Q-code · CW operating
QRQ in Morse code
Request to speed up. Sometimes followed by the target WPM.
Morse rendering
--.- .-. --.-
QRQ sent as a normal three-letter group (inter-letter gaps included).
As a question
QRQ? — Shall I send faster?
As an answer
QRQ — Send faster (… WPM).
When this is used
QRQ also names the high-speed CW community — stations who run 35 WPM and up. A 'QRQ contest' is anything above ordinary contest speed.
Examples
| On the air | Plain English |
|---|---|
| QRQ? | Shall I send faster? |
| QRQ 30 | Send at 30 WPM. |
| QRQ NET | High-speed CW net. |
Sending QRQ
| Letter | Morse | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Q | --.- | 13 |
| R | .-. | 7 |
| Q | --.- | 13 |
With the normal three-unit gaps between letters, QRQ is 39 units long. Adding a question mark to make it a question (QRQ?) takes it to 57 units.
| Speed | 5 WPM | 13 WPM | 20 WPM | 25 WPM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time to send | 9.36 s | 3.60 s | 2.34 s | 1.87 s |
What the references say
In ITU-R M.1172, the ITU list of abbreviations and signals for the maritime mobile service, QRQ is a question asking whether to send faster; as an instruction it means send faster, optionally at a stated number of words per minute.
Its opposite in the same list is QRS, send more slowly, which can also carry a words-per-minute figure.
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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