The Signal Report of Amateur Radio

One of the purposes of amateur radio communication is to exchange technology, and the situation of hearing the other party's signal is the most necessary technical data, so amateur communication is obliged to report the signal to the other party first.

The signal report of an amateur station consists of "R" (Readability, which is the clarity of the signal) that represents the intelligibility of the signal, "S" (Strength, that is, the size of the signal) that represents the strength of the signal, and "T" (Tone) that represents the tone of the signal , That is, the tonal quality of the signal) is composed of three parts, so the signal report is often called "RST". In voice communication, only the first two items are reported, and all three items should be reported in telegraph, telex, and some other digital communications.

The signal recognizability "R", located at the first position of the report, is divided into 5 levels, represented by 1-5 kinds of digital:

1—Unrecognizable signal

2—Not easy to distinguish, occasionally individual words can be distinguished

3—Identifiable, but difficult

4—Identify without difficulty

5—very clear

Judgment of signal recognizability mainly depends on experience. Under normal circumstances, the experienced HAM always gives the highest level of report-5 to the signal that can successfully communicate.

The signal strength "S", located in the second place of the signal report, is divided into 9 levels and is represented by one digit of 1-9 types: 

1-Just a little conscious, very weak

2-very weak

3-Weak

4-Fair strength

5-The signal is okay

6-Good signal

7-Have a certain strength signal

8-strong signal

9-Very strong signal

If it is clear that the other party's voice is received, and there is no noise in the speaker, we generally report the signal 59 to the other party;

 If the other party's voice is clear, and there is background noise in the speaker, we generally report to the other party's signal 45;

If the other party's voice is intermittent and occasionally clears individual words, we generally report to the other party's signal 23. 

The tone report "T" is located in the third place of the signal report and is also represented by a single digit from 1 to 9.

The tone report "T" is located in the third place of the signal report and is also represented by a single digit from 1 to 9.
The number 1 indicates that there is a strong exchange sound. Later, as the number increases, the sound quality continues to improve until the number 9 indicates a very pure and pleasant sound. The pitch report mainly depends on subjective judgment. In voice communication, the signal report does not contain this item, only the two items of discrimination and strength are required.

When reporting signals, the three digits representing "RST" should be reported at the same time. Therefore, the report of a good signal is "59" in voice communication, and the report in telegraph and telex communication is "599". Too.

Accurate signal reports can enable both parties to understand the efficiency of their transceivers and the propagation of electromagnetic waves, etc., to ensure the smooth progress of communication or take effective improvement measures.