RST Signal Report Reference
RST stands for Readability, Strength, and Tone — the three-part signal report exchanged near the start of most contacts.
How to read a report
A full report is three digits: Readability (1–5), Strength (1–9), Tone (1–9). 599 means perfectly readable, extremely strong, perfect tone — the maximum report. On SSB voice, Tone does not apply (there is no CW/tone-modulated carrier to judge), so voice reports are conventionally just two digits, e.g. "59".
Readability (R)
| R | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Unreadable |
| 2 | Barely readable, occasional words distinguishable |
| 3 | Readable with considerable difficulty |
| 4 | Readable with practically no difficulty |
| 5 | Perfectly readable |
Strength (S)
| S | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 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 (T) — CW / tone-modulated modes only
| T | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Extremely rough hissing note |
| 2 | Very rough AC note, no trace of musicality |
| 3 | Rough, low-pitched AC note, slightly musical |
| 4 | Rough AC note, some trace of filtering |
| 5 | Filtered rectified AC note, slight ripple |
| 6 | Filtered tone, definite trace of ripple |
| 7 | Near pure tone, trace of ripple |
| 8 | Near-perfect tone, slight trace of modulation |
| 9 | Perfect tone, no trace of ripple of any kind |
Common reports in this library
599
Perfect signal report (RST)รายงานสัญญาณสมบูรณ์แบบ (RST)
OFFICIALCOMMON
"599" is a full RST report and the most commonly exchanged report in contests and quick DX contacts — often given as a courteous…
5NN CW shorthand for 599ตัวย่อ CW แทน 599AMATEUR USAGESPECIALIZED
On CW, "9" (dah-dah-dah-dah-dit) takes noticeably longer to send than "N" (dah-dit), so contest and CW operators substitute "N" f…
Sources
- IARU OPERATING GUIDANCEIARURST Signal Reporting System
- AMATEUR PRACTICEARRLOperating Aids / Quick Reference — http://arrl.org/quick-reference-operating-aids