Q code: Difference between revisions

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Over the years the original Q-codes were modified to reflect changes in radio practice. For example, QSW / QSX originally stood for, "Shall I increase / decrease my spark frequency?", but in the 1920s [[spark-gap transmitter]]s were gradually being banned from land stations, making that meaning obsolete.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sEeaJC_y22EC&q=spark&pg=PA14-IA15|title=Contact at Sea: A History of Maritime Radio Communications|first=Peter B.|last=Schroeder|date=December 29, 1967|publisher=Ardent Media|via=Google Books}}</ref> By the 1970s, the ''Post Office Handbook for Radio Operators'' listed over a hundred Q-codes,<ref>{{cite book |title=Handbook for Radio Operators |date=1975 |publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office |___location=London |isbn=0118804626 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/HandbookForRadioOperators/page/n172 155]–174 |url=https://archive.org/details/HandbookForRadioOperators |access-date=16 April 2019}}</ref> covering a wide range of subjects including radio procedures, meteorology, radio direction finding, and search and rescue.
 
Some Q-codes are also used in [[aviation]], in particular QNE, QNH and QFE, referring to certain [[altimeter setting]]s. These codes are used in radiotelephone conversations with [[air traffic control]] as unambiguous shorthand, where safety and efficiency are of vital importance. A subset of Q-codes is used by the [[Miami-Dade County, Florida]] local government for law enforcement and fire rescue communications, one of the few instances where Q-codes are used in ground voice communication.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=National Communications Magazine |url=http://bearcat1.com/radiofl.htm |title=Radio codes & signals – Florida |access-date=2010-01-30 |archive-date=24 January 1998 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980124072704/http://www.bearcat1.com/radiofl.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 
The QAA–QNZ code range includes phrases applicable primarily to the aeronautical service,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.airwaysmuseum.com/Q%20code.htm |title=The Q-Code |access-date=5 September 2016}}</ref> as defined by the [[International Civil Aviation Organization]].<ref>{{cite book |publisher=[[ICAO]] |series=Procedures for Air Navigation Services (PANS) |id=Doc 8400 |title=The ICAO Q-Code}}</ref> The QOA–QQZ code range is reserved for the maritime service. The QRA–QUZ code range includes phrases applicable to all services and is allocated to the [[International Telecommunication Union]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/navy/nrtc/14244_ch4.pdf |title=SM |access-date=2016-09-06}}</ref> QVA–QZZ are not allocated.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.portland-amateur-radio-club.org.uk/resources/q-codes.pdf |title=portland-amateur-radio-club.org.uk |access-date=5 September 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006210352/http://www.portland-amateur-radio-club.org.uk/resources/q-codes.pdf |archive-date=6 October 2011}}</ref> Many codes have no immediate applicability outside one individual service, such as maritime operation (many QO or QU series codes) or [[radioteletype]] operation (the QJ series).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kyalami.homeip.net/qcodes.htm |title=Q-Codes |access-date=2009-03-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090323113250/http://kyalami.homeip.net/qcodes.htm |archive-date=2009-03-23 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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Used in their formal question / answer sense, the meaning of a Q-code varies depending on whether the individual Q-code is sent as a question or an answer. For example, the message "QRP?" means "Shall I decrease transmitter power?", and a reply of "QRP" means "Yes, decrease your transmitter power", whereas an unprompted statement "QRP" means "Please decrease your transmitter power". This structured use of Q-codes is fairly rare and now mainly limited to amateur radio and military [[Morse code]] (CW) traffic networks.
 
Under U.S. F.C.C. Regulations, CFR 47 97.113(a)(4), Amateurs are not permitted to 'transmit codes or ciphers' (historical description), allowing only that 'plain- language communications' may be transmitted. The term 'Q-Signal' has been historically used in that context, not 'Q-Code,' - the use of 'Code' is technically a violation of F.C.C. Regulations. This essentially examples, in the U.S. the historic separation between Amateur and Commercial/Military radio services
 
==Listing according to service==
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During World War II, according to [[Bletchley Park]]’s ''General Report on Tunny,''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alanturing.net/turing_archive/archive/t/t01/TR01-016.html |title=TR01-016 |website=www.alanturing.net}}</ref> German radio teleprinter networks used Q-codes to establish and maintain circuit connections.
 
In particular: '''QKP''' [ought to be 'QEP', not 'QKP' - the print in the source document isn't very clear] was to indicate the [[Lorenz cipher]] machine setting for each message and, '''QZZ''' to indicate that the daily key change was about to take place at the sender's station.
 
== See also ==