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{{Redirect|Qra|the letter used in place of Q in some Inuit orthographies|Kra (letter)}}
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The '''Q-code''' is a standardised collection of three-letter codes that each start with the letter "Q". It is an [[Operating signals|operating signal]] initially developed for commercial [[radiotelegraphy|radiotelegraph]] communication and later adopted by other radio services, especially [[amateur radio]]. To distinguish the use of a Q-code transmitted as a question from the same Q-code transmitted as a statement, operators either prefixed it with the military network question marker "{{overline|INT}}" (dit dit dah dit dah) or suffixed it with the standard Morse question mark {{overline|UD}} (dit dit dah dah dit dit).
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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
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
Many military and other organisations that use Morse code have adopted additional codes, including the [[Z code]] used by most European and [[NATO]] countries. The Z code adds commands and questions adapted for military radio transmissions, for example, "ZBW 2", which means "change to backup frequency number 2", and "ZNB abc", which means "my checksum is abc, what is yours?"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.armymars.net/ArmyMARS/DigitalOps/Resources/acp131-operating-sigs.pdf |id=ACP 131(E) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111119091213/http://www.armymars.net/ArmyMARS/DigitalOps/Resources/acp131-operating-sigs.pdf |archive-date=2011-11-19 |series=Communications Instructions |title=Operating Signals |date=March 1997 |quote=Chapter 2 contains a full list of 'Q' codes}}</ref>
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{{Main|Maritime Mobile Service Q Codes}}
This assignment is specified in ''RECOMMENDATION ITU-R M.1172''.<ref>{{cite web |title=RECOMMENDATION 1172 |id=ITU-R M.1172 |url=http://life.itu.int/radioclub/rr/m1172.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150421175748/http://life.itu.int/radioclub/rr/m1172.htm |archive-date=2015-04-21
Q signals are not substantially used in the maritime service. Morse code is now very rarely used for maritime communications, but in isolated maritime regions like Antarctica and the South Pacific the use of Q-codes continues. Q-codes still work when HF voice circuits are not possible due to atmospherics and the nearest vessel is one ionospheric hop away.
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'''QSH''' – "Stay happy and healthy."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dx-world.net/stay-at-home-award/ |title=Stay At Home Award |website=dx-world.net |date=7 April 2020 }} – temporary Q code for use during the COVID-19 lock down in 2020.</ref>
'''[[QSK operation (full break-in)|QSK]]''' – "I can hear you during my transmission" – refers to a particular mode of Morse code operating often called [[QSK operation (full break-in)]] in which the receiver is quickly enabled during the spaces between the dits and dahs, which allows another operator to interrupt transmissions. Many modern [[transceivers]] incorporate this function, sometimes referred to as ''full break-in'' as against ''semi-break-in'' in which there is a short delay before the transceiver goes to receive.<ref name="CIOS">{{cite web |url=http://jcs.dtic.mil/j6/cceb/acps/acp131/ACP131F.pdf |title=Communications Instructions Operating Signals |date=April 2006 |publisher=[[Combined Communications Electronics Board]] |access-date=2014-05-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120906015123/http://jcs.dtic.mil/j6/cceb/acps/acp131/ACP131F.pdf |archive-date=September 6, 2012
'''QSY''' – "Change to transmission on another frequency"; colloquially, "move [=change address]". E.g., "When did [http://www.qsl.net/gm3zdh/coast/uk/gka/closedown/final-msg.htm GKB] QSY from Northolt to Portishead?"<ref>{{cite web |url=https://groups.google.com/d/msg/uk.radio.amateur/5LRgiCMoNcI/kObVDDoEi9gJ |format=Post |title=The uk.radio.amateur newsgroup |date=2010-08-21 |access-date=2013-08-04
'''QTH''' – "My ___location is ____"; colloquially in voice or writing, "___location". E.g., "The OCF ''[antenna type]'' is an interesting build but at my QTH a disappointing performer."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.amateur-radio-wiki.net/index.php?title=Has_anyone_used_a_tuner_with_an_Off_Centre_Fed_Dipole%3F_How_well_did_it_work%3F |title=Has anyone used a tuner with an Off Centre Fed Dipole? How well did it work? |website=Amateur Radio Wiki |access-date=2013-08-04
'''QTHR''' – "At the registered ___location ____"; chiefly British use. Historically, the ___location in the printed Callbook; modernly, "as given in online government records for my callsign". E.g., "You can contact me QTHR".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ukrepeater.net/list1q.php |title=List of repeaters in the UK sorted by QTHR |access-date=2016-06-01
====German use during World War II====
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