Q-Codes — Operating
QRL
Are you busy / Frequency in use
Always check before transmitting
QRM
Man-made interference
Other stations causing noise
QRN
Natural static / noise
Lightning, atmospheric noise
QRO
Increase transmitter power
QRP
Decrease power / Low power ops
Under 5W — popular contest category
QRQ
Send faster
Increase CW speed
QRS
Send more slowly
Reduce CW speed
QRT
Stop sending / Closing station
Signing off
QRU
I have nothing for you
No traffic
QRV
I am ready / Are you ready?
Station available
QRX
Stand by / Wait
Pause transmission
QRZ
Who is calling me?
Also a callsign lookup website
QSB
Signal fading
Propagation variation
QSK
Break-in operation
Can hear between dits
QSL
I confirm receipt / Confirmation card
QSL card = proof of contact
QSO
Direct two-way contact
A QSO = a ham radio contact
QSP
Relay to...
Pass message via third station
QST
General call to all stations
Bulletin follows — ARRL use
QSY
Change frequency to...
Move to another freq
QTH
My location is...
Most used Q-code in casual ops
QTR
The time is...
Time check
QTC
I have messages for you
Traffic follows
Q-Codes — Station Info
QRA
Name of station
QRB
Distance between stations
QRG
Your exact frequency is...
QRH
Frequency varies
QRI
Tone of transmission 1-3
QRK
Readability 1-5
QSA
Signal strength 1-5
QSX
Listening on frequency...
Split operation
QDM
Magnetic heading to reach you
Direction finding
Q-Codes — Propagation
QSB
Signal fading
Common on HF bands
QSD
Defective sending
CW keying issues
QSK
Can you hear between signals?
Full break-in CW
QSN
Did you hear me on this frequency?
QSM
Repeat last message
Send again
Common Abbreviations
73
Best regards
Universal ham farewell
88
Love and kisses
Sent to YL/XYL
55
Best success
Courtesy number
CQ
Calling any station
CQ DX = calling DX only
DE
From this is
ZL2ABC DE ZL1XYZ
DX
Long distance / rare contact
Chasing DX = working rare countries
ES
And
Shorthand in CW
FB
Fine business — excellent
FB OM = well done
HI
Laughter in CW
Morse equivalent of LOL
OM
Old man — any male operator
Friendly regardless of age
OP
Operator
OP here is Eric
PSE
Please
PSE QSL = please confirm
RIG
Radio equipment
My rig is an IC-7300
RST
Readability Signal Tone report
59 = perfect phone signal
TKS
Thanks
TKS FR QSO = thanks for contact
TU
Thank you
Common CW sign-off
UR
Your
UR RST is 59
VY
Very
VY 73 = very best regards
WX
Weather
WX here is sunny 22C
XYL
Wife ex-young lady
YL
Young lady — any female operator
AGN
Again
PSE AGN = please again
K
Go ahead — any station
Open invitation
KN
Go ahead — specific station only
Closed invitation
SK
End of contact / Silent key
Also means deceased operator
AR
End of transmission
No reply expected
BK
Break / partial break-in
Quick interruption
CUAGN
See you again
Common sign-off
HF Band Plan
160m (1.8 MHz)
Top band — night DX, noisy
Challenging, respected by operators
80m (3.5 MHz)
Regional night, DX at night
Popular for nets and rag-chewing
40m (7 MHz)
Best all-rounder — day/night DX
Most active HF band globally
30m (10 MHz)
WARC — CW/digital only
No phone/SSB allowed
20m (14 MHz)
International DX workhorse
Always open somewhere
17m (18 MHz)
WARC — excellent DX
Often less crowded than 20m
15m (21 MHz)
DX when solar active
Best during solar cycle peaks
10m (28 MHz)
Global DX when open
Amazing when open, dead when not
6m (50 MHz)
Magic band — sporadic E
Unpredictable, exciting DX
2m (144 MHz)
Local/regional — FM repeaters
Most common VHF band
70cm (430 MHz)
Local FM, satellites, digital
Common handheld band
RST Signal Report
R1
Unreadable
Cannot copy
R2
Barely readable
Occasional words
R3
Readable with difficulty
R4
Readable little difficulty
R5
Perfectly readable
S1
Faint signal
S5
Fair signal
S7
Moderately strong
S9
Extremely strong
Perfect — 59 is ideal phone report
T1
Extremely rough tone
CW only
T9
Perfect tone
599 = perfect CW report
ITU Regions and NZ Callsigns
Region 1
Europe, Africa, Middle East, Russia
Region 2
Americas
North and South America
Region 3
Asia-Pacific
NZ, Australia, Japan, China
ZL prefix
New Zealand
ZL1=Auckland · ZL2=Wellington · ZL3=Christchurch · ZL4=Dunedin
VK prefix
Australia
Nearest neighbour — lots of ZL-VK contacts
W/K prefix
United States
Most active DX country
JA prefix
Japan
Strong ham culture, good DX from ZL
DXCC
DX Century Club — 100+ countries confirmed
Most prestigious ham achievement
Essentials
Callsign format: Prefix (country) + number (region) + suffix · e.g. ZL2ABC = NZ region 2
NZ prefix ZL: ZL1=Auckland/Northland · ZL2=Wellington · ZL3=Christchurch · ZL4=Dunedin
73 = Best regards · 88 = Love and kisses · CQ = Calling any station · SK = End of contact
NZ prefix ZL: ZL1=Auckland/Northland · ZL2=Wellington · ZL3=Christchurch · ZL4=Dunedin
73 = Best regards · 88 = Love and kisses · CQ = Calling any station · SK = End of contact