Five by five Five by five is the best of 25 possible subjective responses used to describe the quality of communications , specifically the signal - to - noise ratio . As receiving stations move away from an analog radio transmitting site , the signal strength decreases gradually , causing the relative noise level to increase . The signal becomes increasingly difficult to understand until it can no longer be heard as anything other than static . Details . In voice procedure ( the techniques used to facilitate spoken communication over two - way radios ) a transmitting station may request a report on the subjective quality of signal they are broadcasting . In the military of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO ) countries , and other organizations , the signal quality is reported on two scales : the first is for signal strength , and the second for signal clarity or " readability . " Both these scales range from one to five , where one is the worst and five is the best . The listening station reports these numbers separated with the word " by " . " Five by five " therefore means a signal that has excellent strength and perfect clarity — the most understandable signal possible . " Five by five " ( occasionally written " ' 5 by 5 " , " five - by - five " , " 5 × 5 " , " 5 - by - 5 " or even just " Fives " ) , by extension , has come to mean " I understand you perfectly " in situations other than radio communication . Further shortened forms are " five by " , " fivers " and " fifers " . Post - World War II , the phrase " loud and clear " entered common usage with a similar meaning . The term is arguably derived from the signal quality rating systems such as shortwave ' s SINPO code or amateur radio ' s RST code . Given that this slang spans not only generations but also a spectrum of communications technologies ( spark - gap transmitters , shortwave , radio telephone , citizen ' s band ( CB ) radio , cellular among others ) and organizations ( hobbyist , commercial , military ) , there are many interpretations in popular misuse . This reporting system is not appropriate for rating digital signal quality . This is because digital signals have fairly consistent quality as the receiver moves away from the transmitter until reaching a threshold distance . At this threshold point , sometimes called the " digital cliff , " the signal quality takes a severe drop and is lost . This difference in reception reduces attempts to ascertain subjective signal quality to simply asking , " Can you hear me now ? " or similar . ( The only possible response is " yes " ; otherwise , there is just dead air . ) This sudden signal drop was also one of the primary arguments of analog proponents against moving to digital systems . However , the " five bars " displayed on many cell phones does directly correlate to the signal strength rating . Cultural references . In the movie " Aliens " , the dropship pilot Corporal Colette Ferro reports as they are on their way to landing , " We ' re in the pipe , five by five . " In a parody of this scene , the " South Park " episode " Raising the Bar " James Cameron says " We ' re in the pipe , five by five " as he lowers himself deeper into the ocean to find the " bar " that represents shameful feelings . In the Blizzard computer game " StarCraft " , the Terran dropship unit quotes " In the pipe , five by five " when confirming a move order . The unit portrait of the Terran dropship also heavily resembles the " Aliens " character Corporal Collette Ferro . The phrase " five by five " is used several times in the movie Event Horizon to refer to a ship being fully operational . In the series " Buffy the Vampire Slayer " , Faith Lehane used the phrase " Five by Five . " No one in the show knew what she meant by this . In the video game " Deus Ex " , a password for a computer is 5X5 . In the video game " " , SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 4 ( SDV Team 4 ) uses it as a radio check respond to Sandman ( Metal 0 - 1 ) , " Roger , 0 - 1 . We have you five - by - five . Phase line Echo secured . We have execute authority . " In the video game " Payday 2 " , Bain uses it to let the player know during a jewelry heist that they haven ' t been spotted yet , " Five by five , you ' re still okay . " The phrase " five by " is used in the Stephen King novel " The Stand " describing radio chatter between officials attempting to stem the tide of civil unrest in reaction to the coverup of the superflu . It is heard in the film " Contact " , describing radio signal strength leading up to the departure of the pod . Used by Rodney McKay in ' Stargate : Atlantis ' . He responds using " Five by Five " in the Season 3 finale when communicating with the F - 302 pilot . In the episode " Welcome To The Kree empire " of the animated series " " Ms Marvel goes in pursuit of an Kree spaceship . The moment her spacecraft has exited the S . W . O . R . D . spacestation to engage in that pursuit , she responds : " Ms Marvel to Agent Brand : We ' re five by five . "