HAM Radio “Q” Codes
Ever wonder what those HAM guys are saying when they say QSY or many of those other Q things they say? Well here is a list.
The Q-code is an international set of abbreviations that was created at the beginning of the last century to simplify radiotelegraph communication. Each code is composed by three letters always starting with Q. Each code can be a question if followed by a question mark or an answer (or statement) if not. To avoid confusion, no station call-sign begins with Q.
You will hear HAMs using Q codes on the air via voice, however this is not the place for it. Q codes are still used in CW communications, but using them on voice violates plain language principles not to mention it is jargon which can really chase new and perspective HAMs away. They have their place, it’s important to know where it is. Many HAMs still don’t, and I will be the first to admit, I was one of them until recently because I am not a CW guy.
Amateur radio international Q-code
Amateur radio operators use a subset of the full international Q-code and they use it extensively still today. In many countries, learning this code is necessary to obtain a ham radio license; the exact subset used may slightly vary from country to country. Hereunder the most common codes.Sometimes Q-codes are used informally with a slightly different meaning.
| Code | Question | Answer |
| QRA | What is the name (or call sign) of your station? | The name (or call sign) of my station is … |
| QRB | How far are you from my station? | The distance between our stations is … nautical miles (or km). |
| QRG | Will you tell me my exact frequency (or that of …)? | Your exact frequency (or that of … ) is … kHz (or MHz). |
| 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) |
| QRK | What is the readability of my signals (or those of …)? | The readability of your signals (or those of …) is … (1: bad .. 5: excellent). |
| QRL | Are you busy? | I am busy. (or I am busy with … ) Please do not interfere. |
| QRM | Do you have interference? | I have interference. |
| QRN | Are you troubled by static noise? | I am troubled by static noise. |
| QRO | Shall I increase transmit power? | Please increase transmit power. |
| QRP | Shall I decrease transmit power? | Please decrease transmit power. |
| QRQ | Shall I send faster? | Please send faster (… words per minute). |
| QRS | Shall I send more slowly? | Please send more slowly (… words per minute). |
| QRT | Shall I cease or suspend operation? | I am suspending operation. |
| QRU | Have you anything for me? | I have nothing for you. |
| QRV | Are you ready? | I am ready. |
| QRX | Shall I standby? / When will you call me again? | Please standby. / I will call you again at … (hours) on … kHz (or MHz). |
| QRZ | Who is calling me? | You are being called by … (on … kHz (or MHz)). |
| QSA | What is the strength of my signals (or those of … )? | The strength of your signals (or those of …) is … (1: very weak .. 5: very strong). |
| QSB | Are my signals fading? | Your signals are fading. |
| QSD | Is my keying defective? | Your keying is defective. |
| QSK | Can you hear me between your signals (while transmitting), and if so can I break in on your transmission? | I can hear you between my signals (while transmitting); break in on my transmission. |
| QSL | Can you acknowledge receipt? | I am acknowledging receipt. |
| QSM | Shall I repeat the last telegram (message) which I sent you, or some previous telegram (message)? | Repeat the last telegram (message) which you sent me (or telegram(s) (message(s)) numbers(s) …). |
| QSN | Did you hear me (or …) on … kHz (or MHz)? | I did hear you (or …) on … kHz (or MHz). |
| QSO | Can you communicate with … direct or by relay? | I can communicate with … direct (or by relay through …). |
| QSP | Will you relay a message to …? | I will relay a message to … . |
| QSS | What working frequency will you use? | I will use … kHz (or MHz). |
| QSU | Shall I send or reply on this frequency (or on … kHz (or MHz))? | Please send or reply on this frequency (or on … kHz (or MHz)). |
