Q-code · CW operating
QRK in Morse code
Asks the receiving station to rate how readable your signal is on the standard 1–5 scale.
Morse rendering
--.- .-. -.-
QRK sent as a normal three-letter group (inter-letter gaps included).
As a question
QRK? — What is the readability of my signals (1–5)?
As an answer
QRK — Your readability is …
When this is used
The ITU scale runs 1 (bad) to 5 (excellent). Amateur contacts usually give the same judgement as the R in an RST report instead, where R1 is unreadable and R5 perfectly readable.
Examples
| On the air | Plain English |
|---|---|
| QRK? | How readable am I? |
| QRK 5 | Your readability is 5 (perfect). |
| RST 599 | Readability 5, Strength 9, Tone 9. |
Sending QRK
| Letter | Morse | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Q | --.- | 13 |
| R | .-. | 7 |
| K | -.- | 9 |
With the normal three-unit gaps between letters, QRK is 35 units long. Adding a question mark to make it a question (QRK?) takes it to 53 units.
| Speed | 5 WPM | 13 WPM | 20 WPM | 25 WPM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time to send | 8.40 s | 3.23 s | 2.10 s | 1.68 s |
What the references say
In ITU-R M.1172, the ITU list of abbreviations and signals for the maritime mobile service, QRK is a question asking how intelligible your signals are, answered on a five-step scale.
| Reply | Meaning | Morse |
|---|---|---|
| QRK1 | bad | --.- .-. -.- .---- |
| QRK2 | poor | --.- .-. -.- ..--- |
| QRK3 | fair | --.- .-. -.- ...-- |
| QRK4 | good | --.- .-. -.- ....- |
| QRK5 | excellent | --.- .-. -.- ..... |
Amateur contacts normally give the same judgement as the R in an RST signal report, where R1 is unreadable and R5 perfectly readable.
How any Q-code is sent
- Followed by a question mark, a Q-code becomes a question; any extra details go before the question mark.
- Some Q-codes take C (yes) or NO straight after them to give an affirmative or negative sense.
- Where a Q-code has numbered meanings, the figure is sent immediately after it, with no space.
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