CW Continued...

When I first started into CW and making contacts, I found it useful to have a cheat sheet in front of me to help me out a little and remember some of the things I wanted to say. This is the actual sheet I used. Of course you would want to add what you'd like if you find the idea useful. I still have it up, but now really only need it to remember club numbers when it's been a while.

Q Signals or Codes (From ARRL.org)

Q Signals take the form of a question when followed by a question mark, otherwise it is a statement. As with the abbreviations, some are rarely used on the air.

QRA What is the name of your station?
QRG What's my exact frequency?
QRH Does my frequency vary?
QRI How is my tone? (1-3)
QRK What is my signal intelligibility? (1-5)
QRL Are you busy?
QRM Is my transmission being interfered with?
QRN Are you troubled by static?
QRO Shall I increase transmitter power?
QRP Shall I decrease transmitter power?
QRQ Shall I send faster?
QRS Shall I send slower?
QRT Shall I stop sending?
QRU Have you anything for me? (Answer in negative)
QRV Are you ready?
QRW Shall I tell _____ you're calling him?
QRX When will you call again?
QRZ Who is calling me?
QSA What is my signal strength? (1-5)
QSB Are my signals fading?
QSD Is my keying defective?
QSG Shall I send _____ messages at a time?
QSK Can you work breakin?
QSL Can you acknowledge receipt?
QSM Shall I repeat the last message sent?QSO Can you communicate with _____ direct?
QSP Will you relay to _____?
QSV Shall I send a series of V's?
QSW Will you transmit on _____?
QSX Will you listen for _____ on _____?
QSY Shall I change frequency?
QSZ Shall I send each word/group more than once? (Answer, send twice or _____)
QTA Shall I cancel number _____?
QTB Do you agree with my word count? (Answer negative)
QTC How many messages have you to send?
QTH What is your location?
QTR What is your time?
QTV Shall I stand guard for you _____?
QTX Will you keep your station open for further communication with me?

Be advised that there is a separate set of Q-signals used during CW net operations!

QNA* Answer in prearranged order.
QNB* Act as relay Between _____ and _____
QNC All net stations Copy. I have a message for all net stations.
QND* Net is Directed (controlled by net control station).
QNE* Entire net stand by.
QNF Net is Free (not controlled).
QNG Take over as net control station.
QNH Your net frequency is High.
QNI Net stations report In.*. OR I am reporting into the net. (Follow with a list or traffic or QRU).
QNJ Can you copy me? Can you copy _____?
QNK* Transmit message for _____ to _____
QNL Your net frequency is Low.
QNM* You are QRMing the net. Stand by.
QNN Net control station is _____ OR What station has net control?
QNO Station is leaving the net.
QNP Unable to copy you. Unable to copy _____
QNQ* Move frequency to _____ and wait for _____ to finish handling traffic. Then send him traffic for _____
QNR Answer _____ and Receive traffic.
QNS* Following Stations are in the net. *(Follow with list.) OR Request list of stations in the net.
QNT I request permission to leave the net for _____ minutes.
QNU* The net has traffic for you. Stand by.
QNV* Establish contact with _____ on this frequency. If successful, move to _____ and send him traffic for _____
QNW How do I route messages for _____?
QNX You are excused from the net.* Request to be excused from the net.
QNY* Shift to another frequency (or to _____ kHz) to clear traffic with _____
QNZ Zero beat your signal with mine.

* For use only by the Net Control Station.

Most CW operators find they're hitting plateaus with speed. Often the main cause for those plateaus are the bad habits mentioned on the previous page (counting, visualization). The only thing to do in that case is re-learn the code by audio alone. If that is not the case, it's still very common to level off, but you can do things like putting the pencil down and just working on head copy, or move your speed up a few wpm, change the type of activity you're doing. Another thing that can actually help is backing off for a while. When you come back (hopefully not TOO long), you may see you're able to make some more progress.

At this point, I would say get on the radio and find reasons to stay on the radio. Set goals, explore options, and have fun! There are contests, awards, SOTA, special event stations, nets, clubs, QRP, DX, mix it up with the paddles, straight key, try out a single-lever paddle, homebrewing, kits, ragchewing, go portable to a park...if you find you're getting in a rut, change direction a little and you may find an exciting new path! I have found that having some goal I'm working towards gets me on the air significantly more than just going out the shack every so often to see what's going on.

By the way, the end of the qso is the traditional "dit dit" or "e e". It's a friendly goodbye that comes from the old rhythm from the jingle "shave and a haircut, two bits." In CW that comes out as "dah dit dit dah dah..." and the other operator would answer "dit dit." And now is just the last two dits.

If these pages have given you the push you needed to get started or helped in any way, it has been worth it to me!

Gl in cw es hpe u find it vfb, cu on the bands de Mike, e e

1st CW Page / Home

Is this frequency in use? Pse QRS Dad KC9EC

QRL? (then LISTEN) Ken K0HL/M

Calling CQ George AG4FK

CQ CQ CQ DE AC0PR AC0PR K Billy W7DMV (SK)

Answering another station’s CQ

__________ DE AC0PR KN

When another station answer’s your CQ

__________ DE AC0PR GM (GA, GE, GN) TU FER CALL BT UR RST 599 (or 579, 549, etc) 559 QTH IS DICKINSON, ND DICKINSON, ND BT NAME IS MIKE MIKE HW CPY? _______DE AC0PR KN

Stuff to mention in between

FB (NAME) SOLID CPY

NICE TO MEET U ON CW

AGE HR IS____ BEEN A HAM FER ___ YRS

RIG IS YAESU FT 857 ES ANT IS VERT (G5RV) AT 100 (1TT) WTS (THE JR IS 51 FT LONG)

WX IS COLD SNOWY WNDY ES OVRCST TEMP IS (MINUS) _____ F

MARRIED WITH 3 KIDS BT WORK AS SPANISH PROFESSOR

HW CPY?

