Survivors: A Novel of the Coming Collapse

Glossary

?: Ham radio shorthand for “I’m going to repeat what I just said.”

10/22: A semiautomatic .22 rim fire rifle made by Ruger.

1911: See M1911.

73: Ham radio shorthand for “Bestregards.” Always used singularly. (Not “73s.”)

88: Ham radio shorthand for “Hugsand kisses.”

9/11: The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, which took three thousand American lives.

AAA: American Automobile Association.

ABT: Ham radio shorthand for“about.”

ACP: Automatic Colt pistol.

ACU: Army combat uniform. The U.S.Army’s “digital” pattern camouflage uniform that replaced the BDU.

AK: Avtomat Kalashnikov. The gas-operated weapons family invented by Mikhail Timofeyevitch Kalashnikov, a Red Army sergeant. AKs are known for their robustness and were made in huge numbers, so that they are ubiquitous in much of Asia and the Third World. The best of the Kalashnikov variants are the Valmets, which were made in Finland; the Galils, which were made in Israel; and the R4s, which are made in South Africa.

AK-47: The early-generation AK carbine with a milled receiver that shoots the intermediate 7.62 x 39mm cartridge. See also: AKM.

AK-74: The later-generation AK carbine that shoots the 5.45 x 39mm cartridge.

AKM: “Avtomat Kalashnikova Modernizirovanniy,” the later-generation 7.62 x 39 AK with a stamped receiver.

AM: Amplitude modulation.

AO: Area of operations.

AP: Armor-piercing.

APC: Armored personnel carrier.

AR: Automatic rifle. This is the generic term for semiauto variants of the Armalite family of rifles designed by Eugene Stoner (AR-10, AR-15, AR-180, etc.).

AR-7: The .22 LR semiautomatic survival rifle designed by Eugene Stoner. It weighs just two pounds.

AR-10: The 7.62mm NATO predecessor of the M16 rifle, designed by Eugene Stoner. Early AR-10s (mainly Portuguese-,Sudanese-, and Cuban-contract, from the late 1950s and early 1960s) are not to be confused with the present-day semiauto only AR-10 rifles that are more closely interchangeable with parts from the smaller caliber AR-15.

AR-15: The semiauto civilian variants of the U.S. Army M16 rifle.

ASAP: As soon as possible.

ATF: See BATFE.

AUG: See Steyr AUG.

B&E: Breaking and entering.

Ballistic wampum: Ammunition stored for barter purposes. (Term coined by Colonel Jeff Cooper.)

BATFE: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, a U.S. federal government taxing agency.

BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation.

BDU: Battle dress uniform. Also called “camouflage utilities” by the U.S. Marine Corps.

BK: Ham radio shorthand for “Break,” this means “Back to you,” with no need to use call signs.

Black rifle/black gun: Generic terms for a modern battle rifle, typically equipped with a black plastic stock and fore-end, giving these guns an “all-black” appearance. Functionally, however, they are little different from earlier semiauto designs.

BLM: Bureau of Land Management, a U.S. federal government agency that administers public lands.

BMG: Browning machine gun. Usually refers to .50 BMG, the U.S. military’s standard heavy machine-gun cartridge since the early twentieth century. This cartridge is now often used for long-range precision counter-sniper rifles.

BOQ: Bachelor officers quarters.

BP: Blood pressure.

BX: Base exchange.

C-4: Composition 4, a plastic explosive.

CAR-15: See M4.

CAS: Close air support.

CAT: Combat application tourniquet.

CB: Citizens band radio, a VHF broadcasting band. There is no license required for operation in the United States. Some desirable CB transceivers are capable of SSB operation. Originally twenty-three channels, the citizens band was later expanded to forty channels during the golden age of CB, in the 1970s.

CHU: Containerized housing unit. ACONEX retrofitted with a door, window, top vent, power cabling, and air-conditioning unit, as used by servicemen in Iraq. Spoken “Chew.”

CLP: Cleaner, lubricant, protectant. A mil-spec lubricant, sold under the trade name “Break Free CLP.”

