CW (Continuous Wave) or Morse Code

In my opinion, simply the greatest thing on radio! It is a real thrill to have a QSO using just CW and once I tried it, it was the only thing I wanted to do. It does take a little effort to learn, but once you have it, it's yours. If you're thinking about it, do it, I don't think you'll ever regret it. Let me start by saying I am not an expert--just one who loves CW and who thinks maybe others could learn from mistakes I made. The first time you hear and recognize someone else come back with your callsign using CW on the air is a beautiful thing!

Why learn CW?

Number one is simply because it's so fun--nerve-racking at the beginning, yes, but way fun! There are, of course, a few practical reasons as well. The bandwidth is quite narrow and the tones are simple. Why is this good for you? First, your (insert any number here, including ridiculously low) watts are concentrated and can penetrate farther than any voice mode can--great for finally getting that DX station you could never reach before by yelling into the mic. In fact, have you noticed how many DXpeditions use CW more than many other modes? It makes sense given that you can reach more and go farther with CW, not to mention speed (not a strong point for JT65 for example). If you're into homebrewing, the easiest radios to design and build are simple cw qrp radios, plus making your own key is way easy (see below).

Also, you don't need any special equipment to decode as with the common digital modes--no computer, no soundcard, just your ears which you will find are FAR more accurate at decoding than any computer program. This is especially nice if you like going portable to far away places.

For those who are preparedness minded, this mode adds an extra bit of security in that not everyone can decode what you're saying as well as the fact that making your own key in a pinch is WAY easy. It could be as simple as touching two wires together, although other inventive ways are a little more enjoyable, like this (the video below).

This also means it CAN be very cheap as well (but just like most hobbies, it can be about as expensive as you can afford too--I have keys that were made free and some that cost a couple hundred). Check out this contact with an "emergency key."

Here's another video using emergency "iambic paddles" if they can even be called that:

And one last one using a soda pop can:

Ok, so you've decided to do it! (good choice)

--NEVER memorize, or even look at, a chart of dots and dashes. CW is an auditory mode, it is not written. It must be learned by sounds NOT sight (unless you're learning Morse for other purposes). This will cause major problems in the future. Believe me, I know. My old Boy Scout handbook was NOT helpful in this way, but I didn't know any better. This is why you will not find a chart like that on this website. This is why: you go from Sound=visualization of dots/dashes=visualization of letter=mental concept when what you want is sound=mental concept directly. At 20 wpm and higher, the additional steps drag you down.

--DO NOT start learning the letters/numbers at a speed any slower than 15 words per minute (20wpm is a good starting point). No matter what others tell you, there is absolutely NO reason to learn it starting at 5wpm. You want to learn the whole sound of a letter, not all the dits and dahs that make up that sound. You can do a little reading about the differences of the Koch Method (starting at the speed you want to operate but going 2 charaters at a time) or Farnsworth Method (using spacing between letters and/or words, but keeping individual letters at a decent speed)--either way, you're NOT learning letters at the deathly 5 wpm pace.

--DO NOT count as you hear dits and dahs. Again, a mistake I have had to pay for with a LOT of time invested. If you start off at a proper speed from the beginning (see above) you will have less trouble with this. You want to learn the sound as a whole. The problem with both learning visually and/or counting is you add an extra step in "translating" in your mind from sound to letter or word, just like with visualization. As you get faster, you will limit yourself to how fast your mind can take those three steps. Without that barrier, you can have instant recognition.

--DO NOT send faster than you can copy. You may find you can send much faster than you can copy, but people will logically think you can understand at the same speed your sending.

--DO relax and enjoy! It's no longer required, which is why so many are finding joy in CW. There's no rush, time limit, or demands, so let yourself go at whatever pace you like and have fun, or what's the point?

--DO find an Elmer (mentor) from the beginning, you may find yourself saving time and effort if you find a good one. I found a couple, but after I had already created a few bad habits.

--DO learn good etiquette BEFORE getting on the air. Speed has nothing to do with being a good op. Using good practices does. BE a good operator from the beginning. (See below)

--DO read this page BEFORE working ANY DX (or anyone really): DX Code of Conduct

--DO send a "QRS" (please slow down) if needed. If the other op continues to send too fast, don't take it personally, just give them a "sorry, too fast, thanks for the qso, 73" and move on.

