# Military term: 5 by 5. Origin? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 19, 2000, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-term-5-by-5-origin/37572 "2000-10-19T19:31:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SeatTime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@SeatTime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeatTime)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2000, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-term-5-by-5-origin/37572/1 "2000-10-19T19:31:51Z")
I’ve heard this term several times, and it seems to be a good thing. Anyone know it’s origin? “All square --\> perfect” is my best guess. ---
**Author:** ![Spiny\_Norman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Spiny\_Norman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiny_Norman)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2000, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-term-5-by-5-origin/37572/2 "2000-10-19T19:48:40Z")
This was discussed not long ago, but anyway: The term is used by (military) radio operators to denote a strong, clear signal - both parameters are estimated on a one-to-five scale. So saying “I hear you five by five, over” simply means that the connection appears reliable and that the other operator can start transmitting. (Some purists will insist that actually saying “five by five” is incorrect, and that the scale should only be used if there actually is signal degradation. This can shave a second or two off the transmission, which is always worth doing.) S. Norman ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2000, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-term-5-by-5-origin/37572/3 "2000-10-19T19:56:14Z")
I’ve heard the origin explained before as coming from radio communications, the numbers being a rating of the quality along the lines of “loud and clear”, 5 of course being the best. Although I’ve not heard it, whoever explained said that you will, in fact, hear radiomen in movies(maybe old movies) say “I read you 5 by 5” to indicate a strong and clear signal. Presumable one could say ‘3 x 5’, ‘4 x 2’, or whatever to indicate a worse signal. What I’ve sometimes wondered is how common it’s ever been as an indication of things going well before Joss Whedon popularized it via BTVS. ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2000, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-term-5-by-5-origin/37572/4 "2000-10-19T19:57:12Z")
> [@](#): > > Radio Guy #1: Radio check, how read? > RG #2: 5 by 5, how me? > RG #1: 5 by 5, out. This from a Special Forces commo expert (the team’s radio guy). ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2000, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-term-5-by-5-origin/37572/5 "2000-10-19T19:59:02Z")
Unless you’re with Spinal Tap, then it’s “I read you 11 by 11”. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2000, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-term-5-by-5-origin/37572/6 "2000-10-19T20:06:57Z")
Just after the thread to which my spiny nemesis refers, I read Leon Uris’ 1st book, “Battle Cry.” It concerns a marine communications squad in WWII. I got a kick out of the fact that the radio guys in it repeatedly used this scale to describe signal strength. Neat juxtaposition to be reading about WWII marines and thinking about Faith. (Well, I can think of other neat ways to juxtapose Faith …) Wow! That’s the second time I’ve cited that book on these boards in the last week. Also here: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=42304](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=42304) Now that’s a useful book! ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Lao](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Dr.Lao](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Lao)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2000, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-term-5-by-5-origin/37572/7 "2000-10-19T20:11:41Z")
**panamajack** has got it right, I think. I believe the two parameters “5 by 5” refer to the strength of the carrier and the modulation (loud and clear). I’ve often heard air traffic controllers respond to a request for a radio check with, “5 on the carrier, about a 3 on modulation,” which means that the person is coming loud but moderately garbled. ---
**Author:** ![Stylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4bbf92/32.png) [@Stylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stylus)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2000, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-term-5-by-5-origin/37572/8 "2000-10-19T20:48:04Z")
I heard this term in movie Aliens 2. As the shuttle craft was departing the mother ship, the pilot called out, “We’re in the pipe 5 by 5.” Do you think this has the same meaning as the radio interpretation mentioned above? ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2000, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-term-5-by-5-origin/37572/9 "2000-10-19T23:53:10Z")
Stylus, I think that in Aliens they were following a landing beacon, so the radio interpretation would hold. The specific quote is “We’re in the pipe, 5 by 5.” I interpreted that to mean roughly “Judging by the strength and clarity of the signal, we’re in the middle of the beacon’s beam.” In other words, they were heading straight for the landing site. Visualize the signal beaming out of the beacon as a flared pipe or funnel, and you’ll get the image from which I was working. ---
**Author:** ![Stylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4bbf92/32.png) [@Stylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stylus)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2000, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-term-5-by-5-origin/37572/10 "2000-10-20T01:23:45Z")
Thanks balance! ---
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2000, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-term-5-by-5-origin/37572/11 "2000-10-20T04:22:39Z")
What about,“It’s quite enough for a drum solo?”. Same thing?