QRK has always been used for cost of a new toy that your XYL doesn’t know about.
“Hey, Jim what was the QRK on that IC705 and tuner you got last month?”
Really? You’re so much younger than me Andy. Must a generational thing.
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It was introduced to such use by G3s, early G4s and pre-1980 G8s . And real G3/G4s not those with dead men’s calls. 
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Not guilty M’Lud! There was always (and still is) a clique that liked to lard their conversation, on the air or in the clubroom, with often misused codes as if they were showing off their membership in a juvenile secret club. I used to urge people to talk as if they were on the phone, though just to be perverse I was also one of the guys that thought that using VOX on V/UHF was an innovation too far!
Excellent idea Andy. Now let me see ?? I guess the RSGB would be a good reliable source. G8CPZ your namesake appears to list them much the same as the ITU listings. Oh look! There’s QRA Doesn’t mention names - just callsigns.
https://hamradio.org.uk/q-codes/ Oh dear that gives QRA (without the question mark) as What is the name of your station…
Never mind lets go to the ARRL https://www.arrl.org/files/file/Get%20on%20the%20Air/Comm%20w%20Other%20Hams-Q%20Signals.pdf Oh well - they appear not to list QRA. Never mind. 
Here we go:- Radio Preppers Ham Radio Q Codes: How to Use Them? – Ham Radio Prep
QRA used as a statement = ‘my name is’ Slightly confusing it gives the ITU meaning for QRA? as What is the name of your station? (and not what is your name?) … 
Once when I was activating a SOTA summit I got a call from an activator whose call i recognised using /p and he responding to my 'REF PSE?" by replying ‘No SOTA’. As it was pretty quiet I asked him QTH? as I wondered where he was. He replied again with “No SOTA”. I tried once more and got the same answer. I gave up.
Its no big deal. 
David.
You’ll hear both QRK and QSA for the next couple of days
https://www.radioofficers.com/roars/roars-news/roars-maritime-radio-day-14-15th-april-2022/
For any one who went to sea - or anyone who operated coastal stations or commercial shore station such as Portishead Radio - or just those who just wants to take part. You might even hear QRQ - you are unlikely to hear QRS !
Dave
I’ve never found the RSGB reliable for anything TBH.
The problem is there is no standard amateur Q code just the commercial ones that have mutated to fit amateur needs over many years. You learn them from use or really misuse and context is king.
These are the only ones I’ve heard in regular use (excludes the ones I’ve forgotten)
Add the question mark or not to flip between question form and statement form.
QRA
I’ve only heard QRA used as QRA locator, the old “AN51d” format system replaced by Maidenhead locators. Apparently QRA locator was known as QTH locator from 1966 onwards. But now if you ask someone for their QTH locator you get Maidenhead.
QRG
Frequency
QRK
(slang use QRK?) How much does it cost?
QRL
Are you busy / I am busy
QRM
interference
QRN
static
QRO
high power
QRP
low power
QRS
send slower
QRT
shutdown
QRV
ready
QRX
wait
QRZ
who is calling me
QSB
fading
QSK
break-in/semi break-in keying
QSL
confirm reception
QSP
relay message
QSY
change frequency
QTH
location (town, city, maindenhead)
and, of course, QLF for please send with your left foot for people with bad keying.
There may well be people who use more of them but these are the only ones I’ve seen used repeatedly. And again context for QRA would be the decider. QRA? may officially mean “what is the name of your station?” When you were doing your Naval Morse QRA? would logically be the name of your ship (HMS Victory?) and now sent to a ham “what is the name of your station?” can only mean, to use CB parlance, “what is your first personal?” i.e. your name as the station is really you.
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I remember having a major misunderstanding on the air with an operator located in Maidenhead 
It degenerated into a TMS-style extended loss of seriousness. (for non-UK readers that’s a cricket reference).
Rick
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Mine must have been from before 1966 as it had QRA Locator as its heading, but at least around here it was still called QRA until Maidenhead replaced it. Probably the stingy locals never bothered to renew their maps until Maidenhead replaced it!
QRV was used as “I am QRV on — band.” But of course I speak as a phone operator, the CW Q codes are not familiar to me so there is a handfull on that list that would leave me scratching my head!
QRV in phone is typically when you are chatting on 70cms SSB and you ask “are you QRV on 23 or 13?”. After our radio club Fox Hunts, people ask “what’s the QSY?” i.e. which pub are we adjourning to?
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Unfortunately there is also a bad practice by some activators.
Sometimes is needed to wait 10 or 15 minutes before the activator says his callsign!
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I think you are both right, recently I found my 2m squares worked chart from the '70s. I clearly remember referring to QRA locators on-air, but this chart calls them QTH.
None of your fancy logging software, this was a colour the squares in with a pencil job 
I was in AM37a with a QQVO6-40A in the PA.
Jonathan
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Meanwhile, back on the original topic…
I must say I had an absolutely fantastic activation yesterday on Monamenach GM/ES-028. I made a modest number of contacts, just 36 (I wish I hear some say). On 40m SSB everyone was very patient and happy to exchange pleasantries. Of the 24 contacts made on the band, I could from memory put names to 18 of them. 2m FM produced 2 contacts, with 1 name remembered. 30m CW gave me a run of 10 contacts with 6 names remembered.
For someone with a known lack of ability to remember names, I think that is quite a feat. More importahtly, all 36 contacts brought a smile to my face which was very much needed after the previous day’s fiasco. A huge thanks to everyone that called.
73, Gerald
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Well-deserved reward for the disappointment of the day before, Gerald. Delighted to be one of your 40m contacts. Always great to hear an activator prepared for a brief chat, too, rather than the usual rapid RST exchange. Onward and upward…. 73 Mike
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the most frequently abused Q code I hear is QRZ. anyone ending a CQ call with QRZ needs to look up its meaning.
“CQ… QRZ”
means
“General call to anyone, but was someone already calling me?” not much logic in that.
73 Andrew vk1da/2da
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Trouble is there are numerous lists of amateur radio Q codes and in many of them there are contradictions.
Many of them don’t know or don’t specify the difference between QRZ? and QRZ (question mark or no question mark) and there’s always those Q codes used on FM or SSB - which obviously those who use voice understand. Often there’s slightly different meanings from usage in CW.
There doesn’t appear to be a generally accepted list of Q codes for hams. I listed some links in a previous post in this thread and they were all slightly different meanings given.
And then there’s the Z codes …(I’ll leave now… 
)
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