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| ABBREVIATED NUMBERS | CW ABBREVIATIONS | LEARNING THE MORSE CODE | OTHER LANGUAGE MORSE ALPHABETS |
| ADJUSTING KEYS | CW OPERATING PROCEDURES | MORSE BANDWIDTH | PASSING THE CODE TEST |
| BOOKS | IAMBIC SENDING & MODES A/B | MORSE CHARACTERS | PROSIGNS |
| CALCULATING CW SPEED | INTERNATIONAL EXTENSIONS | MORSE CHARACTER SPACING | Q-SIGNALS |
| CUT NUMBERS | MORSE TIDBITS | RST SYSTEM RSQ SYSTEM |
AN ONLINE MORSE-CODE TRANSLATOR
CW
LIVES
ON THE AIR SLOW SPEED CHAT GROUP --- A way to practice your slow speed code. It is part of the FISTS GROUP. Mon thru Fri schedule is at 1400Z on 15m (21.158 or 21.058... the FISTS calling frequencies).
CW Operating -- by Robert Halprin
Buy the Book Today!
Morse Code; Breaking the Barrier -- by Dave Finley
Buy the Book Today!
NOTE: The use of periods and hyphens in the tables below are for ease of presentation, many code instructors use a handout and teach with the sound equivalent. That is A= dit dah or didah, etc. When reading the mores characters do not say dot dash, rather learn to see - and say as didah
MORSE CHARACTERS
A -
B -
C --
D -
E
F -
G --
H
I
J ---
K --
L -
M --
N -
O ---
P --
Q ---
R -
S
T -
U -
V -
W --
X --
Y ---
Z --
1 ----
2 ---
3 --
4 -
5
6 -
7 --
8 ---
9 ----
0 -----
OTHER MORSE CHARACTERS
.
,
/
+
=
?
(
)
-
"
!
Period ---
Comma ----
Slash(1) --
Plus --
Equal --
Question --
Open Paren ---
Close Paren ----
Dash --
Quote --
Exclamation Point None
at Present
_
'
:
;
$
Underscore ---
Single Quote ----
Colon(1) ---
Semicolon ---
Dollar Sign --
Warning .-..-
Error ........
Repetition(ii ii) .. ..
@ Sign -- AC run together.
i.e., --- or simply AT
See Note 2
NOTES (1)also:'divided by'
(2)To keep up with the times,
the IARU has proposed adding a new
character--the commercial "at"
or @ symbol--to permit sending e-mail
addresses in Morse code. The draft new
recommendation proposes using the
letters A and C run together
(.--.-.) to represent the @ symbol.
Tis pending approval. Meanwhile
simply send "AT", today's Hams will
know it means "@".
INTERNATIONAL EXTENSIONS & ABBREVIATED NUMBERS
|
Note: 'umlaut' is also known as 'diaeresis' (2) Used only in German; not in Dutch. |
ABBREVIATED NUMBERS Also termed "CUT NUMBERS"
1 - A
These are sometimes used in contests for reports and serial numbers, the most
common being: |
OTHER MORSE CODE ALPHABETS - Greek, Cyrillic, Hebrew, Arabic, Japanese, Chinese -- URL1, URL2, URL3
FOR MORSE PROGRAMS AND SOFTWARE - CLICK HERE
METHODS
OF LEARNING MORSE CODE
There is no one way to learn the code
that will work for everyone. Beware of the ham who says here is a sure fire
way to learn the code. Here are several methods choose the one that works
best for you.
AUDIBLE
- Probably the most popular and effective method. For many, the instant recognition of a
SOUND and the association with a character (letter, number, punctuation, prosign)
or whole word is usually
recommended. The less interpretation needed between the initial hearing and
recognition, the better. As you progress - try not to repeat the sound --
just strive for instant recognition.
Most
USA tests are given in the Farnsworth method - that is 12 WPM character speed, 5 WPM overall speed.
BEFORE ANYTHING -- check with your local testing group FIRST to determine if you are tested in Farnsworth -- then study that way --
many who have
studied straight 5 WPM - couldn't
copy a darn thing in Farnsworth.
