Code Q

The code Q was developed in 1912 in order to facilitate the Communication S, at that time primarily in Morse, between the radio operator operators at sea of various nationalities (you point out the “Titanic”).

It had at least three advantages:

acceleration of the transmissions: the most current questions were summarized in three letters.
independence of the language: the same code was used by all nationalities to put a question and the answer, often a figure, could be included/understood by all.
improvement of safety: nonambiguous definition of the questions.

The abbreviations of the code Q are affirmative or interrogative according to the formulation. All the codes are composed of three letters, whose first is always Q (like “question”). To avoid any confusion, the letter Q was thus omitted indicative S allotted to the stations of emission.

This code was mainly used for transport sea and aeronautical and by the Radioamateur S. It is still largely used by the latter.

In aeronautics the code does not survive any more but through some uses:

the air-traffic controllers diffuse with the pilots the indications of pressure to the sea level and local pressure, QNH and QFE, by making reference to the November-Hotel and Fox-Echo (international alphabet). The letter Q disappeared with obsolescence from the Morse;
QGO: says itself of a closed aerodrome (AD in QGO causes MTO, for example);
QNE : altimetric references in level of flight: chock 1013,2 hPa;
QFU: magnetic orientation of the track.

(See also Language (aeronautical))

Extracts of the code Q

Random links: