QSA and QRK radio signal reports
QSA system for radiotelegraphy
One of the earliest signal reporting formats is a part of the Q code used for commercial radiotelegraph communication, and later adopted by other radio services, especially amateur radio. The format was mandated by the Madrid Convention (Appendix 10, General Regulations) prior to 1936, and specified the following reporting format, as found in the 1936 edition of the ARRL's The Radio Amateur's Handbook[1] and Radiotelegraph & Radiotelephone Codes, Prowords and Abbreviations.[2]
| Request from first station | Response from receiving station | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| QRK (replaced earlier QJS) | QSA1 | Hardly perceptible, unreadable |
| QSA2 | Weak, readable now and then | |
| QSA3 | Fairly good, readable but with difficulty | |
| QSA4 | Good, readable | |
| QSA5 | Very good, perfectly readable |
The book goes on to note that "Some of the definitions, however, appear to confuse audibility or signal strength with readability, which may be impaired even when signals are strong, by atmospherics, interference, a noisy receiver, etc.", and that because of this Amateurs supplemented the QSA system reports with a readability scale, called the R-System, which used a scale of 1 to 9. The book describes the QSA- and R-systems immediately after describing the R-S-T system, and notes that the R-S-T report format, because it is three digits long, cannot be confused with either of the earlier systems. The book does not clarify the method for requesting an R-S-T report instead of a QSA report.[1]
The report example given uses military call signs and the obsolete Q Code of QJS for readability instead of the current QRK:
| Station | Transmission |
|---|---|
| MB6 | 3MY V MB6 QJS 3 K |
| 3MY | MB6 V 3MY INT QJS K |
| MB6 | 3MY V MB6 QJS 4 AR |
| MB6 | S7P V MB6 INT QJS INT QSA K |
| S7P | MB6 V S7P QJS 3 QSA 3 AR |
The modern equivalent of that manual is ACP131(F),[3] which includes these entries:
| Signal | Question | Answer, Advice, or Order |
|---|---|---|
| QRK | What is the intelligibility of my signals (or those of...)? | The intelligibility of your signals (or those of...) is...
|
| QSA | What is the strength of my signals (or those of...)? | The strength of your signals (or those of...) is...
|
See also
- Other signal reporting codes
- SINPO code (ITU-R SM.1135; for shortwave radio reception, used by the BBC)
- R-S-T system (for Amateur radio only)
- Circuit Merit (for wired telephone circuits only)
- Plain language radio checks
References
- ^ a b The Radio Amateur's Handbook (PDF). ARRL. 1936. p. 364.
- ^ "Radiotelegraph & Radiotelephone Codes, Prowords and Abbreviations".
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "ACP 131(F) - Communications Instructions Operating Signals, April 2009" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 6, 2012.
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