جدول Q

Q codes applicable for use in amateur radio

Informal usage

Chart of the Morse code letters and numerals.^[8]

Some of the common usages of amateur radio codes, including in voice and writing, vary somewhat from their formal, official sense.

QRL? is the accepted form of the question, "Is this frequency in use (or busy)?", the reply to which is typically the letters^[8] "C" (dah di dah dit), "R" (di dah dit) or "Y" (dah di dah dah) which, in the Amateur radio tradition, are the Morse code shorthand for "Confirm", "Roger" or "Yes."

QSK - "I can hear you during my transmission" - refers to a particular mode of Morse code operating in which the receiver is quickly enabled during the spaces between the dits and dahs, which allows another operator to interrupt transmissions. Many modern transceivers incorporate this function, sometimes referred to as full break-in as against semi-break-in in which there is a short delay before the transceiver goes to receive.

QSO - A conversation or contact via amateur radio is often referred to as a QSO, while QSL cards are collected by both radioamateurs and shortwave listeners as confirmation of having received the signal of a particular station.

QSY - "Change to transmission on another frequency"; colloquially, "move [=change address]". E.g., "When did GKB QSY from Northolt to Portishead....?"^[9]

QTH - "My location is…"; colloquially in voice or writing, "location". E.g., "The OCF [antenna] is an interesting build but at my QTH a disappointing performer."^[10]

QTHR - "at the registered address for my callsign", this is used mainly in the United Kingdom and former colonies. Since business may not be discussed on amateur radio, a ham who has personal equipment to sell might say something like "I have a spare Morse key old chap, please contact me QTHR". Not official but in common use;^[11] probably derived from "QTH" + "R" for "registered".

Humorous/Unofficial codes

There are also a few unofficial and humorous codes in use^{[citation needed]}, such as QLF ("are you sending with your left foot"), QPP ("Hold on a minute, I drank a liter of water and need to use the bathroom."), and QSC ("send cigarettes", not the official meaning of "this is a cargo vessel"). In the question form, QNB?, is supposed to mean "How many buttons does your radio have?" A reply of the form QNB 45/15 means "45, and I know what 15 of them do." Another example is QLO, accepted to stand for "Quietly listening out" to indicate that one has signed out of a net, but has not ceased listening. QSJ is sometimes used to refer to the cost of something - "I would like an FT9000 but it is too much QSJ". (QSJ actually means "What is the charge to be collected to ... including your internal charge?").

Note: The ARRL codes QNA-QNZ overlap with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) codes but have different meanings.

Aviation

The majority of the Q codes have slipped out of common use; for example today reports such as QAU ("I am about to jettison fuel") and QAZ ("I am flying in a storm") would be voice or computerized transmissions. But several remain part of the standard ICAO radiotelephony phraseology in aviation.

Altimeter Settings

Radio Navigation

Radio Procedures

Maritime

Q signals are no longer used in the maritime service, as Morse code is now very rarely used.