Tag: Morse Code

When you first listen to a real CW contact, you may hear something like:

GM OM TKS FER CALL UR RST 579 FB CPY

You may know every Morse character and still struggle to understand the sentence.

That is because experienced operators rarely send complete written English. CW communication makes extensive use of prosigns, Q codes, abbreviations, number codes, and established operating patterns.

For example:

• GM means Good Morning.
• FB means Fine Business, or very good.
• UR means Your.
• RST 579 is a signal report.
• CPY means Copy.
• 73 means Best regards.

Strictly speaking, CW does not have a separate grammar of its own. What operators informally call “CW grammar” is a compact international operating language built from procedural signals, Q codes, shortened words, and shared conventions. The IARU operating guide identifies Q codes, abbreviations, and prosigns as the primary shortcuts that make CW communication faster and more efficient. (IARU Region 1)

This guide covers the internationally recognized expressions you are most likely to hear during amateur-radio CW contacts. It does not attempt to include every local net code, club abbreviation, or specialized traffic-handling signal.

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Four Parts of the CW Language

Prosigns

Prosigns control the procedure of a contact. They may mean “wait,” “go ahead,” “end of transmission,” or “end of contact.”

A true two-letter prosign is normally sent as one continuous Morse character without the usual space between the letters. It may be written as <AR> or with a bar above the letters.

Q Codes

Q codes are three-letter groups beginning with Q:

• QTH: location
• QRM: interference
• QRS: send more slowly
• QSL: acknowledgment
• QSO: a radio contact

Adding a question mark normally changes a Q code into a question:

QRL?

Is this frequency in use?

QRL

This frequency is in use.

ARRL describes this question-versus-statement convention in its operating references. (ARRL)

Common CW Abbreviations

These are shortened ordinary words:

• GM = Good Morning
• FB = Fine Business
• TKS = Thanks
• FER = For
• UR = Your
• WX = Weather

They are sent as normal letters with normal spacing.

Number Codes and Contest Shorthand

Examples include:

• 73: Best regards
• 88: Love and kisses
• 5NN: 599
• T: 0
• A: 1
• N: 9

Some are heard in ordinary ragchews, while others are mainly used in contests and DX pileups.

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Essential CW Procedural Signals

Signal	Meaning	Typical use
CQ	General call to any station	CQ CQ DE BA7MTH BA7MTH AR
DE	From, this is	W1ABC DE BA7MTH
<AR>	End of message or transmission	Common at the end of a CQ
K	Go ahead	Invites a response
KN	Go ahead, named station only	Excludes other callers
BK	Break	Fast back-and-forth exchange
<AS>	Wait or stand by	Requests a short delay
<SK>	End of contact	Ends the complete QSO
<CL>	Closing the station	Sent before leaving the air
<BT> or =	Separator or thinking pause	Separates subjects or text sections
<HH>	Error	Cancels an error before retransmission
SOS	Distress signal	Genuine emergencies only

Under the strict IARU definition, a prosign combines two characters without an inter-character space. AR, AS, SK, CL, and HH are therefore true prosigns. BK and KN are sent with normal spacing between their two letters, so the IARU guide does not classify them as true combined-character prosigns, although many operating guides group them together informally.

AR, K, KN, and SK

<AR> means that the current transmission or message has ended. It is especially appropriate at the end of a general call:

CQ CQ DE BA7MTH BA7MTH AR

At this point there is no specific station to whom the frequency is being handed, so the IARU guide recommends AR rather than K at the end of a CQ. (IARU Region 1)

K hands the conversation to the other station:

W1ABC DE BA7MTH K

KN means that only the station just named should answer:

W1ABC DE BA7MTH KN

<SK> ends the entire contact:

TKS FER QSO 73 ES CUL W1ABC DE BA7MTH SK

<CL> indicates that the operator is also closing the station:

W1ABC DE BA7MTH SK CL

The IARU guide recommends avoiding combinations such as AR K, AR KN, and AR SK, because they unnecessarily combine “end of transmission” with another closing or handover instruction. (IARU Region 1)

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Common Amateur-Radio Q Codes

Frequency, Interference, and Propagation

Code	Question	Statement
QRG	What is my exact frequency?	Your exact frequency is…
QRH	Is my frequency varying?	Your frequency is varying
QRL	Are you busy? Is the frequency in use?	I am busy; the frequency is in use
QRM	Am I being interfered with?	I am experiencing interference
QRN	Are you troubled by static?	I am troubled by static or natural noise
QSB	Are my signals fading?	Your signals are fading
QSA	What is my signal strength?	Your strength is 1 through 5

Before calling CQ on an apparently clear frequency, send:

QRL?

