Spend a few minutes listening to any ham band and you'll hear it: "QTH is Orlando," "QSY to 146.52," "going QRT for the night." Those three-letter abbreviations are Q codes, and they're part of the everyday language of amateur radio. This guide gives you the complete list of ham radio Q codes you'll actually hear, what each one means, and how hams use them on voice and CW.
What Are Q Codes?
Q codes are three-letter abbreviations that all start with Q. They were created in the early 1900s for maritime radiotelegraph operators, so ships of different countries could exchange common messages in Morse code without sharing a language. Amateur radio adopted many of them, and over the decades hams have given several of them their own slightly looser meanings.
Formally, each Q code can be a statement or a question. Sent with a question mark, QTH? means "what is your location?" Sent without one, QTH Boston means "my location is Boston." On voice, hams mostly use Q codes as nouns and verbs in ordinary speech: "my QTH," "let's QSY," "I'll QSL."
The Most Common Ham Radio Q Codes
These are the Q codes you'll hear on the air almost every day. If you learn only these, you'll understand nearly every Q code in a normal contact.
- QSO: A contact or conversation between two stations. "Thanks for the QSO."
- QSL: I confirm, or I acknowledge receipt. On voice, "QSL" often just means "got it." It's also where QSL cards get their name, since a card confirms a contact.
- QTH: Location. "My QTH is Tampa."
- QRZ: Who is calling me? You'll hear it after a weak or unclear call, especially in pileups.
- QSY: Change frequency. "Let's QSY to 7.230 so we don't tie up the calling frequency."
- QRT: Stop transmitting, or close down the station. "I'm going QRT for the night."
- QRM: Interference from other stations. "There's some QRM on this frequency."
- QRN: Static or natural noise, like lightning crashes. "The QRN is heavy tonight on 80 meters."
- QSB: Fading signals. "You've got some QSB, but you're readable."
- QRP: Low power, usually 5 watts or less on CW. Hams who enjoy low-power operating call themselves QRP operators.
- QRO: High power, or increase power. The opposite of QRP.
- QRL: Is this frequency in use? On CW, "QRL?" is the standard way to check a frequency before you call CQ.
- QRX: Stand by, or wait. "QRX one minute while I grab a pen."
More Q Codes You'll Hear
These come up less often, but you'll run into them in nets, DX pileups and CW contacts.
- QRS: Send more slowly. A courtesy request on CW when the other station is too fast for you.
- QRQ: Send faster.
- QRV: I am ready, or I'm on the air. "The DXpedition will be QRV starting Tuesday."
- QRU: I have nothing more for you. Often used near the end of a contact or a net check-in.
- QRK: The readability of a signal.
- QRG: Your exact frequency.
- QSK: Full break-in on CW, where you can hear between your own dots and dashes. Also a feature on many radios.
- QSP: Relay a message. Common in traffic nets.
- QST: A general call to all amateurs. It's also the name of the ARRL's monthly magazine.
- QSX: I'm listening on a given frequency. DX stations working split send "QSX" or "UP" to tell callers where to transmit.
- QSA: The strength of a signal.
- QRA: The name of your station.
Other Ham Radio Abbreviations That Aren't Q Codes
A few of the most common shorthand terms on the air aren't Q codes at all, but new operators usually learn them at the same time.
- CQ: Calling any station. "CQ CQ CQ, this is K1ABC."
- 73: Best regards. Used at the end of almost every contact. It's already plural, so "73s" isn't needed.
- 88: Love and kisses. Usually reserved for family and close friends.
- DE: From, or "this is," on CW. "W1AW DE K1ABC."
- DX: Distance, usually meaning a station in another country.
- XYL and YL: A wife, and a young lady, meaning any female operator.
- OM: Old man, used for any male operator regardless of age.
- RST: Readability, strength and tone, the signal report system. "You're 59" means perfectly readable and strong.
- Elmer: A mentor who helps new hams learn the hobby.
Using Q Codes on Voice vs CW
On CW, Q codes save real time. Sending "QTH" is much faster than sending "my location is," and a full CW contact can be built almost entirely out of Q codes and abbreviations.
On voice, the benefit is smaller, and some operators feel too many Q codes on phone sounds forced. Our recommendation is to use the handful that everyone uses naturally on voice, like QTH, QSL, QSY, QRZ and QRT, and to speak in plain English for everything else. In emergency nets especially, plain language is preferred, because the people you're relaying messages for may not know ham shorthand.
Q Codes Worth Memorizing First
If you're newly licensed, we suggest learning these seven first, because you'll use them in your very first contacts:
- QSO, a contact
- QTH, your location
- QSL, confirm or acknowledge
- QRZ, who is calling?
- QSY, change frequency
- QRT, signing off
- QRL, is this frequency in use?
Write them on a card next to the radio for the first few weeks. You'll stop needing it sooner than you think.
Put Your New Vocabulary to Work
The fastest way to learn Q codes is to use them in real contacts. Our guide on how to make your first ham radio contact walks through a complete exchange, and if you want to hear QRZ and QSX in action, a contest weekend like ARRL November Sweepstakes will give you plenty of practice.
Heard a callsign and want to know where the station is? The free QSL Shack callsign lookup shows the operator's QTH, license class and grid square in seconds. And when you've had a good QSO, log it in QSL Shack. If the other operator logs it too, the contact is confirmed and your QSL cards are exchanged automatically, so you can QSL without ever buying a stamp.