--DO practice, practice, practice, but in small sessions everyday.

HELPS--Some articles and programs to get you going:

DitDit.fm--Podcast focused completely on CW with some great discussions and tips, good for beginners and experienced operators, hosted by Bruce, N9WKE.
Zen and the Art of Radiotelegraphy--(article) Carlo Consoli, IKØYGJ
The Art and Skill of Radio-telegraphy--(article) William G. Pierpoint, NØHFF
Using an Iambic Paddle--(article) Chuck Adams, K7QO
G4FON CW Trainer--GREAT program, allows a lot of options and is free.
RufzXP--A fun program for increasing speed and getting callsigns in game form.
Morse Runner--If you like RufzXP and think contesting is cool, you'll love Morse Runner! It's a simulated cw contest--you get repeats, qrm, multiple calls, etc. Fun and free!
Morse Trainer (phone app)--Not free, but worth the couple of bucks.
CWText for iPad--For 99 cents you get hours of practice at the speed you want.
Just Learn Morse Code--Another good program (free).
CW Academy--A course offered by CWops, I didn't take it personally but hear great things (free).
Practice files from the QST--Downloadable all the way up to 40wpm.
ARRL resources--Lots of additonal information and help.
K7QO Code Course--(Scroll down to the bottom of this page to start learning some NOW!). This is a wonderful course, the price is really only for the cost of the CDs and shipping and can be distributed freely to others. I will include some files farther below. Here is the MANUAL for the course as well. Read an article about Chuck: http://www.arrl.org/news/morse-code-at-140-wpm
NuMorse--Not one I've used, but heard of it.

Now a few other items: Straight key, paddle, or bug, cootie or swiper?  A straight key (like the ones at the back of the picture), has to be manually pressed for each dit and dah--referred to as brass pounding at times. The amount of time you hold the key down is what determines the length of both, as well as how fast you go. Length and spacing are completely manual. An iambic paddle (like the two closest to the front) requires an electronic keyer--an electronic circuit that forms the dits and dahs for you--thus making them very uniform (very often a radio will have an internal keyer). The speed is set in the keyer and holding down one paddle creates a series of perfectly formed dits (traditionally the left paddle) or dahs (usually the right) at the set speed for as long as you hold it down. Squeezing both at once will cause the keyer to alternate between the two, allowing for great economy and ease of sending (see the "Using an Iambic Paddle" article above). A single-lever paddle (center left, homebrewed) is similar to the paddle, but with just one center paddle that touches either the dit or the dah side, and cannot contact both at once.The bug (center, silvery one) is often called semi-automatic. The dahs are manual while the dits are caused by a vibration of the center bar with the aid of weights to control speed. This is considered a mechanical keyer, no electronic keyer is used. A cootie or swiper (two names for the same thing, also not pictured) moves back and forth between contacts, so more ergonomic than a straight key. Like the single-lever paddle, but no keyer, so each dit and dah length is determined by the time maintaining the contact.

I tend to go back and forth, but from my experience I would suggest going with a straight key first with the caveat that using a straight key doesn't lead you to any of the bad habits mentioned. They are cheap and simple and it will help you work on spacing on your own before moving to paddles and a keyer (which you WILL want to do eventually for speed and ease). Just using SKCC (see below) would make a straight key worth it. I would not suggest the bug--to which of course all the bugs guys will decry 'foul', but that's my preference. In fact after using both a straight key and an iambic paddle, I purchased a bug and tried it out a while. The end result is that I still have it, but it's staying on my shelf. I honestly don't enjoy the sound of it on the other end on the air as much either. You can easily make a homebrew key (either straight, swiper, single-lever, or iambic as well). Ultimately though, you need to choose what you like and feels right. Try them all out if you can, you will definitely find a preference quickly I believe.

