More Meaningful Signal Reports

The Readability, Signal Strength, Tone report or RST has been a part of
radio operating since about 1934, but it's unsuitable for modern digital modes
of transmission.  A new signal measurement is being adopted. With the
background and the latest on this development, here's Jim Linton VK3PC.

Move over RST, make room for RSQ. Graeme Harris VK3BGH and others
in the United States and Britain have been advocating the use of a new
reporting system for Phase Shift Keying (PSK), with Q standing for Quality,
replacing T-Tone that is useful in Morse code operation.
 
After the team worked on the concept for a few years, Graeme VK3BGH wrote an
article for the WIA journal Amateur Radio magazine. This was picked up by CQ
Magazine, and then caught the attention of OeVSV - the Austrian radio society.
 
OeVSV in a successful motion at the recent IARU Region 1 Conference saw
RSQ being unanimously accepted for recommended use below 30MHz.
 
Its paper to the conference said the use of the traditional RST system is
almost  meaningless for digital modes, while RSQ provides a reliable and
accurate description for digital mode signals such as PSK31, MFSK, RTTY,
Pactor and others.
 
Graeme VK3BGH says he's delighted at hearing news of the IARU Region 1
recommendation and looks forward to it being considered by the remaining
two IARU regions in coming years.
 
For PSK, Readability is the percentage of decipherable text, Strength is a
visual measure of the waterfall trace, and Quality attempts to describe
visible unwanted sidebands.