CO₂: Carbon dioxide.

COD: Collect on delivery; cash on delivery.

CONEX: Continental express, the ubiquitous twenty-, thirty-, and forty-foot-long steel cargo containers used in multiple transportation modes.

COPS: Committee of Public Safety.

CP: Command post.

CPY: Ham radio shorthand for “Copy.”

CRKT: Columbia River Knife & Tool.

CU: Ham radio shorthand for “See you (later).”

CUCV: Commercial utility cargo vehicle. The 1980s-vintage U.S. Army versions of diesel Chevy Blazers and pickups, sold off as surplus in the early 2000s.

DE: Ham radio shorthand for “from.” This is used between call signs.

DF: Direction finding.

DMV: Department of Motor Vehicles.

Drip oil: The light oil or hydrocarbon liquids condensed in a natural gas piping system when the gas is cooled. Also called natural gasoline, condensation gasoline, or simply “drip.” Amixture of gasoline and drip oil can be burned in most gasoline engines without modification. Pure drip oil can be burned in some gasoline engines if the timingis retarded.

E&E: Escape and evasion.

ES: Ham radio shorthand for “and.”

FAA: Federal Aviation Administration.

FAL: See FN/FAL.

FB: Ham radio shorthand for “Fine business.” Usually means “That’s great” or “That’s wonderful.”

FBO: Fixed base operator. Typically a small private airport’s refueling facility.

FEMA: Federal Emergency Management Agency, a U.S. federal government agency. The acronym is also jokingly defined as “Foolishly Expecting Meaningful Aid.”

FER: Ham radio shorthand for “for.”

FEUS: Farmington Electric Utility System.

FFL: Federal firearms license.

FLOPS: Flight operations.

FN/FAL: A 7.62mm NATO battle rifle originally made by the Belgian Company Fabrique Nationale (FN), issued to more than fifty countries in the 1960s and 1970s. Now made as semiauto-only “clones” by a variety of makers. See also L1A1.

FOB: Forward operating base.

Fobbit: Derogatory nickname for soldiers who rarely go outside the defensive perimeter of a forward operating base (FOB).

FORSCOM: U.S. Army Forces Command.

Frag: Fragmentation.

FRS: Family Radio Service.

Galil: See AK.

GCA: The Gun Control Act of 1968.The law that first created FFLs and banned interstate transfers of post-1898 firearms except “to or through” FFL holders.

Glock: The popular polymer-framed pistol design by Gaston Glock of Austria. Glocks are a favorite of gun writer Boston T. Party.

GMRS: General Mobile Radio Service, a licensed UHF-FM two-way radio service. See also FRS and MURS.

GMT: Greenwich Mean Time.

Gold Cup: The target version of Colt’s M1911 pistol. It has fully adjustable target sights, a tapered barrel,and a tighter barrel bushing than a standard M1911.

GOOD: Get out of Dodge.

GPS: Global positioning system.

Ham: Slang for amateur radio operator.

HF: High frequency. A radio band used by amateur radio operators.

HI: Ham radio shorthand for “laugh.”

HK or H&K: Heckler und Koch, the German gun maker.

HK91: Heckler und Koch Model 91, the civilian (semiautomatic-only) variant of the 7.62mm NATO G3 rifle.

HOA: Home owners’ association.

HR: Ham radio shorthand for “here.”

Humvee: High-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle, spoken “Humvee.”

HW: Ham radio shorthand for “how.”

IBA: Interceptor body armor.

ID: Identification.

IFV: Infantry fighting vehicle.

IPI: Indigenous populations andinstitutions.

IV: Intravenous.

K: Ham radio shorthand for “Goahead.”

Kevlar: The material used in most body army and ballistic helmets. “Kevlar” is also the nickname for the standard U.S. Army helmet.

KJV: King James Version of the Bible.

KL: Ham radio nickname of Kaylee Schmidt.

KN: Ham radio shorthand for “Goahead” (but only the station that a ham is already conversing with).

