Phonetic Alphabet
The NATO/ITU set, used worldwide. Stick to it — invented phonetics cause more repeats than they save, especially when the other operator does not share your first language.
- A Alfa
- B Bravo
- C Charlie
- D Delta
- E Echo
- F Foxtrot
- G Golf
- H Hotel
- I India
- J Juliett
- K Kilo
- L Lima
- M Mike
- N November
- O Oscar
- P Papa
- Q Quebec
- R Romeo
- S Sierra
- T Tango
- U Uniform
- V Victor
- W Whiskey
- X X-ray
- Y Yankee
- Z Zulu
RST Reports
A signal report is read as Readability, Strength and — on CW only — Tone. A voice report has two digits; a CW report has three. “Five nine” means perfectly readable and extremely strong.
R — Readability
1 to 5. Can you make out the words?
- 1
- Unreadable
- 2
- Barely readable, occasional words
- 3
- Readable with difficulty
- 4
- Readable with practically no difficulty
- 5
- Perfectly readable
S — Strength
1 to 9. How loud is it?
- 1
- Faint, barely perceptible
- 3
- Weak
- 5
- Fairly good
- 7
- Moderately strong
- 9
- Extremely strong
T — Tone
1 to 9, CW only. How clean is the note?
- 1
- Extremely rough, hissing
- 5
- Musically modulated
- 7
- Near pure tone, trace of ripple
- 9
- Perfect tone, no trace of ripple or modulation
In contests and pile-ups nearly everyone sends 59 or 599 regardless of the real signal, to keep exchanges short. In a rag chew an honest report is far more useful — it tells the other operator something about their antenna.