KENTUCKY PORTABLE CLUB β’ CHEAT SHEET
QUICK REFERENCE
Phonetics, Q-codes, prosigns, signal reports and UTC on one printable page. Toss it in the go-bag.
KPC Quick Reference β kentuckyportableclub.github.io/KPC-Links
Phonetic Alphabet
A AlfaN NovemberB BravoO OscarC CharlieP PapaD DeltaQ QuebecE EchoR RomeoF FoxtrotS SierraG GolfT TangoH HotelU UniformI IndiaV VictorJ JuliettW WhiskeyK KiloX X-rayL LimaY YankeeM MikeZ Zulu
Numbers: say "niner" for 9 and "fife" for 5 when it's noisy.
UTC Right Now
UTC--:--
EASTERN KY--:--
WESTERN KY--:--
Kentucky is split: the east is on Eastern time, the west (roughly from Bowling Green / Owensboro west) on Central. Logs always use UTC.
Q-Codes
| QRL? | Is this frequency in use? |
| QRM | Interference from other stations |
| QRN | Static / natural noise |
| QRO | Increase power / high power |
| QRP | Low power (5 W or less) |
| QRQ | Send faster |
| QRS | Send slower |
| QRT | Stopping / going off the air |
| QRV | I'm ready |
| QRX | Stand by / wait |
| QRZ? | Who is calling me? |
| QSB | Signal is fading |
| QSL | Confirm / I acknowledge |
| QSO | A contact |
| QSY | Change frequency |
| QTH | Location |
RST Signal Reports
| R 1β5 | Readability: 1 unreadable Β· 3 readable with difficulty Β· 5 perfect |
| S 1β9 | Strength: 1 faint Β· 5 fair Β· 9 strong (S-meter) |
| T 1β9 | Tone (CW/digital only): 9 = pure, clean tone |
| 59 / 599 | Phone / CW "you're perfect" β the usual POTA report |
| 5NN | 599 in CW cut numbers (N = 9, T = 0) |
| β12 dB | FT8 reports are signal-to-noise in dB |
CW Prosigns & Abbreviations
| CQ | Calling any station |
| DE | From / this is |
| K | Go ahead (anyone) |
| KN | Go ahead β only you |
| BK | Back to you |
| AR | End of message |
| SK | End of contact |
| BT (=) | Pause / break |
| R | Roger β got it |
| TU | Thank you |
| UR | Your |
| 73 | Best regards |
| E E | "Dit dit" β friendly bye |
| AGN | Again |
| PSE | Please |
| FB | Fine business β great |
| OM / YL | Old man / young lady (operator) |
| WX | Weather |
| P2P / S2S | Park-to-park / summit-to-summit |
Handy Frequencies (MHz)
| 146.520 | 2 m FM simplex calling |
| 446.000 | 70 cm FM simplex calling |
| 29.600 | 10 m FM simplex calling |
| 144.390 | APRS |
| 7.030 / 14.060 | QRP CW gathering spots |
| 7.285 / 14.285 | QRP SSB gathering spots |
| 7.074 / 14.074 | FT8 (40 / 20 m) |
Full band plan with your license privileges: KPC Band Plan page.
On-Air Rules of Thumb
| ID | Give your call every 10 minutes and at the end of a contact |
| Listen | Listen first, then ask "Is this frequency in use?" (QRL? on CW) |
| Portable | "/P" or "portable" is optional in the US |
| Calling | Send your call once, then listen |
| Emergency | Emergency traffic always has priority β stand by and help if you can |
Signal & Antenna Math
| 2Γ power | +3 dB = Β½ S-unit |
| 4Γ power | +6 dB = 1 S-unit |
| 5 W β 100 W | +13 dB β 2 S-units |
| Dipole / ΒΌ Ξ» | 468 Γ· MHz ft total Β· 234 Γ· MHz ft |
| Full-wave loop | 1005 Γ· MHz ft |
POTA Β· SOTA Β· WWFF Numbers
| POTA | 10 contacts from the park = activation |
| SOTA | 4 contacts from within 25 m (vertical) of the summit |
| WWFF | 44 contacts for award credit (can add up over visits) |
| P2P | Exchange park references so both logs count |
| Logs | UTC date & time, call, band, mode β and your reference |
Get Outside. Get On The Air.
KENTUCKY PORTABLE CLUB β’ EST. 2026
OPEN THE BAND PLAN β