L1A1: The British Army version ofthe FN/FAL, made to inch measurements.

LAW: Light anti-tank weapon.

LC-1: Load-carrying, Type 1 (U.S. Army load-bearing equipment, circa 1970s to 1990s).

LDS: Latter-day Saints, commonly called the Mormons. (Flawed doctrine, great preparedness.)

LF: The aircraft designation for aircraft from Luke Air Force Base, Arizona.

LP: Liquid propane.

LP/OP: Listening post/observation post.

LRRP: Long-range reconnaissance patrol.

M1A: The civilian (semiauto only) equivalent of the M14 rifle.

M1 Abrams: The United States’ current main battle tank, with a 120mm cannon (“main gun”).

M1 Carbine: The U.S. Army semiauto carbine issued during World War II. Mainly issued to officers and second-echelon troops such as artillerymen for self-defense. Uses “.30 U.S. Carbine,” an intermediate (pistol-class) .30 caliber cartridge. More than six million were manufactured. See also M2 Carbine.

M1 Garand: The U.S. Army’s primary battle rifle of World War II and the Korean conflict. It is semiautomatic,chambered in .30-06, and uses a top-loading, eight-round en bloc clip thatejects after the last round is fired. This rifle is commonly called the Garand, after its inventor. Not to be confused with the U.S. M1 Carbine, another semiauto of the same era, which shoots a much less powerful pistol-class cartridge.

M1A: The civilian (semiauto only) version of the U.S. Army M14 7.62mm NATO rifle.

M1911: The Model 1911 Colt semiauto pistol (and clones thereof), usually chambered in .45 ACP.

M2 Carbine: The selective-fire (fully automatic) version of the U.S. Army semiauto carbine issued during World War II and the Korean conflict.

M4: The U.S. Army-issue 5.56mm NATO selective-fire carbine (a shorter version of the M16, with a 14.5-inch barrel and collapsing stock). Earlier-issue M16 carbine variants had designations such as XM177E2 and CAR-15. Civilian semiauto-only variants often have these same designations or are called “M4geries.”

M4gery: A civilian semiauto-only version of an M4 Carbine with a 16-inch barrel instead of a 14.5-inch barrel.

M9: The U.S. Army-issue version of the Beretta M92 semiauto 9mm pistol.

M14: The U.S. Army-issue 7.62mm NATO selective-fire battle rifle. These rifles are still issued in small numbers, primarily to designated marksmen. The civilian semiauto-only equivalent of the M14 is called the M1A.

M16: The U.S. Army-issue 5.56mm NATO selective-fire battle rifle. The current standard variant is the M16A2,which has improved sight and three-shot burst control. See also M4.

M60: The semi-obsolete U.S. Army-issue 7.62mm NATO belt-fed light machine gun that utilized some design elements of the German MG-42.

MAC: Depending on context, Military airlift command or Military Armament Corporation.

Maglite: A popular American brand of sturdy flashlights with an aluminum casing.

MICH: Modular/integrated communications helmet.

Mini-14: A 5.56mm NATO semiauto carbine made by Ruger.

MNI: Ham radio shorthand for “many.”

MOLLE: Modular lightweight load-carrying equipment.

Molotov cocktail: A hand-thrown firebomb made from a glass container filled with gasoline or thickened gasoline (napalm).

MRE: Meal, ready to eat.

MSG: Mission support group (U.S.Air Force).

MSS: Modular sleep system.

MURS: Multi-use radio service. AVHF two-way radio service that does not require a license. See also FRS and GMRS.

MVPA: Military Vehicle Preservation Association.

MXG: Maintenance group (U.S. Air Force).

Napalm: Thickened gasoline, used in some flame weapons.

NAPI: Navajo Agricultural Products Industry.

NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

NBC: Nuclear, biological, and chemical.

NCO: Noncommissioned officer.

NFA: The National Firearms Act of 1934. The law that first imposed a transfer tax on machine guns, suppressors (commonly called “silencers”), and short-barreled rifles and shotguns.

