justifiably concerned with government intervention [in] early amateur privileges, and felt that poor or sloppy operation and procedure only gave weight to the early critics of amateur radio.”
In an installment titled “Rotten QRM” (QRM meaning “man-made interference”), The Old Man railed about indecipherable gibberish he claimed to have received on the air — such phrases as “bliftsfy monkey motor” and “Hnneg se.”
