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Prosigns | Procedural Signals | Common Abbreviations |
RST System | Q Signals | Typical CW QSO | CW Etiquette | Resources |
New Article: Morse Code Secrets |
New Article: Why can't I be heard? |
Section 1 - The Basics of Manual Morse Code |
The essential difference between electronically generated and manually generated Morse code is that you and your "fist" determine the length of the short and long tones -- dits and dahs -- that make up a character's basic elements. The dit also is the basic timing element. The duration of a dah should be three times th... |
However, creating well-timed dits and dahs is just the beginning of sending good, easily copied Morse code. Proper spacing between the dits and dahs within a letter, number, or other character is very important. So is the spacing between letters and between words. The relationship between the lengths of your dits and d... |
In principle: |
The space between elements of a character is one dit. |
The space between characters of a word is three dits. |
The space between words is seven dits. |
In reality, very few operators create "perfect" code manually. Falling short of "textbook" duration and spacing is not necessarily a problem if the code is still easy to copy. It's quite common for experienced CW operators to identify one another by the unique way they send code. |
Think of it as having a CW "accent." If someone speaks with a very heavy accent, he or she can be hard to understand. It's the same with Morse code. For example, improper spacing in Morse code could well leave the other operator unable to decode what you're sending. |
Few operators will want to (or be able to) hold a conversation when you think you've sent this: |
But you really sent this: |
If you have a code-practice oscillator or your radio has a code-practice function that can send the tone to a speaker, send some text, record it, then play it back a few days later. If you can't copy your own "fist," it's safe to assume others will have a hard time as well. |
That said, the presence of a slight accent also can be a delightful feature of a CW conversation. |
So aim high, and be sure to take time to listen to well-crafted code, such as the code the ARRL transmits during its on-air bulletins and code-practice sessions. |
**If you need to learn the basic characters, please check out any or all of the following recommended sources: |
Section 2 - Basics of a CW QSO |
Before you engage in your first on-air CW QSO, you should take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with some of the CW shorthand you'll hear, as well as some common QSO protocols. If you have made some phone or digital QSOs, you already know that amateurs use a variety of Q signals. You have probably run across QSY (... |
Prosigns, Procedural Signals, and Abbreviations |
Let's face it: Even if you could send and receive at lightning speeds, spelling out every word would turn an otherwise a quick exchange into a laborious rag chew. To make more efficient use of air time, especially under marginal or deteriorating propagation conditions, CW operators use prosigns, procedural signals, and... |
What's a prosign? It's a special character made by running two characters together without any spacing between them. For example, the characters B (dah-di-di-dit) and T (dah) can be run together as BT (dah-di-di-di-dah) to form a new character. When written out in guides such as this one, prosigns are designated with a... |
Common Prosigns |
AR = Means end of a transmission. It is not necessarily an invitation to transmit. AR is used after calling a station with which contact has not already been established. |
AS = Wait, stand by for a short time |
BT = Separation, or break, between address and text; between text and signature in a radiogram. Also used between topics in a QSO. |
IMI = Yes, this is a standard CW question mark. But it also can be used to ask for a repeat of difficult words as well as to indicate a query (?). |
SK = The communications is concluded or clear. End of Work |
You can download a more complete list of prosigns here. |
Back To Top |
Common Procedural Signals |
DE = Used as "FROM" after the other station(s) and before your call |
ES = & or and |
K = Indicates you are turning the conversation over to another station or stations. |
KN = Indicates you are turning the conversation over to a specific station and no one else is to call or answer. Use this only when you wish a specific station to answer. |
R = All received and understood, the telegrapher's version of "roger." |
You can download a more complete list of common procedural signals here. |
Back To Top |
Common Abbreviations Used in CW QSOs |
Long before today's teenagers were texting and using bizarre abbreviations (IIRC my BFF), amateur radio operators were using their own set of abbreviations -- just to save time. The easiest rule for making just about any abbreviation is simply to remove the vowels from the word. That means a complete list of abbreviati... |
AGN = Again |
ANT = Antenna |
BK = Break, Break in |
BURO = Bureau |
B4 = Before |
C = Yes, Correct |
CL = I am closing my station; Call |
CONDX = Conditions |
CPI = Copy |
CU = See You |
GG = Going |
OM = Old Man |
PSE = Please |
TNX = Thanks |
TU = Thank you |
VY = Very |
WX = Weather |
You can download a more complete list here. |
Speaking of CW and texting, here's a head-to-head competition conducted during an episode of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Check it out here! |
Back To Top |
The RST Reporting System |
If you have used phone or digital modes, you are probably already familiar with the RS signal-reporting system, as in "you're five by eight here in South Snowshoe, MA." |
CW operators add another component to the signal report: the "T," for signal tone. For all practical purposes, with today's solid-state radios with well-regulated and fully filtered power supplies, a "9" tone report is most common. But some hams still run tube equipment, or radios with wiggy power supplies. Give them a... |
R: Readability |
1 -- Unreadable |
2 -- Barely readable, occasional words distinguishable |
3 -- Readable with considerable difficulty |
4 -- Readable with practically no difficulty |
5 -- Perfectly readable |
S: Signal Strength |
1 -- Faint signals, barely perceptible |
2 -- Very weak signals |
3 -- Weak signals |
4 -- Fair signals |
5 -- Fairly good signals |
6 -- Good signals |
7 -- Moderately strong signals |
8 -- Strong signals |
9 -- Extremely strong signals |
T: Tone |
1 -- Sixty cycle A.C. or less, very rough and broad |
2 -- Very rough A.C., very harsh and broad |
3 -- Rough A.C. tone, rectified but not filtered |
4 -- Rough note, some trace of filtering |
5 -- Filtered rectified a.c. but strongly ripple-modulated |
6 -- Filtered tone, definite trace of ripple modulation |
7 -- Near pure tone, trace of ripple modulation |
8 -- Near perfect tone, slight trace of modulation |
9 -- Perfect tone, no trace of ripple or modulation of any kind |
In addition, these indicators can help another ham troubleshoot a signal-quality problem, or pat him or her on the back for having a solid signal: |
X: stable frequency (crystal control) |
C: "chirp" (frequency shift when keying) |
K: key clicks |
Here are some sample signal reports: |
559 -- a perfectly readable, fairly strong signal with perfect tone |
558C -- a perfectly readable, fairly strong signal with a minor chirp |
355K -- a difficult-to-read signal, fairly strong signal with moderately bad key clicks |
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