MUSICALLY
OR LANGUAGE ASSOCIATED -- Some learn musically or language associated- some learn it as a song or word --
dah dah ditit -- The zebra did it - letter Z.
dah dah
di dah here comes the bride - she is a queen
- letter Q.
Dog did it," "dah-di-di!" Letter D - See Code Quick
One musician recommends: "As for the music and CW, it may appeal to you. It's the rhythm
that does it. Tap your foot to a 4 x 1 cadence. Then tap your finger on the desk
in sequence with it. Tap it three times and you have a "S" tap it four
times you have a "H" tap it five times you have a
"5". Now do this while keeping the foot going: Send a "V"
di di dit dah. Keep in cadence. Catch the rhythm? great
isn't it?"
VISUAL
-- some learn best by seeing it on the screen as they hear it.
AUDIBLE
- INVERSE -
Some study the opposites A (didah) then N (dahdit), K then R, etc.
AUDIBLE
PHONETICS -
Some learn by associating it with the NATO Alphabet
i.e, dit-dah followed by A or ALPHA after a while you will hear dit dah
and A or alpha pops into the brain.
PATTERNS
-There are patterns in morse code letters. For example: the letter A is similar
to the letter W except that the letter W has an additional dah to it. One might
study A (didah), W (didadah), J (didahdahdah), 1(didahdahdahdah) in order, then mixed. This is effective if one has difficulty
in discerning J from 1 etc.
TYPING
- some find that they have an automatic reflex to hearing a character and
hitting the right key on a keyboard. Check with your VEC if they will allow you
to take the test this way. One of our local examiners does allow this as well as
a Braille keyboard for the blind.
SENDING
Some folks learn better by sending with a key. Others read signs while
driving on the highway and mentally send the characters. This is usually in conjunction with a listening method.
CHARACTERS
- at 5 WPM (non-farnsworth) it is feasible to repeat (or count) the dits and dahs in your head
and pass the test --- this is the hard way and Farnsworth makes this tough
NOT RECOMMENDED but may be the only way for some.
PLAIN
TEXT VS MIXED RANDOM CHARACTERS. Studying
Morse in plain text gives the advantage of being able to anticipate what is
coming next where mixed random characters ya gotta know them all. Maybe
practice both if that works for you.
KOCH
METHOD -
Learn morse code using high speed random characters.
FARNSWORTH - Farnsworth morse is composed of higher speed characters sent with longer than standard spacing between them. This means that the mind gets used to hearing the "right sounds" while having plenty of time to think about them. All the great code schools of the past used Farnsworth teaching.
BRAIN
SOAK
Some folks give up on methods and just plain listen to code practice until one
day it just all comes together. The impediment to increasing speed and
proficiency is called a barrier which you may feel you will never hurdle, but is
amazing when one day after brain soaking it magically all comes together.
Your mileage may vary.
COMPUTER PROGRAMS AND COURSES - There are many available -- see Morse Programs and try them out -- choose the one that works the best for you. Remember that the one that works for your buddy or elmer may or may not be the best for you.
FOR MANY -- studying EVERY day for 15 to 30 minutes is successful. Leaving long periods between study sessions is usually counter-productive. Studying for long periods at a session - frazzles many a brain.
One long time code instructor advises; "Most people's problems with the code stem from trying to learn it too fast without sufficient drilling before they move on to each new letter. The average person needs about 30 hours of study and practice on the code to hit 5 wpm. Now this is an average. Some will take longer and some will take less." So a half hour in the morning, a half hour in the evening and in a month -- you should have it.
Another advises: Whatever method you use, try to *hear* the code directly as a letter. IOW, don't try to translate the sound into dot-dash and translate that into A, just hear the dot-dash and think A. Easier said than done, but when you master it your receiving speed will increase dramatically.
IN SUMMARY - THERE IS NO ONE SURE FIRE WAY -- THE LEARNER IS ENCOURAGED TO TRY THE METHODS AND PROGRAMS THAT GIVE THE BEST RESULTS.
Also Excellent Reading "The Art & Skill of Radio Telegraphy" By William G. Pierpont N0HFF -- Available for downloading in PDF
PASSING THE CODE TEST From W6YOO, Escondido, CA VE
(of ourse, code is no longer required to pass, but we're keeping the following for historical sake)
NOTE: Following is a typical exam handout sheet used in San Diego. Before you study the code or prepare for a test, call YOUR VEC and get the latest information. You will want to know in what manner to study, note that in the example, code characters are sent at 13 wpm, with the spacing adjusted for overall 5 wpm speed study accordingly is recommended. The VECs in your particular area can be found at URL: www.arrl.org/arrlvec/veclist.html
When you put the earphones on and the tape is started, you will hear one minute of practice to help you loosen up. This will also give you the opportunity to make sure the volume is set high enough to allow you to hear the characters being sent. An example of the one-minute practice might be like the following:
V V V WA7VXB/8 de N3YZW BT RRR Thanks
Roger for the nice report. Your report is RST 569 ? 569 here in Gambrills, MD.
My name is Julles and I work as a Keypunch Operator. My age is 30 and I am
married and have 2 children. The rig is a Yaesu 101B putting out 75 watts to a 2
element Quad antenna. I feed the antenna with 50 ohm coaxial cable. The weather
here is warm and breezy, temperature is 74 degrees. So how copy? AR WA7VXB/8 de
N3YZW SK
You will note that the sample QSO contains
all of the alphabet letters, numbers 1 thru 0, punctuation such as the period,
comma, question mark, slant bar, and the prosigns BT, AR, and SK. All of these
are required by the FCC to demonstrate your knowledge of the
Morse Code. The actual
QSO you hear will be approximately five minutes in duration.
Following your listening to the QSO, we
will check your copy looking for a string of 25 characters in a row without
error. If you have copied 25 characters in a row without error, you pass. If
not, you will be provided with an answer sheet with ten questions about the QSO
you just copied. If you answer seven (7) or more correctly, you pass. Each
letter in the text counts as one (1) character, numbers, punctuation and
prosigns count as two. If you have the appropriate number of characters in a row
correct, you pass the code test. As you see, you have two chances to pass.
What are the questions like? Following are some examples, along with the correct answer:
What is the callsign of the station being called? WA7VXB/8
What is the callsign of the calling station? N3YZW
What is the name of the operator being called? Roger
What is the name of the calling operator? Julles
What is the calling operators job? Keypunch Operator
What make and model radio is he using? Yaesu l01B
What kind of antenna is he using? 2 Element Quad
What kind of feedline is he using? 50 Ohm Coaxial Cable
How many children does he have? 2
What is the temperature at his
location? 74 Degrees
You will note that there is emphasis on
callsigns and numbers,
pay close attention to the make and model of the radio being used and the
antenna system. Remember which is the calling station and the station being
called. Some have had the calls correct, but reversed them on the answer sheet.
READ THE QUESTIONS CAREFULLY!
Remember, your first chance at passing is
your text. Go back over it carefully, you are going to have some blank spots.
Use your best judgment as to what is missing. Remember, state abbreviations will
probably be sent as two letters, e.g. CA not CAL or Calif. We will start
counting with the first correct character and continue until you miss. We will
start again at the next correct character and continue until you miss again. We
do this until the end of the text, counting letters as one (1), numbers and
punctuation, and prosigns as two (2) characters. If we find enough correct in a
string, i.e. 25 you pass.
Suppose your text looked like this before
you went back over it to see if you could fill in where you missed a character:
"The rig i_, a Ya_su 101B put _g out 75 w___s to a 2 el_m_nt Q __d ant__na."
That line is sixty-six (66) characters
long. When you go back over your text, don't you think you could fill in the
blanks? If you know rig names and models, types of antennas, feed lines, etc.
you should have no problems. Another thing -- penmanship is important, write or
print your letters and numbers carefully, so we can read your writing. Block
printing is best, but try not to lose out because a cursive "c" looked like an
"e". It is not pleasant for us to have you miss out by a single character.
