SINPO, acronym for signal, interference, noise, propagation, and overall, is a code used to describe the quality of radio transmissions, especially in reception reports written by shortwave listeners. Each letter of the code stands for a specific factor of the signal, and each item is graded on a 1 to 5 scale.
The values of the scale have different meanings depending on the particular factor:
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Signal |
1 |
Terrible signal. Barely detectable. Voices audible but not understood. Some musical notes audible. |
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2 |
Poor signal. Voices audible and sometimes understood. Most musical notes audible. |
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3 |
Fair signal. Voices plainly audible and easily understood. Music plainly audible although lacking clarity. |
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4 |
Good signal. Everything’s plainly audible with just a little less than the best quality. |
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5 |
Excellent signal. As strong as it gets. |
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Interference |
1 |
Rotten interference. Impossible to tune off to the side to avoid it. You can’t hear the signal you want. |
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2 |
Bad interference. Possible to hear the signal you want only some of the time. |
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3 |
Moderate interference. The signal you want is audible around half the time. |
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4 |
Slight interference. It rarely prevents you from hearing the signal you want. |
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5 |
No interference. |
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Noise |
1 |
Horrible noise. Hearing the program is impossible. |
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2 |
Bad noise level. Ruins most of the reception. |
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3 |
Moderate noise. Some of the program audible or plainly audible with notable noise. |
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4 |
Slight noise. The program is plainly audible. |
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5 |
No noise. |
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Propagation |
1 |
Terrible. Signal is faded out much more than it’s faded in. |
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2 |
Bad. Fades a lot, but not always beyond audibility. |
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3 |
Moderate. Shaky signal. Sometimes not audible, sometimes just weaker. |
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4 |
Slight. Mostly steady signal. Minor fading, almost always audible. |
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5 |
None. Signal strength steady. |
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Overall |
1 |
Lousy. Not enjoyable or useful. |
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2 |
Poor. Occasional moments when the signal is useful but generally not of enjoyable quality. |
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3 |
Fair. Useful or enjoyable much of the time but with something to be desired. |
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4 |
Good. Generally good. Occasional problem moments or a slight constant problem. |
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5 |
Excellent. Enjoyable and useful reception free of trouble. |
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SINPO, table from http://www.koshko.com/radio/sinpo.shtml.