For those who have an interest in history or who are building a time machine, here are the international communications Q-signals from the 1930 American Radio Relay League Handbook.
Q-Signal | Explanation |
---|---|
QRA | Name of station |
QRB | Approximate distance from your station to mine |
QRC | Accounts for charges to station liquidated by xxx private company |
QRD | Where are you going; I am going to xxx |
QRE | Nationality of station |
QRF | Where do you come from; I come from xxx |
QRG | Your exact wavelength in meters or frequency in kilocycles |
QRH | My exact wavelength of frequency |
QRI | Is my tone bad; my tone is bad |
QRJ | Cannot receive you, signals too weak |
QRK | Receive you well, signals good |
QRL | Are you busy; I am busy |
QRM | Being interfered with |
QRN | Troubled by atmospherics |
QRO | Increase power |
QRP | Decrease power |
QRQ | Send faster |
QRS | Send more slowly |
QRT | Stop sending |
QRU | Have you anything for me; I have nothing for you |
QRV | Send series of Vs |
QRW | Advise xxx that I am calling him |
QRX | Must I wait; wait! |
QRY | Which is my turn; your turn is xxx |
QRZ | Who is calling me; you a being called by xxx |
QSA | Strength of signal (1-5) |
QSB | Strength of signal varies |
QSC | Signal disappears entirely at intervals |
QSD | Is my keying bad; keying is bad |
QSE | Signals distinct? Signals run together |
QSF | Automatic transmission good? Automatic transmission fades out |
QSG | Transmit telegrams by series of 5, 10, or xx |
QSH | Send telegram one at a time |
QSI | Send telegrams in alternate order without repetitions |
QSJ | Charge to be collected per word |
QSK | Suspend traffic and call again at (time) |
QSL | Acknowledgement of receipt |
QSM | Received acknowledgement of receipt |
QSN | Can you receive me now; cannot receive you now |
QSO | Can you/I can communicate with xxx |
QSP | Relay free of charge |
QSQ | Send each word or group once |
QSR | Distress call from xxx has been attended to by yyy |
QSU | Send on xxx meters (kilocycles) waves of Type A1, A2, A3, or B |
QSV | Shift to wave of xxx meters (kilocycles) for rest of communications |
QSW | I will send on xxx meters (kilocycles) waves of Type A1, A2, A3, or B |
QSX | Wavelength (frequency) varies |
QSY | Send on xxx meters (kilocycles) without changing type of wave |
QSZ | Send each word or group twice |
QTA | Cancel telegram # xxx if not yet sent |
QTB | Agree with word count? I do not agree with word count |
QTC | Number of telegrams sent |
QTD | Word count that you are confirming is accepted |
QTE | True bearing is xxx degrees |
QTF | Position of your station based on bearings is xxx |
QTG | 1 minute call signal for radio compass bearings |
QTH | Position in latitude/longitude (or any other indication) |
QTI | True course |
QTJ | Speed in knots |
QTK | True bearing relative to me is xxx degrees |
QTL | Sending signals to permit bearing with respect to the radio beacon |
QTM | Sending radio and submarine sound signals to permit bearing and distance |
QTN | Cannot take bearing of your station |
QTP | Going to enter dock or port |
QTR | Exact time |
QTS | True bearing of my station relative to you |
QTU | Station open from xxx to yyy (times) |
The 1930's list from the American Radio Relay League Handbook is only a partial listing of Q-signals, even at that early date. Like lists in more current ARRL handbooks and operating manuals, the 1930 list contains only those signals thought to be of most use to radio amateurs.
A later (world War II) listing is fairly common among CW fans. My copy of the Combined Operating Signals, a joint U.S.-British production, dates from 1944 and contains only Q-signals, omitting the Z- series and, of course, ARRL's later N- series. My thanks to VE3DNY for sending me a photocopy. Virtually the entire set of combinations appears, with only a few left blank for future use. Each signal is listed twice: once on a left-hand alphabetical listing page and again on a right-hand topical page. The system begins to fold back upon itself. For example, QQP means "Check correctness of last QDR given." This is opaque unless one knows that QDR means "Your magnetic bearing in relation to me is xxx." However opaque the system may seem, the document contains the following warning: "These operating signals possess no security and must be regarded as equivalent to plain language. This must be borne in mind by all users and great care must be taken to avoid giving away information of value to the enemy." The enemy that the authors of the manual had in mind was NOT users of telephony in any of its forms or even non-hams.
Updated 02-10-1998, 01-08-2001. © L. B. Cebik, W4RNL. Data may be used for personal purposes, but may not be reproduced for publication in print or any other medium without permission of the author.