The original Q-codes were created, ''circa'' 1909, by the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[government]] as a "List of abbreviations ... prepared for the use of British ships and coast stations licensed by the [[Postmaster General of the United Kingdom|Postmaster General]]".<ref>{{cite book |last=Great Britain|first=Post Office|date=October 1909|title=Handbook for wireless telegraph operators working installations licensed by His Majesty's postmaster-general|oclc=40616664|___location=London|publisher=His Majesty's Stationery Office|at=appendix iii}}</ref> The Q-codes facilitated communication between maritime radio operators speaking different [[language]]s, so they were soon adopted internationally. A total of forty-five Q-codes appeared in the "List of Abbreviations to be used in Radio Communications", which was included in the Service Regulations affixed to the [[International Radiotelegraph Convention (1912)|Second International Radiotelegraph Convention in London]] (The Convention was signed on July 5, 1912, and became effective July 1, 1913.)
The following table reviews a sample of the all-services Q-codes adopted by the 1912 convention:
