Q-Codes & Abbreviations
Amateur radio has its own shorthand language developed over more than a century of operation. Q-codes, abbreviations, and the phonetic alphabet allow operators to communicate efficiently, especially under poor conditions or across language barriers.
Q-Codes
Q-codes originated in maritime and commercial radio as a standardized set of three-letter abbreviations beginning with "Q." Each code can be used as a question (with a question mark or rising inflection) or as a statement.
Most Common Q-Codes in Amateur Radio
| Code | Question | Statement |
|---|---|---|
| QRA | What is the name of your station? | The name of my station is... |
| QRG | What is my exact frequency? | Your exact frequency is... kHz/MHz |
| QRH | Does my frequency vary? | Your frequency varies. |
| QRI | How is the tone of my transmission? | Your tone is (1=good, 2=variable, 3=bad) |
| QRK | What is the readability of my signals? | Readability is... (1--5) |
| QRL | Is this frequency in use? | This frequency is in use. |
| QRM | Are you being interfered with? | I am being interfered with. (Man-made interference) |
| QRN | Are you troubled by static? | I am troubled by static. (Natural noise) |
| QRO | Shall I increase power? | Increase power. / I am running high power. |
| QRP | Shall I decrease power? | Decrease power. / I am running low power. |
| QRQ | Shall I send faster? | Send faster. |
| QRS | Shall I send more slowly? | Send more slowly. |
| QRT | Shall I stop sending? | Stop sending. / I am shutting down. |
| QRU | Have you anything for me? | I have nothing for you. |
| QRV | Are you ready? | I am ready. |
| QRX | When will you call again? | I will call again at... / Please stand by. |
| QRZ | Who is calling me? | You are being called by... |
| QSB | Are my signals fading? | Your signals are fading. |
| QSK | Can you hear me between your signals? | I can hear you between my signals. (Full break-in CW) |
| QSL | Can you acknowledge receipt? | I acknowledge receipt. / Confirmation card. |
| QSO | Can you communicate with... directly? | I can communicate directly. / A radio contact. |
| QSP | Will you relay a message? | I will relay a message. |
| QST | (Not a question) | General call to all amateurs. |
| QSX | Will you listen on... frequency? | I am listening on... frequency. |
| QSY | Shall I change frequency? | Change to... frequency. |
| QTH | What is your location? | My location is... |
| QTR | What is the correct time? | The correct time is... |
Q-Codes in Context
On CW (Morse code), Q-codes are used literally:
QTH?means "What is your location?"QTH BOSTONmeans "My location is Boston."
On SSB (voice), Q-codes are commonly used as nouns:
"What is your QTH?" -- "Where are you located?" "I'm getting a lot of QRM." -- "There's interference on this frequency." "Let's QSY to 14.250." -- "Let's change to 14.250 MHz." "I'll QRT for dinner." -- "I'm going to shut down for dinner."
TIP
On voice modes, avoid overusing Q-codes when plain language works just as well. Q-codes are most efficient on CW and digital modes where brevity saves time. On SSB, saying "Let's move to 14.250" is perfectly fine.