| QSV | Shall I send a series of “V” on this frequency (or on … kHz (or MHz))? | Please send a series of “V” on this frequency (or on … kHz (or MHz)). |
| QSX | Will you listen to … on … kHz (or MHz)? | I am listening to … on … kHz (or MHz). |
| QSY | Shall I change transmission frequency (to … kHz (or MHz))? | Please change transmission frequency (to … kHz (or MHz)). |
| QSZ | Shall I send each word or group more than once? | Send each word or group twice (or … times). |
| QTC | How many telegrams (messages) have you to send? | I have … telegrams (messages) for you (or for …). |
| QTH | What is your position in latitude and longitude (or according to any other indication)? | My position is … latitude, … longitude. |
| QTR | What is the correct time? | The correct time is … hours. |
Amateur radio informal Q-code
In informal ham language, some codes have slightly diverted from their original meaning and are used just as a replacement for a specific word. The table below summarizes the most common:
| QRA | Name |
| QRB | Distance |
| QRG | Frequency |
| QRK | Intelligibility |
| QRL | Busy |
| QRM | Interference |
| QRN | Noise |
| QRO | High power |
| QRP | Low power |
| QRQ | High speed CW |
| QRS | Low speed CW |
| QRSS | Very low speed CW |
| QRT | Shut down the station |
| QRV | Ready |
| QRX | Stand by |
| QRZ? | Who is calling me? |
| QSB | Fading |
| QSD | Defective keying |
| QSK | Break in |
| QSL | Confirmation or card to confirm contact |
| QSO | Radio contact |
| QSY | Change frequency |
| QTC | Message |
| QTH | Location |
| QTR | Time |
Full international Q-code
This is a more complete Q-code set that includes almost all codes from QRA to QUZ but the majority of them are for maritime/rescue use and are seldom used by amateur radio operators.Then, there are many other Q-codes from QAA to QZZ in use in aviation and maritime traffic that are out of scope here.
Here only the “question” part is shown, but it’s easy to guess the answer from the question.
| QRA | What is the name of your station? |
| QRB | How far approximately are you from my station? |
| QRC | By what enterprise are the accounts for charges for your station settled? |
| QRD | Where are you bound for and where are you from? |
| QRE | What is your estimated time of arrival at … (over …)? |
| QRF | Are you returning to … ? |
| QRG | Will you tell me my exact frequency (or that of …)? |
| QRH | Does my frequency vary? |
| QRI | How is the tone of my transmission? |
| QRJ | How many radiotelephone calls have you to book? |
| QRK | What is the intelligibility of my signals (or those of …)? |
| QRL | Are you busy? |
| QRM | Are you being interfered with? |
| QRN | Are you troubled by static? |
| QRO | Shall I increase transmitter power? |
| QRP | Shall I decrease transmitter power? |
| QRQ | Shall I send faster? |
| QRR | Are you ready for automatic operation? |
| QRS | Shall I send more slowly? |
| QRT | Shall I stop sending? |
| QRU | Have you anything for me? |
| QRV | Are you ready? |
| QRW | Shall I inform … that you are calling him on … kHz (or MHz)? |
| QRX | When will you call me again? |
| QRY | What is my turn? |
| QRZ | Who is calling me? |
| QSA | What is the strength of my signals (or those of …)? |
| QSB | Are my signals fading? |
| QSC | Are you a cargo vessel? |
| QSD | Is my keying defective? |
| QSE | What is the estimated drift of the survival craft? |
| QSF | Have you effected rescue? |
| QSG | Shall I send … telegrams at a time? |
| QSH | Are you able to home on your direction-finding equipment? |
| QSI | I have been unable to break in on your transmission. |
| QSJ | What is the charge to be collected to … including your internal charge? |
| QSK | Can you hear me between your signals and if so can I break in on your transmission? |
| QSL | Can you acknowledge receipt? |
| QSM | Shall I repeat the last telegram which I sent you (or some previous telegram)? |
| QSN | Did you hear me (or … ) on … kHz (or MHz)? |
| QSO | Can you communicate with … direct (or by relay)? |
| QSP | Will you relay to … free of charge? |
| QSQ | Have you a doctor on board (or is … on board)? |