Then listen before transmitting again. The IARU guide identifies this as an important operating practice. (IARU Region 1)

Speed, Power, and Operating Status

Code	Common meaning
QRO	Increase power; also used informally for high-power operation
QRP	Reduce power; also used for low-power operation
QRQ	Send faster
QRS	Send more slowly
QRT	Stop sending, close down, or leave the air
QRV	Ready
QRX	Wait, call again later, or call again at a specified time
QSK	Break-in operation; reception between transmitted elements

Calling and Communication

Code	Common meaning
QRZ?	Who is calling me?
QSO	Communicate with another station; a radio contact
QSP	Relay a message
QSX	Listen on a specified frequency
QSY	Change frequency
QTC	Messages or formal traffic to send
QRU	I have nothing for you
QSL	Acknowledge receipt; confirmation of a contact
QTH	Station location
QTR	Correct time
QRA	Station name, although NAME is more common in casual QSOs

ARRL’s operating references list QRG, QRL, QRM, QRN, QRO, QRP, QRQ, QRS, QRT, QRV, QRX, QRZ, QSB, QSK, QSL, QSO, QSP, QSX, QSY, QTC, QTH, and QTR among the commonly used amateur Q signals. (ARRL)

QRZ Is Not CQ

QRZ? means:

Who is calling me?

It does not mean “Is anyone there?” To invite calls from any station, use CQ.

QSL can appear in several related ways:

QSL?

Can you acknowledge receipt?

QSL

I acknowledge receipt.

QSL VIA BURO

Please exchange the QSL card through the bureau.

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Common CW Abbreviations

Greetings and Social Expressions

Abbreviation	Full expression	Meaning
GM	Good Morning	Morning greeting
GA	Good Afternoon	Afternoon greeting; may also mean Go Ahead
GE	Good Evening	Evening greeting
GN	Good Night	Good night
GD	Good / Good Day	Good
FB	Fine Business	Very good, excellent
UFB	Ultra Fine Business	Extremely good
GUD	Good	Good
VY	Very	Very
HI	Laughter	The CW equivalent of “ha ha”
HNY	Happy New Year	New Year greeting
MX	Merry Christmas	Christmas greeting
XMAS	Christmas	Christmas
GL	Good Luck	Good luck
CU	See You	See you
CUL	See You Later	See you later
73	Best Regards	Friendly closing wishes
88	Love and Kisses	Traditionally used for someone close

In CW, FB does not mean Facebook. Fine Business is a traditional telegraph expression meaning that something is good, satisfactory, or excellent.

FB CPY UR SIGS

means:

I am copying your signals very well.

The IARU abbreviation list includes FB, UFB, GM, GA, GE, GN, HI, HNY, MX, 73, and 88. It also notes that 73 is already a complete expression and should not be pluralized as “73s.” (IARU Region 1)

Thanks, Confirmation, and Requests

Abbreviation	Full expression	Meaning
TU	Thank You	Thank you
TKS	Thanks	Thanks
TNX	Thanks	Thanks
PSE	Please	Please
SRI	Sorry	Sorry
R	Roger / Received	Received and understood
RR	Roger Roger	Fully received
CFM	Confirm	Confirm
OK	All correct	Correct
CPY	Copy	Copy or understand
CPI	Copy	Copy or understand
AGN	Again	Again
RPT	Repeat	Repeat
RPRT	Report	Report
NIL	Nothing	Nothing received or nothing available
HW	How	How

Common combinations include:

PSE AGN

Please send it again.

