If ye disclose (acts of) charity, even so it is well, but if ye conceal them, and make them reach those (really) in need, that is best for you: It will remove from you some of your (stains of) evil. And Allah is well acquainted with what ye do.. Holy Quran - 2:271



RADIO AMATEUR TERMINOLOGY

  • Handle - Name
  • Silent key - Death
  • XYL - Wife of a Ham
  • Ham - Radio Amateur
  • Harmonics - Children
  • Ticket - Amateur Licence
  • Rig - Wireless Equipment
  • Roger - All received correctly
  • Going QRT - Going off the air
  • Lima lima - Landline (Telephone)
  • Side Band - Brother/Sister of a Ham
  • YL Fundamental - Mother of a Ham
  • OM Fundamental - Father of a Ham
  • Crystal controlled - Getting Married
  • Rag chewing - Conversation in the air
  • YL (young lady) - Lady Radio Amateur
  • Eyeball QSO - Meet some one in person
  • OM (old man) - Gentleman Radio Amateur
  • Homebrew - Self-made Wireless Equipment
  • Shack - Wireless station of the Radio Amateur
  • Signing off - Ending work with a particular station
  • Upper Side Band - Elder Brother/Sister of a Ham
  • Lower Side Band - Younger Brother/Sister of a Ham
  • Pulling the big switch - Switching off the Transceiver

Breaker - A radio amateur who wants to join a contact that is already in Progress
Working (Morning) QTH - Office or business premises of the radio amateur Ham


Traffic and Codes

To understand the amateur radio "language" you have to learn the famous "Q-code" as these abbreviations are regularly used on the air to speed up usual questions/answers or to display information on clusters. As SWL it can be also useful to use the RS(T) or SINPO code to define characteristics of the signal that you receive.

During QSO most comments are of course expressed using the full language, often in English when DXing or the native language of the contact when local, excepting in contests where authors try to contact as many people as possible with few exceptions about the good of practice. In such conditions, short sentences and codes are mandatory. 

You will find hereunder the complete Q-code from which has been excluded most codes used in the aviation, the RST report, the SINPO code and some useful acronyms.

Q-code

Code

Meaning

QRA

What is the name of your station ? The name of my station is ..... By extension the home, the family.

QRB

How far are you from my station ? I am ... km from you station

QRD

Where are you bound and where are you coming from? I am bound ... from ....

QRG

Will you tell me my exact frequency ? Your exact frequency is ... kHz.

QRH

Does my frequency vary ? Your frequency varies.

QRI

How is the tone of my transmission ? The tone of your transmission is ... (1-Good, 2-Variable, 3-Bad.)

QRJ

Are you receiving me badly ? I cannot receive you, your signal is too weak.

QRK

What is the intelligibility of my signals ? The intelligibility of your signals is ... (1-Bad, 2-Poor, 3-Fair, 4-Good, 5-Excellent.)

QRL

Are you busy ? I am busy, please do not interfere

QRM

Is my transmission being interfered with? Your transmission is being interfered with ... (1-Nil, 2-Slightly, 3-Moderately, 4-Severely, 5-Extremely.)

QRN

Are you troubled by static ? I am troubled by static ... (1-5 as under QRM.)

QRO

Shall I increase power ? Increase power. By extension Good, excellent

QRP

Shall I decrease power ? Decrease power. By extension an emitter of small power, the kids

QRQ

Shall I send faster ? Send faster (... WPM.)

QRR

Are you ready for automatic operation ? I am ready for automatic operation. Send at ... WPM.

QRS

Shall I send more slowly ? Send more slowly (... WPM.)

QRT

Shall I stop sending ? Stop sending.

QRU

Have you anything for me ? I have nothing for you.

QRV

Are you ready ? I am ready.

QRW

Shall I inform ... that you are calling ? Please inform ... that I am calling.

QRX

When will you call me again ? I will call you again at ... hours.

QRY

What is my turn ? Your turn is numbered ....

QRZ

Who is calling me ? You are being called by ....

QSA

What is the strength of my signals? The strength of your signals is ... (1-Scarcely perceptible, 2-Weak, 3-Fairly Good, 4-Good, 5-Very Good.)

QSB

Are my signals fading ? Your signals are fading.

SQD

Is my keying defective ? Your keying is defective.

SQG

Shall I send ... messages at a time ? Send ... messages at a time.

QSJ

What is the charge to be collected per word to ... including your international telegraph charge?  The charge to be collected per word is ... including my international telegraph charge.

QSK

Can you hear me between you signals and if so can I break in on your transmission ? I can hear you between my signals, break in on my transmission.

QSL

Can you acknowledge receipt ? I am acknowledging receipt.

QSM

Shall I repeat the last message which I sent you ? Repeat the last message.

QSN

Did you hear me on ... KHz ? I did hear you on ... kHz.

QSO

Can you communicate with ... direct or by relay ? I can communicate with ... direct (or by relay through ....)

QSP

Will you relay to ...? I will relay to ....

QSQ

Have you a doctor on board? (or is ... on board ?) I have a doctor on board (or ... is on board.)

QSU

Shall I send or reply on this frequency ? Send a series of Vs on this frequency.

QSV

Shall I send a series of Vs on this frequency ? Send a series of Vs on this frequency.

QSW

Will you send on this frequency ? I am going to send on this frequency.

