Flew in Europe for several years and never read back a frequency because the VHF was always loud and clear and I always jotted down the frequency on paper pad. Never got chipped by ATC. There has always far too many superfluous read-backs - no wonder people can't get a word in edge-wise.
Back in the Eighties in Australia (1980's that is!) very few read backs were required except of specific parts of an ATC clearance - and frequency read-backs were certainly not needed. The Aussies had lived with short concise R/T since Pontius was a pilot -and very nicely, thank you very much - until it was spoiled by some idiot Qantas pilot that had mates in high places and successfully managed to force a huge increase in read-backs so now its just bedlam. It is also called progress...
