10-4 Meaning and How to Use It (2024)

FAQs

10-4 Meaning and How to Use It? ›

2022/11/29. "10-4" is a slang term meaning "ok", "yes," or "I understand." It was originally used as a code between police officers communicating via radio as a way to tell the other person that they understood what was said.

The Origin and meaning of "10-4"

The number "4" stands for the specific code. When someone says "10-4" on a radio or during a conversation, they are essentially saying, "I understand" or "Message received." It is a way to quickly acknowledge that the information or instruction has been received and comprehended.

Meaning acknowledgment or okay, “10-4” comes from the 10 Codes list that emergency personnel use to communicate with each other, commonly done over the radio. Ten Codes are sets of numbers beginning with the number 10 and used — originally by police — as a form of shortened communication.

How do you respond to 10-4? If you respond at all, respond to their other comments. 10-4 is just a signal to indicate that someone understands you. You don't need to respond to the 10-4, but if there's anything else accompanying the message, you can 100% respond to that.

In popular culture. Ten-codes, especially "10-4" (meaning "understood") first reached public recognition in the mid- to late-1950s through the popular television series Highway Patrol, with Broderick Crawford.

"10-4" is a slang term meaning "ok", "yes," or "I understand." It was originally used as a code between police officers communicating via radio as a way to tell the other person that they understood what was said. Example: "Officer Roberts, you are needed at the Hilton Hotel downtown." "10-4. I'll be right there."

What does 10-4 mean? Roger that! 10-4 is a way of saying “message received” in radio communications. It's also used as a way to “you got it.”

10-5 = Relay message to ___ 10-6 = Busy, please stand by. 10-7 = Out of service, leaving the air. 10-8 = In service, subject to call.

10-7 Out of Service. 10-8 In Service. 10-9 Say Again. 10-10 Negative.

10-7 Out of service; a unit which is "10-7" is not available for a call, as opposed to "10-6" which means the unit is "in service, but busy." Units which are attending court or other duties are classed as "10-6" and NOT "10-7."

Why do truckers say 10/4? ›

10-codes: These are codes that truckers use to communicate information quickly and efficiently. For example, “10-4” means “affirmative” or “I understand,” while “10-20” means “my location is…” Handle: A handle is a trucker's CB radio name. It can be something as simple as “Big Rig” or “Road Warrior.”

“10-4,” meaning acknowledgment or okay, comes from the 10-Codes list that emergency personnel use to communicate with each other, commonly done over the radio. However, to understand 10-codes, you must first understand the background of the radio and Morse Code.

Breaker, breaker: A way to initiate a conversation on the CB radio, often used as a playful greeting, similar to "hello" or "good morning." Breaker 1-9: A request to start a conversation on channel 19, which is the most commonly used channel among truckers.

In the late 1930s, Charles Hopper, the Communications Director for the Illinois State Police started creating a type of brevity code to shorten speech when radio channels were in short supply for police officers.

Have you ever heard someone ask, “What's your 20?” The term refers to your location. It comes from “10–20” and is part of the Ten Code used by CB radioers, who borrowed and adapted it from the police and emergency services.

Note: 10 codes can vary greatly from department to department. Code. Meaning. 10-0. Use Caution.

10-10A Off duty at home. 10-11 Identify this frequency. 10-12 Visitors are present (be discrete). 10-13 Advise weather and road conditions. 10-14 Citizen holding suspect.