QSY

Shall I change to another frequency ? Change to another frequency.

QSZ

Shall I send each word or group more than once ? Send each word or group twice (or ... times.)

QTA

Shall I cancel message number ...? Cancel message number ...

QTB

Do you agree with my counting of words ? I do not agree with your counting of words. I will repeat the first letter or digit of each word or group.

QTC

How many messages have you to send ? I have ... messages for you.

QTE

What is my true bearing from you ? Your true bearing from me is ... degrees.

QTG

Will you send two dashes of 10 seconds each followed by your call sign ? I am going to send two dashes of 10 seconds each followed by my call sign.

QTH

What is your location ? My location is ....

QTI

What is your true track ? My true track is ... degrees.

QTJ

What is your speed ? My speed is ... km/h.

QTL

What is your true heading ? My true heading is ... degrees.

QTN

At what time did you depart from ...? I departed from ... at ... hours.

QTO

Have you left dock (or port) ? I have left dock (or port).

QTP

Are you going to enter dock (or port) ? I am going to enter dock (or port.)

QTQ

Can you communicate with my station by means of the International Code of Signals ? I am going to communicate with your station by means of the International Code of Signals.

QTR

What is the correct time ? The time is ...

QTS

Will you send your call sign for ... minutes so that your frequency can be measured ? I will send my call sign for ... minutes so that my frequency may be measured.

QTU

What are the hours during which your station is open ? My station is open from ... hours to ... hours.

QTV

Shall I stand guard for you on the frequency of ... KHz ? Stand guard for me on the frequency of ... KHz.

QTX

Will you keep your station open for further communication with me ? I will keep my station open for further communication with you.

QUA

Have you news of ...? I have news of ...

QUB

Can you give me information concerning visibility, height of clouds, direction and velocity of ground wind at ...? Here is the information you requested...

QUC

What is the number of the last message you received from me ? The number of the last message I received from you is ...

QUD

Have you received the urgency signal sent by ...? I have received the urgency signal sent by ...

QUE

Have you received the distress signal sent by ...? I have received the distress signal sent by ...

QUG

Will you be forced to land ? I am forced to land immediately.

QUH

Will you give me the present barometric pressure ? The present barometric pressure is ... (units).

The RST report

Readability

5 = Cleary readable
4 = Readable without difficulties
3 = Readable with difficulties

2 = Hardly readable
1 = Not readable

Signal strength

9 = Booming, very strong

8 = Strong signal

7 = Rather strong

6 = Good signal

5 = ...

4 = ...

3 = Weak signal

2 = Very weak signal

1 = Hardly audible

Tone

9 = Perfect

8 = Nearly perfect

7 = Quasi pure

6 = Trace of purring

5 = CC nearly well filtered

4 = Stable straight current

3 = Unstable straight current

2 = Alternate musical current

1 = Raw alternate current

Each step of the signal strength double of intensity, beginning at 0.2 mV to end at 50 mV. Over 9 the strenght is given in dB, i.e 59+10. The tone can be followed with a letter : X stands for cristal tone, C stands for chirp tone and K stands for clicks. In CW mode, the number 9 is often replaced with the letter "N" (for nine) and 0 by T. So "599" gives "5NN". If you clearly heard the message give 59, if you have to request the repetition or to guess words give 41 or even 31 if are not sure to have well understood. Avoid to systematically give 59 or 599 if do not understand all words.

The SINPO code

Signal

5 = Very strong

4 = Strong

3 = Moderate

2 = Weak

1 = Unusable

Interference (Atmospheric noise, QRN)

5 = Clear

4 = Light

3 = Moderate

2 = Heavy

1 = Severe

Noise (Parasits, QRM)

5 = None

4 = Light

3 = Moderate

2 = Strong

1 = Severe

Propagation (QSB)

5 = No fading
4 = Light fading
3 = Moderate fading
2 = Deep fading
1 = Unusable

Overall

5 = Excellent
4 = Good
3 = Moderate
2 = Poor
1 = Unusable

The SINPO code is mainly used by SWLs when they adress their QSL to radios broadcasting on LW but it is sometimes used by hams too. It is however more and more often replaced with the RST.  

Useful acronyms

ATV

Amateur Television

STN

Station

Break

Can I participate in the QSO ?

SWL

Shortwaves listener

CQ

General call (I seek you)

Traffic

The callsign

CQ DX

Call to another continent

TVI

TV related parasit

CW

Continuous wave or code work

TX

Transmitter

DXCC

World countries as defined by ITU

VY

Very, much

DX

Distance

WPX

The suffix of a callsign

DXCC

DX Century Club (award)

WX

The weather

FB

Fine business, very good

YL

Young Lady (ham)

HI

Telegraphic Laugh (joking)

XYL

OM's wife

OM

Old Man (ham)

44

Happy celebration

OT

Old Timer (> 20 years of practice)

51

Good DX

Roger

Well received

55

Many QSO

RTX

Transceiver (RX/TX)

73

Best Wishes

RX

Receiver

88

Love & Kisses

SHACK

Room where stands your station 

99

Leave the QRG

SRI

Sorry

105

Good health

SSB

Single Side Band (LSB, USB)

144

The bed

SSTV

Slow Scan TeleVision

600 ohms

Telephone

Without to mention the dozen abbreviations used in special modes like CW and other packet radio.

Courtesy of Thierry, ON1SKY


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