PSE QRS

Please send more slowly.

SRI NIL CPY

Sorry, I copied nothing.

HW CPY?

How are you copying me?

TKS FER RPRT

Thanks for the report.

Connecting Words

Abbreviation	Full expression	Meaning
DE	From	From, this is
ES	And	And
FER	For	For
UR	Your	Your
U	You	You
WID	With	With
ABT	About	About or approximately
B4	Before	Before
BTW	By The Way	By the way
HR	Here	Here
NW	Now	Now
MNI	Many	Many
HVE, HV	Have	Have
HPE	Hope	Hope
TMW, TMRW	Tomorrow	Tomorrow
NR	Number / Near	Meaning depends on context
DR	Dear	Dear

Examples:

MNI TKS FER UR CALL

Many thanks for your call.

WX HR SUNNY ES WARM

The weather here is sunny and warm.

HPE CU AGN

I hope to contact you again.

Operators, Equipment, and Station Information

Abbreviation	Full expression	Meaning
OM	Old Man	Traditional friendly term for a male amateur
YL	Young Lady	Female operator
XYL	Wife / Spouse	Traditional term for a spouse
OP, OPR	Operator	Operator
ANT	Antenna	Antenna
PWR	Power	Transmitter power
TX	Transmitter / Transmit	Transmitter or transmitting
RX	Receiver / Receive	Receiver or receiving
TRX, XCVR	Transceiver	Transceiver
RIG	Radio equipment	Station equipment
SIG, SIGS	Signal / Signals	Signal or signals
FREQ	Frequency	Frequency
CNDX, CONDX	Conditions	Propagation or operating conditions
WX	Weather	Weather
TEMP	Temperature	Temperature
WPM	Words Per Minute	Sending speed
LP	Long Path	Long-path propagation
SP	Short Path	Short-path propagation
SKED	Schedule	Arranged contact
WKD	Worked	Contacted
WKG	Working	Working or contacting
HRD	Heard	Heard

The IARU list includes ANT, PWR, TX, RX, TRX, RIG, WX, OP, OPR, LP, SP, and SKED among its commonly used CW abbreviations. (IARU Region 1)

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RST Reports and 5NN

A CW signal report normally contains three digits:

• R — Readability: 1 to 5
• S — Signal strength: 1 to 9
• T — Tone quality: 1 to 9

For example:

UR RST 579

means readability 5, strength 7, and tone 9.

UR RST 599

indicates a fully readable, strong signal with a clean tone.

In contests, 599 is often shortened to:

5NN

The Morse character N is much shorter than the numeral 9. ARRL contest material describes 5NN as a widely understood abbreviation for 599. (IARU Region 1)

Common Cut Numbers

Letter	Number
A	1
N	9
T	0

For example:

5NN ATT

can mean:

599 100

ARRL advises operators not to overuse unusual cut numbers. While 5NN and the substitutions A, N, and T are commonly recognized, excessive compression may cause requests for repeats and eliminate any time saved. (ARRL)

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DX, Pileup, and Contest Expressions

Expression	Meaning
DX	A distant or foreign station
CQ DX	General call for distant stations
CQ JA	Call for Japanese stations
CQ NA	Call for North American stations
CQ EU	Call for European stations
CQ TEST	Contest call
TEST	Contest
UP	Listening above the transmit frequency
DWN	Listening below the transmit frequency
UP 2	Listening about 2 kHz higher
UP 5/10	Listening 5 to 10 kHz higher
QSX 7015	Listening on 7015 kHz
SPLIT	Transmitting and receiving on different frequencies
NR	Contest serial number
ZONE	Contest zone
DUP	Duplicate contact
NIL	Not copied or not found in the log
BURO	QSL bureau
DIRECT	Direct postal QSL exchange

CQ TEST is a contest call, with TEST serving as an abbreviation for Contest. A DX station working split may send UP, DWN, UP 5, or QSX 3515 after each contact to indicate where it is listening. (ARRL)

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Anatomy of a Typical CW QSO

The following example uses BA7MTH and W1ABC.

Checking the Frequency

QRL?

If nobody answers, the operator begins calling.