NiCd: Nickel cadmium (rechargeable battery).

NiMH: Nickel metal hydride (rechargeable battery) improvement of NiCad.

NM: Ham radio shorthand for “Name.”

NWO: New World Order.

OCP: Operation Enduring Freedom camouflage pattern, commonly called “MutiCam.”

OG: Operational group (U.S. Air Force).

OM: Ham radio shorthand for “old man.” All men are OMs in the ham world.

OP: Observation post. See also LP/OP.

PBO: Property book officer.

PCS: Permanent change of station.

PERSCOM: U.S. Army Personnel Command.

Pre-1899: Guns made before 1899—not classified as “firearms” under federal law.

Pre-1965: U.S. silver coins with 1964 or earlier mint dates with little or no numismatic value that are sold for the bullion content. These coins have 90 percent silver content. Well-worn pre-1965 coins are sometimes derisively called “junk” silver by rare coin dealers.

ProvGov: Provisional Government.

PSE: Ham radio shorthand for “please.”

PT: Physical training.

PV: Photovoltaic (solar power conversion array). Used to convert solar power to DC electricity, typically for battery charging.

PVC: Polyvinyl chloride (white plastic water pipe).

QRF: Quick-reaction force.

QRM: Ham radio shorthand for “interference from another station.”

QRN: Ham radio shorthand for “static.”

QRP: Ham radio shorthand for “low-power (less than 5-watt) transmitters.”

QRZ: Ham radio shorthand for “Who is calling me?” If used at the end of the contact, if QRZ is sent instead of SK, it means “I’m listening for more calls.”

QSB: Ham radio shorthand for a “fading signal.”

QSO: Ham radio shorthand for a “contact (conversation).”

QSY: Ham radio shorthand for “Change frequency.”

QTH: Ham radio shorthand for “location.”

R: Ham radio shorthand for “I heard everything you said and don’t need you to repeat anything.”

ROTC: Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.

RPG: Rocket-propelled grenade.

SADF: South African Defense Force.

SBI: Special background investigation.

SCI: Sensitive compartmented information.

SIG: Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft. The Swiss gun maker.

SK: Ham radio shorthand for “silent key.”

SOCOM: Special Operations Command.

SOP: Standard operating procedure(s).

SSB: Single sideband (an operating mode for CB and amateur radio gear).

SSPARS: Solid-state phased-array radar system.

Steyr AUG: The Austrian army’s 5.56-mm “bullpup” infantry carbine. Also issued by the Australian Army as their replacement for the L1A1.

S&W: Smith and Wesson.

SWAT: Special weapons and tactics. (SWAT originally stood for “special weapons assault team” until that was deemed politically incorrect.)

TA-1 and TA-312: U.S. military hardwire field telephones.

TAD: Temporary assigned duty.

TARPS: Tactical aerial reconnaissance pod system.

TDY: Temporary duty.

Thermite: A mixture of aluminum powder and iron rust powder that, when ignited, causes a vigorous exothermic reaction. Used primarily for welding. Also used by military units as an incendiary for destroying equipment.

TK: Tom Kennedy.

TNX: Ham radio shorthand for “Thanks.”

TS: Top secret.

TU: Ham radio shorthand for “Thank You.”

UAV: Unmanned aerial vehicle.

UR: Ham radio shorthand for “your” or “you’re,” depending on context.

USAEUR: U.S. Army, Europe. Spoken “Use-ah-Urr.”

USAFE: U.S. Air Force, Europe. Spoken “You-Safe-ee.”

VAC: Volts, alternating current.

Valmet: The Finnish conglomerate that formerly made several types of firearms.

VDC: Volts, direct current.

Viper: The popular nickname for the F-16 fighter. (Its official moniker is the “Fighting Falcon,” which most F-16 pilots detest.)

VW: Volkswagen.

VY: Ham radio shorthand for “very.”

WD-1: U.S. military-issue two-conductor insulated field telephone wire.

YL: Ham radio shorthand for “young lady.” All females regardless of age are designated YLs in the ham world.