The string 6EQUJ5 is commonly misunderstood as a message encoded in the radio signal. This string actually represents the signal's strength over time, expressed in the particular measuring system adopted for the experiment. The signal itself appeared not to have changes that would have allowed for a message to be encoded, although any change that would have happened in less than 10 seconds or longer than 72 seconds would not have been detectable. The signal did, however, have a continuous wave. 