Calling CQ

CQ CQ DE BA7MTH BA7MTH AR

Translation:

Calling any station. This is BA7MTH, BA7MTH. End of call.

Answering

BA7MTH DE W1ABC W1ABC AR

Translation:

BA7MTH, this is W1ABC.

First Information Exchange

W1ABC DE BA7MTH GM TKS FER CALL
UR RST 579 579
NAME JANGEL JANGEL
QTH SHANTOU SHANTOU
HW CPY?
W1ABC DE BA7MTH K

In normal English:

W1ABC, this is BA7MTH. Good morning and thanks for the call. Your signal report is 579. My name is Jangel and my location is Shantou. How are you copying me? W1ABC, this is BA7MTH. Go ahead.

The Reply

BA7MTH DE W1ABC
FB JANGEL TKS FER RPRT
UR RST 589 589
NAME TOM TOM
QTH BOSTON BOSTON
WX SUNNY TEMP 22C
BA7MTH DE W1ABC K

Translation:

BA7MTH, this is W1ABC. Very good, Jangel, and thanks for the report. Your signal is 589. My name is Tom, my location is Boston, and the weather is sunny with a temperature of 22°C. Go ahead.

Ending the Contact

W1ABC DE BA7MTH
FB TOM ALL CPY
TKS FER QSO
73 ES CUL
W1ABC DE BA7MTH SK

Translation:

W1ABC, this is BA7MTH. Very good, Tom. I copied everything. Thanks for the contact. Best regards and see you later. End of contact.

This follows the general structure of the beginner CW QSO presented in the IARU operating guide: callsigns, greeting, RST, name, QTH, equipment or weather information, followed by 73, CUL, and SK. (IARU Region 1)

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CW Sentences Do Not Need Complete English Grammar

A complete English sentence might be:

Good morning. Thank you very much for calling me. Your signal report is 579. My name is Jangel and my location is Shantou. How are you copying me?

A typical CW version is:

GM TKS VY MCH FER CALL UR RST 579
NAME JANGEL QTH SHANTOU HW CPY?

It may be shortened even further:

GM TNX CALL 579 JANGEL SHANTOU HW?

When the context is clear, operators omit articles, pronouns, linking verbs, punctuation, and sometimes repeated callsigns.

The objective is not perfect written English. It is:

To exchange accurate information with the fewest characters that both operators can understand.

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Common Beginner Mistakes

Running Ordinary Abbreviations Together

FB, GM, and TKS are ordinary abbreviations. Send them as separate letters. Only true prosigns such as <AR>, <AS>, and <SK> are run together.

Using QRZ Instead of CQ

QRZ means “Who is calling me?” It is not a general call.

Failing to Send QRL? Before Calling

A frequency that sounds quiet at your location may still be in use. You may hear only one side of a contact because of propagation, weak signals, or split-frequency operation.

Answering a Slow Station at High Speed

Do not answer a CQ at a speed higher than the calling operator can reliably copy. The IARU guide explicitly recommends matching or staying below the calling station’s speed. (IARU Region 1)

Ending Every Transmission with AR K

Once a QSO has been established, K or KN is normally sufficient to hand over the frequency.

Sending “73s”

73 is already a complete traditional expression. It does not need a plural ending.

Making Shorthand Harder Than Plain Language

Abbreviations are useful only when the other operator understands them. When the other station sends:

AGN?

or simply:

?

slow down, use more complete words, and repeat the essential information.

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Conclusion

Learning the Morse alphabet teaches you how CW sounds. Learning the common operating language teaches you how to communicate.

A beginner should first become comfortable with:

CQ  DE  AR  K  KN  SK
QRL  QRM  QRN  QRS  QRZ  QSL  QSO  QTH
GM  FB  TKS  FER  UR  RST  NAME  WX
AGN  PSE  SRI  CPY  HW  TU  73

Once you recognize these expressions, you can understand most ordinary CW contacts. The rest becomes familiar through listening and real on-air experience.

CW may sound like a stream of short tones, but to experienced operators it is a shared language that crosses national borders, accents, and spoken-language barriers.