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Radio
amateur activities
Traffic and Codes
To understand
the amateur radio "language" you
have to learn the famous "Q-code" as well as the
"radio" alphabet (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie...) and ITU
entities codes (DXCC) as these abbreviations are regularly
used on the air to speed up usual questions/answers or to
display information on clusters.
You
will find hereunder the complete Q-code from which has been
excluded most codes used in the aviation and maritime
traffics, the radio alphabet, the RST report, the SINPO code,
some useful acronyms without to forget the Morse code.
Q
code (extract)
The
Q-code was created by the British government by 1909 and instituted
some years later in order to
facilitate communication between maritime radio operators of
different nationalities. This is for this reason that the
Q-prefix has been excluded from call signs. 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 ragchewing in local QSOs. Contests are special
cases because competitors try to contact as many people as
possible with few exceptions about the code of practice. In such conditions, short
sentences and codes are mandatory.
With
time, from a short list of 45 abbreviations defined by International Radiotelegraph Convention Regulations
in 1912, today the full code includes hundreds of abbreviations,
some being specific to the aviation (e.g. QFE, QNE and QNH), to the
aeronautical service as defined by ICAO (QAA-QNZ code range), to the
maritime service (QOA-QQZ code range), and of course it includes the
QRA-QUZ code range assigned to all other services including amateurs.
These international abbreviations were officially approved in 1927 by the Washington ITU Radio
Regulations and reviewed in 1947 by the ITU Radiocommunication sector
(ITU-R).
You
will find below the most used abbreviations by amateurs (specially in blue).
Of course, one of the most used abbreviation of the Q-code is QRZ ?
Usually, you answer in giving directly your call sign to
your correspondent.
To
download : ITU
Radio Regulations - Appendices (PDF, 7 MB), 2004
Includes
Appendices 14 and 15 related to phonetic and Q codes
|
Code
|
Meaning
(question and answer or statement)
|
|
QFE
|
What
is the current atmospheric pressure ? The
atmospheric pressure is ..... mbar (current
value converted to runway level in a dry
atmosphere)
|
|
QNE
|
What
is the current atmospheric pressure ? The
atmospheric pressure is ..... mbar (current
value converted to sea level to compute the
fligh level)
|
|
QNH
|
What
is the current atmospheric pressure ? The
atmospheric pressure is ..... mbar (current
value converted to sea level in the standard
atmosphere).
|
|
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 man-made
interferences ? Your
transmission is being interfered with ...
(1-Nil, 2-Slightly, 3-Moderately, 4-Severely,
5-Extremely.)
|
|
QRN
|
Are
you troubled by natural or static noise ? I am troubled by
natural or static noise ... (1-5 as under QRM.)
|
|
QRO
|
Shall
I increase power ? Inrease power. By
extension Good, excellent, powerful
|
|
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. By extension,
end of operation.
|
|
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.
|
|
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 ....). By extension, Have you well
understood ? I well understood.
|
|
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.)
|
|
QSR
|
Shall I repeat the call on the calling
frequency ?
Repeat your call on the calling frequency; did not hear you (or have interference).
|
|
QSS
|
What working frequency will you
use ? I will use the working frequency ... kHz (or MHz).
|
|
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.
|
|
QSX
|
Will you listen to ... (call sign(s)) on ... kHz (or MHz), or in the bands ... / channels ... ?
I
am listening to ... (call sign(s)) on ... kHz (or MHz), or in the bands ... / channels ...
|
|
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). |
|
SQD
|
Is
my keying defective ? Your keying is
defective.
|
|
SQG
|
Shall
I send ... messages at a time ? Send ...
messages at a time.
|
|
The
phonetic radio alphabet
If
the phonetic radio alphabet is respected by most users of the
spectrum (radio amateurs, militaries or pilots), in Russia,
when operators are ragchewing in local QSO and speak
russian, many characters are translated using national words
(e.g. Anton for A, Igor for I, Sergei for S, Yvan for Y, etc)
what does not always simplify communications with foreign
amateurs. Hopefully, as soon as they work DX these amateurs use the standard
alphabet defined by ITU-R.
When
working conditions become difficult, when there are QRM or
during pileups, there are some chances that your contact
misunderstands some characters of your call sign. In this
case, "Kilo" is sometimes replaced with
"Kilowatt", "Quebec" with
"Queen", "November" with
"Nancy", "Oscar" with "Ocean",
"Sierra" with "Sugar",
"Uniform" with "United",
"X-ray" with "Xilophon", up to remplace
"/MM" with "stroke Mikey Mouse" or a
suffix like "WC" with "World Champion" !
In France, some amateurs replace the number "Un"
(one) with "Unité" (unit). This alternate
alphabet is not official at all and should be avoided. But as long as these
"customizations" make your call sign easier to
remember, the common use shows that you can go with it but know that you are in
violation with the edicted rules.
|
Character |
Code |
Character |
Code |
|
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
|
Alpha
Bravo
Charlie
Delta
Echo
Foxtrot
Golf
Hotel
India
Juliet
Kilo
Lima
Mike
November
|
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
9
/
|
Oscar
Papa
Quebec
Romeo
Sierra
Tango
Uniform
Victor
Whisky
X-ray
Yankee
Zulu
Niner
stroke
|
|
The
RST report
Characteristics
of a signal, its readability, strength and optionaly its
tone if you work in Morse code are transmitted using the RST
code. The signal strength is usually based on the receiver
S-meter reading, where readability and tone are subjective
values.
Each
step of the signal strength double of
intensity, beginning at 0.2 mV
to end at 50 mV.
Over 9 on the S-meter, the strength is given in dB, e.g. 59+10.
In
CW, the tone can be followed with a letter : X
stands for cristal tone, C stands for chirp
tone and K stands for clicks. The
number 9 is often replaced with the letter
"N" (for nine) and 0 by T. So
"599" gives "5NN".