Clubs--There are a few clubs which not only promote CW but also focus on either certain aspects of it or help with new brass pounders. FISTS--The International Morse Preservation Society. SKCC--Straight Key Century Club, awesome group of ops, FREE, great place to get your feet wet, join now. The Long Island CW Club, I hear good things about it! 3905 Century Club--Not a CW club, but a great place to practice CW nets--they have fast and slow ones. CWops--Well, pretty straight forward, but you have to be able to work at 25 WPM and be nominated. There are, of course, many other clubs of various types. For the more exclusive ones you have to be invited to join and can be based on speed or cw etiquette and clarity. (I'm also part of the North American QRP CW Club--NAQCC--but I would suggest learning cw well before going into QRP (low power) or it could be frustrating).

With that some ETIQUETTE: First, LISTEN. And listen a lot. Understand what is happening and being said before you just jump in. If you're going to start calling CQ, get on the freq and LISTEN. Then call "QRL?" (CW for "Is this frequency in use?") and listen some more.

Listen for indicators from the caller like "up", "eu", "dx", "na", "test", "as", "qrp", etc. The caller is communicating with you. If you hear "up" then he/she is working split and answering on the same frequency as the caller only causes qrm and you won't be heard, and gets those listening angry at you. If it's a contest you should know what exchange is expected--hearing him work a few others first may help if you don't know. Maybe they're only asking for qrp stations or only Asian ("as") stations, etc. Don't answer if he's not calling you!

Next, NEVER tune-up on a frequency in use, DX or not. Move 4 to 5 kcs away to an open freq and you won't be qrm'ing your fellow ops and will still be finely tuned. Don't be the radio police! It causes more qrm and it is illegal to transmit without identifying yourself--making you even worse than the one you're trying to correct.

The slogan of the CW operator: ACCURACY TRANSCENDS SPEED. What does this mean?It is WAY more important to be a good, clear operator than to operate quickly. Good CW is a joy to listen to at any speed. Poor CW is awkward, hard to follow, and is frustrating. There have been numerous CQ's that I could not get the callsign because of spacing (or lack of it), a good lesson for all of us. We are used to our own callsign and may rush and run the letters together, but someone listening isn't familiar with it, so make sure the spacing allows each letter to be heard distinctly.

As your speed and experience increase you will find even words have a sound; and you don't hear the letters but rather the entire word--like you do when you listen to English. You are aware of the letters that make up the word, but you hear the word. This is a necessary step to going from copying on written paper or typed to what is called "head copy" which is just listening and understanding. Be aware that this is a long process and does not happen overnight. Exposure and practice, practice, practice is what is required. Practice listening, sending, head copying, random words or callsigns as well predictable qso-like conversations. You can listen to files, practice using one of the programs suggested, listen to ARRL bulletins, etc. Of course, one of the best methods of practicing is having real qso's on the air! Once you've learned the alphabet, the numbers, and a few prosigns, some basic etiquette, you're ready to have a qso. There are MANY who would love to be the first qso of a new CW ham! Be sure and practice SENDING as well--it's easy to listen since you don't need much, but half of the qso is sending so you got to practice that as well.