| QSR | Shall I repeat the call on the calling frequency? |
| QSS | What working frequency will you use? |
| QSU | Shall I send or reply on this frequency (or on … kHz (or MHz)) |
| QSV | Shall I send a series of Vs on this frequency (or on … kHz (or MHz))? |
| QSW | Will you send on this frequency (or on … kHz (or MHz)) |
| QSX | Will you listen to … on … kHz (or MHz)? |
| QSY | Shall I change to transmission on another frequency? |
| QSZ | Shall I send each word or group more than once? |
| QTA | Shall I cancel telegram (or message) number … ? |
| QTB | Do you agree with my counting of words? |
| QTC | How many telegrams have you to send? |
| QTD | What has the rescue vessel or rescue aircraft recovered? |
| QTE | What is my true bearing from you? |
| QTF | Will you give me my position according to your bearings? |
| QTG | Will you send two dashes of ten seconds each followed by your call sign (repeated … times) (on … kHz (or MHz))? |
| QTH | What is your position in latitude and longitude? |
| QTI | What is your true track? |
| QTI | What is your true course? |
| QTJ | What is your speed? |
| QTK | What is the speed of your aircraft in relation to the surface of the Earth? |
| QTL | What is your true heading? |
| QTM | What is your magnetic heading? |
| QTN | At what time did you depart from … (place)? |
| QTO | Have you left dock (or port)? |
| QTP | Are you going to enter dock (or port)? |
| QTQ | Can you communicate with my station by means of the International Code of Signals? |
| QTR | What is the correct time? |
| QTS | Will you send your call sign for tuning purposes or so that your frequency can be measured now (or at … hours) on … kHz (or MHz)? |
| QTT | The identification signal which follows is superimposed on another transmission. |
| QTU | What are the hours during which your station is open? |
| QTV | Shall I stand guard for you on the frequency of … kHz (or MHz) (from … to … hours)? |
| QTW | What is the condition of survivors? |
| QTX | Will you keep your station open for further communication with me until further notice (or until … hours)? |
| QTY | Are you proceeding to the position of incident and if so when do you expect to arrive? |
| QTZ | Are you continuing the search? |
| QUA | Have you news of … ? |
| QUB | Can you give me in the following order information concerning: the direction in degrees and speed of the surface wind, visibility, present weather, and amount, type and height of base of cloud above surface elevation at … ? |
| QUC | What is the number (or other indication) of the last message you received from me (or from …)? |
| QUD | Have you received the urgency signal sent by … (call sign of mobile station)? |
| QUE | Can you use telephony in … (language), with interpreter if necessary; if so, on what frequencies? |
| QUF | Have you received the distress signal sent by …? |
| QUG | Will you be forced to alight (or land)? |
| QUH | Will you give me the present barometric pressure at sea level? |
| QUI | Are your navigation lights working? |
| QUJ | Will you indicate the true track to reach you (or …)? |
| QUK | Can you tell me the condition of the sea observed at …? |
| QUL | Can you tell me the swell observed at …? |
| QUM | May I resume normal working? |
| QUN | Will vessels in my immediate vicinity please indicate their position, cruise and speed? |
| QUO | Shall I search for … (aircraft, ship, survival craft)? |
| QUP | Will you indicate your position by searchlight, black smoke trail, pyrotechnic lights? |
| QUQ | Shall I train my searchlight nearly vertical on a cloud, and if your aircraft is seen, deflect the beam up wind and on the water? |
| QUR | Have survivors … (1. received survival equipment, 2. been picked up by rescue vessel, 3. been reached by ground rescue) party? |
| QUS | Have you sighted survivors or wreckage? |
| QUT | Is position of incident marked? |
| QUU | Shall I home ship or aircraft to my position? |
| QUW | Are you in the search area designated as …? |
| QUX | Do you have any navigational warnings or gale warnings in force? |
| QUY | Is position of survival craft marked? |
| QUZ | May I resume restricted working? |