The SINPO Reporter makes it possible to quickly and efficiently create reports based on the SINPO code. It is basically a text editor similar to Notepad, which includes a special facility to create entries containing the date/time of transmission, frequency, the five-digit SINPO code, and other information characterizing the intercepted signal.

Clicking the Report button inserts a line at the cursor position, which has the following general format:

time/date, frequency, SINPO code, comment

Time is in 24-hour format and you can choose either local time or UTC in the Options menu. Date can be in MM/DD/YY, DD/MM/YY or YY/MM/DD formats, also selectable in Options.

The Options menu also makes it possible to add modulation mode, attenuator status and/or signal strength to the report.

The resulting report file is in text format and can be saved in the File menu. As the individual items are separated by commas, the file can be also easily imported to databases and spreadsheets.

The SINPO Code

Each letter of the SINPO code is attributed a "figure of appreciation", ranging from 1 to 5. The higher figure, the better reception.

S : Signal strength
5 : Excellent, 4 : Good, 3 : Fair, 2 : Poor, 1 : Barely audible
I : Interference (from other stations)
5 : Nil, 4 : Slight, 3 : Moderate, 2 : Severe, 1 : Extreme
N : Noise (atmospheric and cosmic)
5 : Nil, 4 : Slight, 3 : Moderate, 2 : Severe, 1 : Extreme
P : Propagation disturbance (for example fading)
5 : Nil, 4 : Slight, 3 : Moderate, 2 : Severe, 1 : Extreme
0 : Overall merit
5 : Excellent, 4 : Good, 3 : Fair, 2 : Poor, 1 : Unusable

A SINPO code of 55555 means no interference and an excellent signal strength. Such favorable report would be unusual (except perhaps for local FM radio). A more common example would be for instance a SINPO code of 34433, which stands for fair signal strength, slight interference from other stations, slight atmospheric noise, moderate fading and therefore an overall evaluation of "fair" (3 out of 5).