Comments on: What means "5 by 5"?

Question: What means "5 by 5"?

fox_terrier_guy — Fri, 04 May 2007 06:02:00 -0800

Radio communications trivia: What is the meaning of the term "5 by 5"?

I repeatedly hear the term "reading you 5x5". What do the fives represent? Power? Clarity? (unlike this question). Is there a 3x4? What would that sound like?

Google Fu turns up plenty of examples, but no definitions.

By: cmm

cmm — Fri, 04 May 2007 06:08:09 -0800

Wikipedia

By: Godbert

Godbert — Fri, 04 May 2007 06:55:54 -0800

By way of anecdote, I've occassionally heard someone in an (airport) control tower describe how they're receiving plane's radio, like "you're about a five by one" when transmissions are loud but unintelligible.

By: fox_terrier_guy

fox_terrier_guy — Fri, 04 May 2007 08:20:53 -0800

Thanks to all who responded - the answers are "5x5".

By: teg

teg — Fri, 04 May 2007 09:43:11 -0800

Thanks. Now I understand what Faith was talking about on Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

By: tdischino

tdischino — Fri, 04 May 2007 09:55:25 -0800

"Thanks. Now I understand what Faith was talking about on Buffy The Vampire Slayer."

or...
the Terran Dropship pilot in BroodWar!

By: jammer

jammer — Fri, 04 May 2007 10:50:33 -0800

Incidentally, when communicating with CW ("continuous wave", i.e., Morse code) there is usually a third digit added, which runs up to 9 and indicates the quality of the tone -- from harsh, wavering buzz to solid, clear sine wave.

A perfect code signal is "559".

By: aubilenon

aubilenon — Fri, 04 May 2007 11:22:30 -0800

tdischino: The StarCraft dropship just got that line from the dropship in the movie Aliens though.

By: fox_terrier_guy

fox_terrier_guy — Fri, 04 May 2007 13:19:13 -0800

If I recall, in the video game Halo the drop ships also use 5x5. Female voice of the Cortana.

Yah. Now its all becoming clearer....

By: sneakin

sneakin — Fri, 04 May 2007 14:08:52 -0800

Damn, teg, you got there before me. But, actually, I googled it after I heard Faith say it a few dozen times.