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Operating Reference
The shorthand of the airwaves — Q-codes, phonetics, signal reports, and CW prosigns, all on one page.
Common Q-Codes
- QRL
- Is this frequency in use? / It is in use.
- QRM
- Man-made interference
- QRN
- Natural noise / static
- QRO
- Increase power
- QRP
- Reduce power (or low-power operating, ≤5 W)
- QRT
- Stop sending / going off the air
- QRV
- I'm ready
- QRX
- Stand by / wait
- QRZ
- Who is calling me?
- QSB
- Your signal is fading
- QSL
- I acknowledge receipt / confirmation
- QSO
- A contact / conversation
- QSY
- Change frequency
- QTH
- My location
- QRG
- Your exact frequency is…
- QSK
- I can hear you between my signals (full break-in)
NATO Phonetic Alphabet
AAlfa
BBravo
CCharlie
DDelta
EEcho
FFoxtrot
GGolf
HHotel
IIndia
JJuliett
KKilo
LLima
MMike
NNovember
OOscar
PPapa
QQuebec
RRomeo
SSierra
TTango
UUniform
VVictor
WWhiskey
XX-ray
YYankee
ZZulu
RST Signal Reports
R — Readability
- 1 — Unreadable
- 2 — Barely readable, occasional words
- 3 — Readable with difficulty
- 4 — Readable with little difficulty
- 5 — Perfectly readable
S — Strength
- 1 — Faint, barely perceptible
- 3 — Weak
- 5 — Fairly good
- 7 — Moderately strong
- 9 — Extremely strong
T — Tone (CW)
- 1 — Extremely rough
- 5 — Slightly modulated
- 9 — Pure DC, perfect tone (CW only)
e.g. “599” = perfectly readable, extremely strong, perfect tone.
CW Prosigns & Abbreviations
- CQ
- Calling any station
- DE
- From (this is)
- K
- Go ahead, any station
- KN
- Go ahead, named station only
- AR
- End of message (+)
- SK
- End of contact
- BK
- Break — quick back-and-forth
- 73
- Best regards
- 88
- Love and kisses
- ES
- And
- FB
- Fine business (good)
- OM / YL / XYL
- Old man / young lady / wife
- TU
- Thank you
- WX
- Weather
- HI
- Laughter