RST Reception Reporting
The RST Code - Readability
| R Number | Information |
|---|---|
| R5 | Perfectly readable |
| R4 | Readable with little difficulty |
| R3 | Readable with considerable difficulty |
| R2 | Barely readable, occasional words audible |
| R1 | Unreadable |
The RST Code - Strength
Strength is an assessment of how powerful the received signal is where you are, usually based on an S Meter reading adjusted by how much you like the other operator.
| S Number | Information |
|---|---|
| S1 | Faint signal, barely perceptible |
| S2 | Very weak |
| S3 | Weak |
| S4 | Fair |
| S5 | Fairly good |
| S6 | Good |
| S7 | Moderately strong |
| S8 | Strong |
| S9 | Very strong signals |
So, a five and nine report is an excellent signal, something like a one and two isn't worth staying up for. We do enjoy hearing reports of ones and twos on 80m, the chap going on to say I don't care what the meter says - I'll give you a five and eight because I heard every word!
The RST Code - Tone
Tone is used in Morse code and digital transmissions and is omitted during voice operations. Operators still use it to describe modulation quality as if they are reviewers in an audio magazine.
| T Number | Information |
|---|---|
| T1 | 50/60 cycle AC or less, very rough and broad |
| T2 | Very rough AC, very harsh and broad |
| T3 | Rough AC tone, rectified but not filtered |
| T4 | Rough note, some trace of filtering |
| T5 | Filtered rectified AC but strongly ripple-modulated |
| T6 | Filtered tone, definite trace of ripple modulation |
| T7 | Near pure tone, trace of ripple modulation |
| T8 | Near perfect tone, slight trace of modulation |
| T9 | Perfect tone, no trace of ripple or modulation of any kind |
The RST Code is a very general way of reporting, long overtaken by DSP. We tend to have a bit of fun with it so ignore our QSL cards.