QTH: radio meaning and how to report your location

Q Code in practice · security

QTH means location on the radio: it is the code used to ask or report where a person, team or incident is. In private security, “report your QTH” means “where are you now?” A good answer is a point the whole team recognizes, such as “north guard booth” or “dock 3.”

Updated on 14/10/2026 · ABC Mais Telecom technical team, Motorola Solutions and Hytera two-way radio sales and rental.

QTH

In one sentenceLocation: where you are or where something happened.

Question“Patrol 2, report your QTH.”

Answer“QTH: parking lot B, sector 4.”

What does QTH mean on the radio?

Q Code originated in radiotelegraphy to shorten frequent questions and answers. In the ITU international list (recommendation ITU-R M.1172), QTH asks “what is your position in latitude and longitude, or according to another indication?” and answers “my position is…”. The meaning of position is the same in official and everyday use.

In Brazil, guards, gate staff, event teams and amateur radio operators use the code more broadly: team location, incident address and even a home address (“residential QTH”). The code is short, but the answer must be precise. Vague locations delay support and make the control center ask again, occupying the channel.

QTH in practice: 3 complete conversations

Each conversation shows the coded message followed by the same message in plain language. Use it as a training script with your team.

8 ready-to-use QTH phrases

Replace the names with your team’s locations and call signs. Before each message, say who it is for and who is speaking.

1. Control center“Patrol 2, this is Control. Report your QTH.”Routine check during patrol.
2. Patrol 2“Control, Patrol 2. Parking lot B, sector 4, all normal.”Answer with location and status in the same message.
3. Gatehouse“Supervision, this is the gatehouse. Visitor heading to block C reception.”Report the destination of someone who entered.
4. Control center“Support team, move to dock 3, by the scale.”Sending support with a landmark.
5. Security guard“Control, incident in the second-floor corridor, next to the emergency stairs.”Incident: point + physical landmark.
6. Supervision“Post 1, confirm your QTH before shift change.”Check before handover.
7. Event“Access, this is Coordination. What is the QTH of the longest queue?”Crowd coordination at events.
8. Control center“Repeat the QTH, I only heard ‘block’.”Requesting repetition when a message is cut off.

How to use QTH without ambiguity

1. Use standardized names. Guard booths, gates, docks, blocks and floors need the same names on the post map, in the incident log and over the radio.
2. Go from general to specific. First the area (parking lot B), then the point (sector 4) and, if needed, the landmark (next to the fire hydrant).
3. Avoid “here” and “there.” To someone listening over the radio, these words identify no location.
4. Spell out anything confusing. Vehicle plates, acronyms and street names should be spelled using the phonetic alphabet (Alfa, Bravo, Charlie…).
5. Ask for confirmation. When support is moving, the receiver repeats the location and only then replies QSL.

Common QTH mistakes

• Answering only “I am in the area.” The control center needs a point, not a region. State the sector and a landmark.
• Using different names for the same place. “Back gate,” “gate 3” and “kitchen gate” for the same gate confuse staff arriving for their shift.
• Reporting the location before identifying the speaker. Start with identification: “Control, Patrol 2…”. Listeners then know where the information comes from.
• Dictating an external address from memory. Read it from the record and spell out the street name if in doubt.

QTH in each type of operation

• Property security: The control center follows patrols point by point and knows each guard’s location when an incident occurs.
• Gate staff and access control: Gate staff report where visitors have been admitted, and hosts know where to meet them.
• Events: Coordination locates queues, medical assistance points and emergency exits by each sector’s name.
• Logistics and industry: Docks, warehouse aisles and production lines receive names and numbers so support arrives quickly.
• Condominiums: Blocks, towers, garages and common areas have fixed names; residents’ units need not be stated alongside their names.

10-minute training at shift change

Short, frequent training works better than one long annual class. This script fits into service handover.

1. Create the location map. List all points with unique names: guard booths, gates, docks, blocks, floors and common areas.
2. Do a QTH round. At shift change, the control center calls each post and asks its location. Each responds with an area and point.
3. Simulate an incident. A supervisor describes a difficult point (basement, stairway, back of the warehouse) and measures how long support takes to understand.
4. Adjust the names. Every place that required repetition gets a clearer name on the post map.

Template for the post procedure

Copy and adapt it for your company’s operating procedure. The text defines code usage for the whole team, including new arrivals.

5 questions for team refresher training

1. The patrol replied “I am in the parking area.” Is that sufficient?Answer: No. The point is missing: sector, space or landmark.
2. What is the correct response order?Answer: From general to specific: area, point and landmark.
3. How should a vehicle plate or acronym be given alongside the location?Answer: Spell it with the phonetic alphabet.
4. Who confirms the location in a request for support?Answer: Whoever is going there, repeating the location before QSL.
5. What if the location has no name on the map?Answer: Use a fixed physical landmark, then propose a map name after the shift.

QTH and similar codes

In the ITU table, QTI refers to true heading and QRB to the approximate distance between stations. In many Brazilian teams, QTI has come to mean “destination.” If your company uses both, record this in the post procedure. Also see the security guard codes with a pocket PDF card and the complete Q Code table.

QTH frequently asked questions

Sources consulted

• ITU, Recommendation ITU-R M.1172: abbreviations and signals for radiocommunications (Q Code list).
• ITU: Radio Regulations.

Does your security team need more radios at the post? ABC Mais Telecom rents two-way radios for property security, gatehouses and events in the state of São Paulo, with the use of Anatel-licensed frequencies already included in the rental.

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