Early Developments
The original Q codes were created, circa 1909, by the British government as a "list of abbreviations... prepared for the use of British ships and coast stations licensed by the Postmaster General". The Q codes facilitated communication between maritime radio operators speaking different languages, so they were soon adopted internationally. A total of forty-five Q codes appeared in the "List of Abbreviations to be used in Radio Communications", which was included in the Service Regulations affixed to the Third International Radiotelegraph Convention in London (The Convention was signed on July 5, 1912, and became effective July 1, 1913.)
The following table reviews a sample of the all-services Q codes adopted by the 1912 Convention:
First Twelve Q Codes Listed in the 1912 International Radiotelegraph Convention Regulations
| Code | Question | Answer or Notice |
|---|---|---|
| QRA | What ship or coast station is that? | This is ____. |
| QRB | What is your distance? | My distance is ____. |
| QRC | What is your true bearing? | My true bearing is ____ degrees. |
| QRD | Where are you bound for? | I am bound for ____. |
| QRF | Where are you bound from? | I am bound from ____. |
| QRG | What line do you belong to? | I belong to the ____ Line. |
| QRH | What is your wavelength in meters? | My wavelength is ____ meters. |
| QRJ | How many words have you to send? | I have ____ words to send. |
| QRK | How do you receive me? | I am receiving (1-5) where 1 is unreadable and 5 is perfect. |
| QRL | Are you busy? | I am busy. |
| QRM | Are you being interfered with? | I am being interfered with. |
| QRN | Are the atmospherics strong? | Atmospherics are very strong. |
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