Common Abbreviations
These abbreviations are used extensively on CW and in digital modes, and occasionally on voice:
Operating Abbreviations
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 73 | Best regards (not "73s" -- 73 is already plural in meaning) |
| 88 | Love and kisses (used lightheartedly) |
| 33 | Fondest regards (YL to YL) |
| CQ | General call ("Seeking you") |
| CW | Continuous wave (Morse code) |
| DX | Long distance; foreign station |
| OM | Old man (male operator; not derogatory) |
| YL | Young lady (female operator, regardless of age) |
| XYL | Ex-young lady (wife; somewhat outdated term) |
| HI | Laughter (CW equivalent of "ha ha") |
| FB | Fine business; excellent |
| R | Received; roger; understood |
| K | Go ahead (invitation to transmit) |
| KN | Go ahead, specific station only (others stay out) |
| SK | End of contact; silent key (deceased operator) |
| CL | Closing station |
| DE | From (as in "W1ABC DE W2XYZ") |
| AR | End of message |
| BK | Break (quick back-and-forth) |
| PSE | Please |
| TU | Thank you |
| WX | Weather |
| ANT | Antenna |
| RIG | Radio equipment |
| SIG | Signal |
| HR | Here |
| UR | Your; you're |
| ES | And |
| FER | For |
| AGN | Again |
| BT | Separator (like a period or paragraph break in CW) |
| RPT | Repeat |
| SRI | Sorry |
| GE | Good evening |
| GM | Good morning |
| GA | Good afternoon |
| GN | Good night |
Technical Abbreviations
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| SSB | Single Sideband |
| USB | Upper Sideband |
| LSB | Lower Sideband |
| FM | Frequency Modulation |
| AM | Amplitude Modulation |
| RTTY | Radio Teletype |
| PSK | Phase Shift Keying |
| SWR | Standing Wave Ratio |
| RF | Radio Frequency |
| IF | Intermediate Frequency |
| AF | Audio Frequency |
| AGC | Automatic Gain Control |
| ALC | Automatic Level Control |
| NB | Noise Blanker |
| NR | Noise Reduction |
| ATU | Antenna Tuning Unit |
| PA | Power Amplifier |
| LNA | Low Noise Amplifier |
| BPF | Band Pass Filter |
| VFO | Variable Frequency Oscillator |
| RIT | Receiver Incremental Tuning |
| XIT | Transmitter Incremental Tuning |
| VOX | Voice-Operated Transmit |
NATO Phonetic Alphabet
The NATO phonetic alphabet (also called the ICAO alphabet) is the standard for spelling out callsigns, names, and other information letter by letter. Using it consistently prevents misunderstandings, especially on HF with noise and fading.
| Letter | Phonetic | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| A | Alpha | AL-fah |
| B | Bravo | BRAH-voh |
| C | Charlie | CHAR-lee |
| D | Delta | DELL-tah |
| E | Echo | ECK-oh |
| F | Foxtrot | FOKS-trot |
| G | Golf | GOLF |
| H | Hotel | hoh-TELL |
| I | India | IN-dee-ah |
| J | Juliet | JEW-lee-ett |
| K | Kilo | KEY-loh |
| L | Lima | LEE-mah |
| M | Mike | MIKE |
| N | November | no-VEM-ber |
| O | Oscar | OSS-car |
| P | Papa | pah-PAH |
| Q | Quebec | keh-BECK |
| R | Romeo | ROH-mee-oh |
| S | Sierra | see-AIR-ah |
| T | Tango | TANG-go |
| U | Uniform | YOU-nee-form |
| V | Victor | VIK-tor |
| W | Whiskey | WISS-key |
| X | X-ray | ECKS-ray |
| Y | Yankee | YANG-key |
| Z | Zulu | ZOO-loo |
Numbers
| Number | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| 0 | ZEE-ro |
| 1 | WUN |
| 2 | TOO |
| 3 | TREE |
| 4 | FOW-er |
| 5 | FIFE |
| 6 | SIX |
| 7 | SEV-en |
| 8 | AIT |
| 9 | NIN-er |
Tips for Using Phonetics
- Be consistent. Always use the NATO/ICAO alphabet. Avoid improvised phonetics ("America" for A, "Boston" for B, etc.), as these may not be understood by non-English-speaking operators.
- Use phonetics for your entire callsign at least once per contact, especially on HF and in contests.
- Speak clearly and at a moderate pace. Rushing through phonetics defeats their purpose.
- Emphasize the syllable shown in capitals in the pronunciation guide above. This is part of the standard and aids recognition.
Prosigns (CW)
Prosigns are special CW abbreviations sent as a single character (letters run together without the normal inter-character spacing):
| Prosign | Meaning |
|---|---|
| AR | End of message |
| AS | Wait / Stand by |
| BK | Break / Invite to transmit |
| BT | Separator (new paragraph) |
| CL | Going off the air (closing) |
| KN | Go ahead, specific station only |
| SK | End of contact |
| SOS | Distress signal (international) |
Emergency Communication Phrases
In emergencies, clear and specific language takes priority over abbreviations:
- MAYDAY -- International voice distress call (from French "m'aider" -- help me). Used for life-threatening situations.
- PAN-PAN -- Urgency signal. Serious situation but no immediate threat to life.
- BREAK BREAK -- Used on amateur frequencies to interrupt ongoing communications for emergency traffic.
- EMERGENCY -- Plain language declaration that emergency traffic follows.
See the Emergency Communications section for detailed emergency procedures.
Contributors
IUU6