Hey, no reason not to get started RIGHT NOW! These are from the K7QO course; I wrote Chuck and made sure it was ok to share. The letters are heard in groups of five. After every two letters, what has been covered is combined. So you will learn A then B, then have a file of mixed A's and B's. Two more letters, then all up to that point and so on. (I believe these are at about 17 words per minute for the characters with extra spacing--just where you want to start from). Once again here is the manual for this course. Here is the answers manual--gives you the answers for each file below to check yourself.
A B (AB) C D (A-D) E F (A-F) G H (A-H) I J (A-J) K L (A-L) M N (A-N) O P (A-P) Q R (A-R) S T (A-T) U V (A-V) W X (A-X) Y Z (A-Z)
Files of two-letter words (includes abbreviations for states): 1/2; Three-letter words: 1/2/3; Four-letter words: 1; Mixed words.
I'll continue with posting the numbers next:
1 2 (1-2) 3 (1-3) 4 (1-4) 5 (1-5) 6 (1-6) 7 (1-7) 8 (1-8) 9 (1-9) 0 (1-0)
Finally, there are some very widely used punctuation marks. Once again, the full course has MANY more files of different types for practice.
Comma , Period . Question mark ? and = (BT) Slash / other punctuation
Some practice files, these get progressively faster, by the end you'll be at 25 wpm:
CQ de call , QSO start , qth hr is , name hr is , rig hr is , wx hr is , ur rst is , ant hr is , qso (77) , qso (78) , qso (79) , qso (80) , qso (81) , qso (82) , random chars. , random chars.2 , random #'s , kilometer , fort , fathom , logbook , maunakea , watt , zenith , tugboat , teflon , quart , kakapo , mint , photon , summer , talc , putty , joule , hardness , vanilla, tile, scissors, rake, alberta, cardboard, water plant, hexagon, krypton, liveoak, integer, keck, Sweepstakes, abacus, almond, sonar, umbrella, bleach, eclipse, dew, liquid.
Now, I'm going to list them all again at a faster rate just so they're available to you and you can hear the differece. I will emphasize once again to get the full course. It has hours and hours of practice and will be well worth your time. K7QO has you go through a specific way that is wise to follow--he IS the expert (although claims not to be) and you will save yourself the hassle of many mistakes if you heed his words. I wish I had found it before I had already gone down the wrong path. I believe these are approximately 10 wpm faster, again with extra spacing inbetween, so close to 27 words per minute.
A B (AB) C D (A-D) E F (A-F) G H (A-H) I J (A-J) K L (A-L) M N (A-N) O P (A-P) Q R (A-R) S T (A-T) U V (A-V) W X (A-X) Y Z (A-Z)
1 (1 calls) 2 (2 calls) 3 (3 calls) 4 (4 calls) 5 (5 calls) 6 (6 calls) 7 (7 calls) 8 (8 calls) 9 (9 calls) 0 (0 calls)

THE QSO
Once you've learned the letters and numbers, a few punctuation marks and a few prosigns (see next page), and the necessary etiquette, and you're ready for a qso or two, there are a couple of things to consider. Number one is that most things said in a QSO are abbreviated in some way (see next page for a list of abbreviations). It's like a text-speak that doesn't take too long to get used to, but needs to be taken into account before getting on the air to not be totally confused. Some things seem to carry over into phone if you're already used to that, others are unique to CW. Some say Morse code is it's own language--it's not (as a Spanish language professor by trade I'm confident I'm not leading you astray), but it is, indeed, a code--so it's not straight forward English either, the abbreviations you'll find may throw you off at first, but I'm confident you'll get the encoding of the code (well, most of it, I still don't know why "es" is "and"...).

An example (certainly not textbook or ideal, but real-to-life in what can be heard on the air--the shortness is just to use certain abbreviations and prosigns as an illustration):

CQ CQ CQ de ACØPR ACØPR K
                        (from)                            (over)
KC9EC K

KC9EC de ACØPR ge tnx fer call BT ur 599 5nn in nd op is mike mike hw cpy? BK
(good evening thanks for the call, you are 599 in North Dakota operator's name is Mike, How do you copy? Break)

ACØPR de KC9EC fb mike ur 579 57n wid qsb BT qth id es name chuck wx wndy es cold BK
(fine business Mike you are 579 with QSB, QTH is Idaho and name is Chuck, weather is windy and cold, Break)

BK ok chuck vfb BT wx hr gd es running 1TTw AS (pausing) sri chuck hve to go but gl es tnx qso 73 es hpe cuagn SK de ACØPR ee
(Break, OK Chuck very fine business... the weather here is good and running 100 watts...Please stand by (pausing) Sorry Chuck I have to go but good luck and thanks for the QSO 73 and hope to see you again, end of work...dit dit [final good-bye])

BK ok mike no prob 73 es ge AR ACØPR de KC9EC ee
(Break, OK Mike no problem 73 and good evening, end of message...dit dit)

ee

As you can see there is a lot of simplification, but it makes for effecient QSO's and really doesn't take long to get used to. There are some who tap out the whole thing and others who add in all the "and's, to's, is's" etc. Another reason to have a mentor is that they can be there with you to help fill in the blanks or calm you down, or they could even be the one on the other end for you for a couple of QSO's. Have fun and don't worry about being nervous, we all were!If you make an error, some send a string of "hhhhh", I tend to like several single "e's" at a slower speed which is a little less "noisy." Then you repeat the last word that had the error and continue on.

Continue on to the next page for more specifics about QSO's, Prosigns, and cheetsheets ideas...

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