BTU _________

To end the QSO

__________ DE AC0PR R R OK FB BEST GET SOME WORK DONE TNX FER NICE QSO HPE CUL ES 73 GM (GA, GE, GN) ____________ DE AC0PR SK EE

(XLY IS CALLING )

(HV A NET TO GET TO)

If the other station initiates ending the QSO

____________ DE AC0PR R OK TNX NICE QSO HPE CUL 73 SK ___________ DE AC0PR EE

FISTS NR 14754 SKCC NR 7033T

AS Stand by, wait

KN Back to specific station

Prosigns: These are procedural signals of "dit" and "dah" sequences that have specific meaning and are sent together as one character (no space)--thus the overline. These really aren't abbreviations or text or even punctuation, but rather indicators of conversation changes or markers. Here are some common ones:
AR--End of message; AS--Wait, Stand by; BK--Break; BT--Pause, new paragraph; CL--Clear, closing; K--over, go; KN--Over to specific station; SK--End of contact; SOS--emergency (only to be used in actual emergency)

Not all of these are used routinely, but in case you need them. I have highlighted the very most common (in my opinion). Some are more codes than abbreviations, but also don't qualify as prosigns: CW ABBREVIATIONS
73 - Best Regards	GN - Good night	SED - Said
88 - Love and kisses	GND - Ground	SEZ - Says
AA - All after	GUD - Good	SGD - Signed
AB - All before	GV - Give	SIG - Signature; Signal
ABT - About	GVG - Giving	SINE - Operator's personal initials or nickname
ADEE - Addressee	HH - Error in sending	SKED - Schedule
ADR - Address	HI - The telegraph laugh; High	SRI - Sorry
AGN - Again (use this if you didn't get the callsign	HPE - Hope	SS - Sweepstakes (a contest)
AM - Amplitude Modulation	HQ - Headquarters	SSB - Single Side Band
ANT - Antenna	HR - Here; Hear	STN - Station
BCI - Broadcast Interference	HV - Have	SUM - Some
BCL - Broadcast Listener	HW - How, How Copy?	SVC - Service; Prefix to service message
BCNU - Be seeing you	IMI - ?? Repeat, Say Again	T - Zero
BK - Break, Break in (used often to pass back to other op)	INFO - Info	TEST - Contest
BN - All between; Been	LID - A poor operator	TFC - Traffic
BT - Separation (break) (seems to be used instead of period a lot more these days)	LNG - Long	TMW - Tomorrow
BTR - Better	LTR - Later; letter	TKS - Thanks
BUG - Semi-Automatic key	LV - Leave	TNX - Thanks
B4 - Before	LVG - Leaving	TR - Transmit
C - Yes, Correct	MA - Millamperes	T/R - Transmit/Receive
CFM - Confirm; I confirm	MILL - Typewiter	TRIX - Tricks
CK - Ckeck	MILS - Millamperes	TT - That
CKT - Circuit	MSG - Message; Prefix to radiogram	TTS - That is
CL - I am closing my station; Call	N - No, Negative, Incorrect, No More; 9	TU - Thank you
CLBK - Callbook	NCS - Net Control Station	TVI - Television interference
CLD - Called	ND - Nothing Doing	TX - Transmitter; Transmit
CLG - Calling	NIL - Nothing; (also Not in Log)	TXT - Text
CNT - Can't	NM - No more	U - You
CONDX - Conditions	NR - Number (used tons in contests)	UR - Your; You're
CQ - Calling any station	NW - Now; I resume transmission	URS - Yours
CU - See You	OB - Old boy	VFB - Very fine business
CUAGN - See you again	OC - Old chap	VFO - Variable Frequency Oscillator
CUL - See you later	OM - Old man	VY - Very
CUM - Come	OP - Operator (sometimes used before giving your name)	W - Watts
CW - Continuous wave	OPR - Operator	WA - Word after
DA - Day	OT - Old timer; Old top	WB - Word before
DE - From, This Is	PBL - Preamble	WD - Word
DIFF - Difference	PKG - Package	WDS - Words
DLD - Delivered	PSE - Please	WID - With
DLVD - Delivered	PT - Point	WKD - Worked
DN - Down	PWR - Power	WKG - Working
DR - Dear	PX - Press	WL - Well; Will
DX - Distance station	R - Roger; Received as transmitted	WPM - Words Per Minute
EL - Element	RC - Ragchew	WRD - Word
ES - And	RCD - Received	WUD - Would
FB - Fine Business, excellent	RCVR - Receiver	WX- Weather
FER - For	RE - Concerning; Regarding	XCVR - Transceiver
FM - Frequency Modulation/From	REF - Refer/ring to; Reference	XMTR - Transmitter
GA - Go ahead; Good Afternoon	RFI - Radio frequency interference	XTAL - Crystal
GB - Good bye, God Bless	RIG - Station equipment	XYL - Wife
GD - Good	RPT - Repeat, Report	YL - Young lady
GE - Good Evening	RTTY - Radio teletype	YR(S) - Year(s)
GESS - Guess	RST - Readability, strength, tone (AKA Report)
GG - Going	RX - Receive, Receiver
GM - Good morning	SASE - Self-addressed, stamped envelope