diff --git a/src/app/new-contact/page.tsx b/src/app/new-contact/page.tsx
index f3dcb75..9ce64d8 100644
--- a/src/app/new-contact/page.tsx
+++ b/src/app/new-contact/page.tsx
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ import { Switch } from '@/components/ui/switch';
 import { Textarea } from '@/components/ui/textarea';
 import { cn } from '@/lib/utils';
 import { frequencyToBand, AMATEUR_BANDS } from '@/lib/bands';
-import { AMATEUR_MODES, defaultRstForMode } from '@/lib/modes';
+import { AMATEUR_MODES, defaultRstForMode, isDbReportMode } from '@/lib/modes';
 import {
   gridToLatLon,
   gridLocatorError,
@@ -134,8 +134,12 @@ function rstToBars(rst: string | undefined, mode: string): number {
   // Digital values like -10 / +12 — map to 5 bars across -25..+10 dB
   const numeric = Number.parseInt(rst.replace(/[^-\d]/g, ''), 10);
   if (Number.isNaN(numeric)) return 0;
-  const isDigital = ['FT8', 'FT4', 'PSK31', 'RTTY', 'MFSK', 'OLIVIA', 'CONTESTIA'].includes(mode);
-  if (isDigital) {
+  // dB-report modes (the WSJT-X / weak-signal family, plus the keyboard PSK/RTTY
+  // group) carry a "-10"-style SNR, not an RST — scale them on the dB axis.
+  // Sourced from the canonical classifier so this stays in step with the report
+  // the form pre-fills; a hard-coded list here previously omitted JS8/FST4/JT65/
+  // JT9/Q65/MSK144/PSK63, whose "-10" default then rendered a wrong 1-bar meter.
+  if (isDbReportMode(mode)) {
     const clamped = Math.min(10, Math.max(-25, numeric));
     return Math.round(((clamped + 25) / 35) * 5);
   }
diff --git a/src/lib/modes.ts b/src/lib/modes.ts
index afcd9d5..d7d3845 100644
--- a/src/lib/modes.ts
+++ b/src/lib/modes.ts
@@ -53,12 +53,21 @@ const DB_REPORT_MODES = new Set<string>([
   'PSK31', 'PSK63', 'RTTY', 'MFSK', 'OLIVIA', 'CONTESTIA',
 ]);
 
+// Whether `mode`'s signal report is conventionally a dB SNR ("-10") rather than
+// an RST. Exposed as the single source of truth so UI that interprets a report
+// value — the pre-filled default, a signal-strength meter — classifies a mode
+// the same way everywhere instead of each call site carrying its own drifting
+// copy of the digital-mode list.
+export function isDbReportMode(mode: string): boolean {
+  return DB_REPORT_MODES.has(mode.trim().toUpperCase());
+}
+
 // The signal report a logging form should pre-fill when an operator picks `mode`.
 // CW takes RST with a tone digit (599); dB-report digital modes take -10; every
 // other mode (phone, digital voice, image, packet) takes a 59 RS(T).
 export function defaultRstForMode(mode: string): string {
   const m = mode.trim().toUpperCase();
   if (m === 'CW') return '599';
-  if (DB_REPORT_MODES.has(m)) return '-10';
+  if (isDbReportMode(m)) return '-10';
   return '59';
 }
diff --git a/tests/modes.spec.ts b/tests/modes.spec.ts
index 75692c4..f15ea28 100644
--- a/tests/modes.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/modes.spec.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';
-import { AMATEUR_MODES, defaultRstForMode } from '@/lib/modes';
+import { AMATEUR_MODES, defaultRstForMode, isDbReportMode } from '@/lib/modes';
 
 // The mode list is the canonical set of operating modes Nextlog can store, and
 // the single source of truth the contact-search mode dropdown draws from. These
@@ -93,6 +93,15 @@ test.describe('defaultRstForMode', () => {
     }
   });
 
+  test('agrees with isDbReportMode for every canonical mode', () => {
+    // defaultRstForMode and isDbReportMode share one classification: a mode
+    // defaults to a -10 dB report exactly when it is a dB-report mode.
+    for (const mode of AMATEUR_MODES) {
+      if (mode === 'CW') continue; // CW is RST (599), not a dB report
+      expect(defaultRstForMode(mode) === '-10').toBe(isDbReportMode(mode));
+    }
+  });
+
   test('is case-insensitive', () => {
     expect(defaultRstForMode('cw')).toBe('599');
     expect(defaultRstForMode('ft8')).toBe('-10');
@@ -105,3 +114,35 @@ test.describe('defaultRstForMode', () => {
     }
   });
 });
+
+test.describe('isDbReportMode', () => {
+  test('classifies the WSJT-X / weak-signal digital family as dB-report modes', () => {
+    // These pre-fill a "-10" report in the logging forms, so any consumer that
+    // renders a signal-strength meter must scale them on the dB axis, not read
+    // the leading digit as an RST readability. The signal-strength bars on the
+    // new-contact form previously hard-coded a shorter list that omitted JS8,
+    // FST4, JT65, JT9, Q65, MSK144 and PSK63, so those modes rendered a
+    // misleading 1-bar meter.
+    for (const mode of [
+      'FT8', 'FT4', 'JS8', 'FST4', 'JT65', 'JT9', 'Q65', 'MSK144',
+      'PSK31', 'PSK63', 'RTTY', 'MFSK', 'OLIVIA', 'CONTESTIA',
+    ]) {
+      expect(isDbReportMode(mode)).toBe(true);
+    }
+  });
+
+  test('classifies phone, CW, digital-voice and image modes as non-dB modes', () => {
+    for (const mode of [
+      'SSB', 'CW', 'AM', 'FM', 'DMR', 'DSTAR', 'C4FM', 'YSF', 'M17', 'FREEDV',
+      'SSTV', 'PACKET', 'ATV',
+    ]) {
+      expect(isDbReportMode(mode)).toBe(false);
+    }
+  });
+
+  test('is case-insensitive and tolerates surrounding whitespace', () => {
+    expect(isDbReportMode('ft8')).toBe(true);
+    expect(isDbReportMode('  JS8 ')).toBe(true);
+    expect(isDbReportMode('ssb')).toBe(false);
+  });
+});