RST and RSQ Reporting

Table of Contents

• RST
  • READABILITY
  • SIGNAL STRENGTH
  • TONE
• RSQ
  • READABILITY
  • STRENGTH
  • QUALITY

RST

Is the traditional Readability, Strength, Tone reporting system used for CW operations for nearly as long as amateurs have enjoyed the airwaves.

READABILITY

1. Unreadable
2. Barely readable, occasional words distinguishable
3. Readable with considerable difficulty
4. Readable with practically no difficulty
5. Perfectly readable (that is 100% print in todays jargon)

SIGNAL STRENGTH

1. Faint signals, barely perceptible
2. Very weak signals
3. Weak signals
4. Fair signals
5. Fairly good signals
6. Good signals
7. Moderately strong signals
8. Strong signals
9. Extremely strong signals

TONE

1. Sixty cycle AC or less, very rough and broad
2. Very rough AC, very harsh and broad
3. Rough AC tone, rectified but not filtered
4. Rough note, some trace of filtering
5. Filtered rectified ac, but strongly ripple modulated
6. Filtered tone, definite trace of ripple modulation
7. Near pure tone, trace of ripple modulation
8. Near perfect tone, slight trac of modulation
9. Perfect tone, no trace of ripple, or modulation of any kind

RSQ

Give the report as RSQ for digital modes, but especially BPSK and QPSK; see: http://www.psb-info.net/RSQ-Reporting-Table.html

READABILITY

1. 0% undecipherable
2. 20% occasional words distinguishable
3. 40% considerable difficulty, many missed characters
4. 80% practically no difficulty, occasional missed characters
5. 95%+ perfectly readable

STRENGTH

1. Barely perciptible trace
2. n/a
3. Weak trace
4. n/a
5. Moderate trace
6. n/a
7. Strong trace
8. n/a
9. Very strong trace

QUALITY

1. Splatter over much of the visible waterfall
2. n/a
3. Multiple visible pairs
4. n/a
5. One easily visible pair
6. n/a
7. One barely visible pair
8. n/a
9. Clean signal - no visible unwanted sidebar pairs

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