In SSB,
if you
clearly heard the message give 59, if the
signal is very weak and if you have
to request the repetition or to guess words
give 43 or so. Give 31 if you are not sure to have
well understood, and in this case you could
not confirm by QSL. Avoid to systematically give
59 or 599 if you do not understand all words
or have asked your contact to repeat ten times his call sign
!
At
last, instead of giving a 59++ report if your contact is
booming, do not hesitate to give him the real signal
strength with dB (e.g. 59+20 dB), all the more if the
station is DXing.
Here
is the RST code :
|
Readability
(R)
|
Signal
strength (S)
|
Tone
(T)
|
|
5 = Cleary readable
4 = Readable without difficulties
3 = Readable with difficulties
2
= Hardly readable
1 = Not readable |
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 |
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 |
|
The
SINPO code
The
SINPO code is used to define the quality of signals that you receive. It is mainly used by listeners
(SWL) when they address their QSL to radios broadcasting on LW. It is however more and more often
replaced with the RST report. Most broadcast stations emitting
locally through all a continent arrive usually 55555, in
excellent receive conditions with a signal over 59+20 dB,
contrary to some remote stations located 10000 km away that
can arrive at your antenna 33232 only (RS 56).
Note
that when you send a receive report to a broadcast station,
in addition to your SINPO report, always add a comment about
the emission listened (time, content, etc).
Here
is the SINPO code :
|
Signal
5
= Very strong
4
= Strong
3
= Moderate
2
= Weak
1
= Unusable |
Interference
(Man-made noise)
5
= Clear
4
= Light
3
= Moderate
2
= Heavy
1
= Severe |
Noise
(Natural, static,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
quality
5
= Excellent
4 = Good
3 = Moderate
2 = Poor
1 = Unusable |
|
Useful
acronyms and terms
In
the course of a QSO, many operators are used to speak using acronyms,
mainly in CW to fasten the QSO, or even neologisms. When working between close friends you easily
understand what means your correspondent, but when working an
unknown amateur, this special vocabulary can surprise you. So better
to know the most used of these terms. Here there are :
|
ATV |
Amateur
Television |
SSTV |
Slow
Scan TeleVision |
|
Break |
Can
I participate in the QSO ? |
STN |
Station |
|
Big
gun |
Big
antenna (very efficient) |
SWL |
Shortwaves
listener |
|
Booming |
Very
strong signal (over S9) |
Traffic |
The call sign |
|
CQ |
General
call (I seek you) |
TVI |
TV
related parasit |
|
CQ
DX |
Call
to another continent |
TX |
Transmitter |
|
CW |
Continuous
wave or code work |
VY |
Very,
much
|
|
DXCC |
World
countries as defined by ITU |
WPX |
The suffix of a call sign
|
|
DXing |
Working
a DX station |
WX |
The weather
|
|
DX |
Other continent
(other state in the USA!) |
YL |
Young
Lady |
|
FB |
Fine
business,
very good
|
XYL |
OM's
wife |
|
HI! |
Hi
(laughing, joking) |
44 |
Happy
celebration |
|
OM |
Old
Man (licensed amateur) |
51 |
Good
DX |
|
OT |
Old
Timer (> 20 years of practice) |
55 |
Many
QSO |
|
Roger |
Well
received |
73 |
Friendly !,
The Best !
|
|
RTX |
Transceiver
(RX/TX) |
88 |
Kisses
|
|
RX |
Receiver |
99 |
Leave
the QRG |
|
SHACK |
Room
where stands your station |
105 |
Good
health |
|
SRI |
Sorry |
144 |
The
bed |
|
SSB |
Single
Side Band (LSB, USB) |
600
ohms |
Telephone |
|
Morse
code
Today
and since the WRC 2003 conference, the Morse code (CW) is no more
mandatory to get the amateur radio license. However, many amateurs
(and some professionals working in the field) continue working with it, and not only OT but the young generation
as well.
If
you are interested in learning this code, know that many
radio clubs or individuals can help you in providing audio tapes or
training programs to run on your computer. Some clubs also give CW
trainings to novices once a week or once a month depending on the
size of the club. Alternately, you can learn the code at home at the
rate of 15 minutes each day during a few months. At the end you will
know the Morse code at 5 wpm if not faster.
Several
programs are also available for free on the Internet (in this case
to download from my website) : UFT
and Kock CW Trainer to name two
well-known methods. You can also get an on-line translation on Morse
Translator or Traducteur
de Morse for the French-speaking community. Name
at last one commercial product, very complete and easy to use : NuMorse
Pro.
Here
is the list of the main characters used to communicate in CW using
the Morse code :
|
Character |
Code |
Character |
Code |
Character |
Code |
|
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q |
.
_
_...
_._.
_..
.
.._.
_
_.
....
..
._
_ _
_._
._..
_
_
_.
_
_ _
._
_.
_
_._
|
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
/
@
-
error
/
(XE) |
._.
...
_
.._
..._
._
_
_.._
_._
_
_
_..
_.._.
._
_._.
_...._
........
_.._. |
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0
.
,
=
:
;
()
|
._
_ _ _
.._
_ _
..._
_
...._
.....
_....
_
_...
_
_ _..
_
_ _ _.
_
_ _ _ _
._._._
_
_ .._ _
_..._
_
_ _ ...
_._._.
_._
_._ |
|
In addition, there are special and codes (here is a complete
list) :
|
Description |
Character(s) |
|
Invitation
to Transmit
End
Transmission
Wait
Repeat
Again
Question
Mark (?)
SOS
Sign
indicating test |
K
AR
AS
IMI
AGN
AF
Inter'l
Distress Signal
$
or DX |
|
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