Q Signals & Terms
8a3.
Explain at least five Q signals or amateur radio terms.
Q Signals
Q signals are three-letter abbreviations starting with “Q” that originated in maritime radio telegraphy. They save time and transcend language barriers. Each Q signal can be either a question (with a question mark) or a statement.
Here are the most commonly used Q signals in amateur radio:
| Q Signal | As a Question | As a Statement |
|---|---|---|
| QRZ | Who is calling me? | You are being called by… |
| QTH | What is your location? | My location is… |
| QSL | Can you acknowledge receipt? | I acknowledge receipt |
| QSO | Can you communicate with…? | I can communicate with… (also used as a noun: “a QSO” means a contact) |
| 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) |
| QSY | Shall I change frequency? | Change frequency to… |
| QRV | Are you ready? | I am ready |
| QRP | Shall I decrease power? | Decrease power (also used to describe low-power operating) |
QRZ
- As a Question
- Who is calling me?
- As a Statement
- You are being called by…
QTH
- As a Question
- What is your location?
- As a Statement
- My location is…
QSL
- As a Question
- Can you acknowledge receipt?
- As a Statement
- I acknowledge receipt
QSO
- As a Question
- Can you communicate with…?
- As a Statement
- I can communicate with… (also used as a noun: “a QSO” means a contact)
QRM
- As a Question
- Are you being interfered with?
- As a Statement
- I am being interfered with (man-made interference)
QRN
- As a Question
- Are you troubled by static?
- As a Statement
- I am troubled by static (natural noise)
QSY
- As a Question
- Shall I change frequency?
- As a Statement
- Change frequency to…
QRV
- As a Question
- Are you ready?
- As a Statement
- I am ready
QRP
- As a Question
- Shall I decrease power?
- As a Statement
- Decrease power (also used to describe low-power operating)
Common Amateur Radio Terms
Beyond Q signals, hams use many specialized terms:
- 73 — Best regards (a universal sign-off, never pluralized — “73” not “73s”)
- CQ — A general call seeking any station to respond (“CQ CQ CQ, this is W5ABC”)
- Ragchew — A long, casual conversation between operators
- Elmer — An experienced ham who mentors a newcomer
- Rig — A radio transceiver
- Shack — The room or space where a ham operates their station
- Pileup — Many stations calling one station simultaneously (common when a rare DX station is on the air)
- RST — Signal report system: Readability (1–5), Strength (1–9), Tone (1–9, for CW only)
- HT — Handheld transceiver (handie-talkie)
- Repeater offset — The frequency difference between a repeater’s input and output frequency