[Elecraft] K3: Is it wrong?

[Fred Jensen]

Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:
> 
> I far prefer the QSA reporting system: 1 to 5. 5 perfect copy. 1 is
> detectable but not readable signal. 

Well ... not exactly.  QSA? means "What is the strength of my signals?" 
   QRK? means "What is the readability of my signals (or those of ...)?"

QKB? was at one time informally assigned the meaning, "How many knobs 
does your radio have?", and QKK? -- "How many of those do you actually 
know how to use?"  I haven't heard them in a long time :-)

> Works for any mode. It's commonly used
> on commercial systems, but we Hams aren't that logical <G>. 

Well ... I don't hit the phone bands much except in a few contests, so I 
don't know if the usage is still around, but again years ago it was 
common to hear someone say, "Well Mike, you're Q five tonight as usual." 
  I never knew if that meant QSA five or QRK five, but it did seem to 
mean "armchair copy."

When I was a relief op at a coastal marine station in 1956 [16 and a HS 
senior], the prosign INT [for interrogatory] would precede the Q-sig to 
make it take its question form.  The Morse "?" was also IMI for "repeat" 
or "I will repeat."  I don't know when INT disappeared, and I don't ever 
remember hearing it on the ham bands.

To the question of giving an RST 529, sure.  My place is pretty quiet, 
sometimes the powerline noise will occasionally go to S1.  I've found I 
can copy signals on my K3 that don't register on the S-meter.  I was 
just listening, but had it been my QSO, I'd have given him 509 and we 
then could have had some fun discussing it.  I can also copy signals I 
can't hear at all on my beloved TS-850.

73,

Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 2008 Cal QSO Party  4-5 Oct 08
- www.cqp.org