If you have any specific questions, be sure to ask one of the Volunteer Examiners before your Morse Code Receiving Test begins. We wish you the best of luck and look forward to hearing you on the bands. YOUR VOLUNTEER EXAMINER TEAM
Thanks to Harry A. Hodges, W6YOO, ARRL
ASM - VE Team Leader
AC6V
Note -- When You pass the Tech License --- SEE
NEW
TO 2 METER FM REPEATERS? See FM101x
Added note for calculators -- most exam sessions allow a four banger but memories must be wiped cleaned
CW OPERATING PROCEDURES -- From AC6V's Book DX101X
A1-1. CW TUTORIAL
In addition to the quickie DXpedition and
contest CW contacts, you can work a lot of DX in a one-on-one QSO.
A lot of common DX is available on CW, with very little competition. For
example, the mob will pileup on a European station on phone, but on CW on many
occasions you can hear that same country calling CQ with no takers. An excellent
CW Tutorial can be found by Jack Wagoner WB8FSV at URL:
www.netwalk.com/~fsv/CWguide.htm
Lets take it step by step.
Have a list of CW Abbreviations, Prefixes, and Q-Signals handy. Some DX stations cannot converse in English but you both can get the essentials across with Q-Signals.
Know how to zero beat a CW signal. Many stations have very narrow filters and you want to be in their bandpass. Refer to the operating manual for your radio.
Know how to use your RIT, XIT, Dual VFOs, and CW filters. See Chapter 2.
Listen for a DX station calling CQ or wait until they have finished with a QSO.
Good operators will send KN as a turn over, which is go ahead, over, others keep out. Sending just K opens it for others to break in and this is OK if that is desired. SK is the signoff that should be used or CL (clear) if closing your station.
Give a call in 1 X 2 call format -- DX11DX DE WZ9UUU WA9UUU AR (The AR is a prosign sent as one character, i.e. didahdidahdit and means that I am through with this transmission). The DX station knows their call, so send it once. Sending your call twice allows the other station to hear it, then confirm it.
If you make the connection, the usual follow up is his or her signal report, repeated twice if the contact is shaky and weak, then your name and QTH. Dont send more than that on the first round. Turn it back to the DX with a K or KN. This will allow the two of you to evaluate if a QSO is sustainable or desirable.
On the next over, ask about QSL information if you want it, before the band slips out.
If no DX is calling CQ, but the band seems open, find a clear frequency and listen for a bit, if clear, then send QRL? QRL asks is the frequency busy? If someone responds with C, or QRL, no need to respond and clutter up the frequency. If no response to your QRL, repeat a couple of times and then call CQ. Sending just QRL without your callsign is against the rules, but most do it anyway.
Calling CQ is typically in a 3 X 2 format CQ CQ CQ DE WZ7UUU WZ7UUU K. Long long CQs are likely to be ignored. Dont use AR instead of K as it means ending the transmission, and not an invitation for an answer. KN is a turn over to the station you are already working in a QSO
Listen for a few seconds using RIT to check for off frequency responses. If you have a narrow CW filter in line, use RIT and tune up and down from your transmit frequency to determine if someone is responding.
Repeat your CQ or QSY to a clear frequency, as you may be on a Big Gun frequency that cant hear you.
After the initial contact, it is typically DX11DX DE WX6DDD GM (GA, GE) OM TNX FER CALL UR RST ### (339, 599, 549, etc.) NAME HR IS ROD ROD. QTH IS SAN DIEGO, CA. SAN DIEGO, CA. HW? AR DX11DX DE WX6DDD K (OR) KN. See your list of abbreviations if you are not familiar with these.
DX11DX returns with essentially the same info, you may get R indicating that DX11DX copied all, or QSL on all is sometimes sent.
The next round is an invitation to rag chew. If DX11DX is too fast for you, send a QRS (send slower please). Longer QSOs usually include your station configuration, the weather (WX), jobs, ages, etc. You may receive an invitation to operate QSK (break-in) where the QSO is much more conversational. Practice with a friend first as this takes some getting used to and proper equipment settings.
It is not necessary to do a (DX11DX DE WD6YYY) every time except every 10 minutes of course. When you turn it over you can use BK or just KN or K.
A signoff looks like this:
DX11DX DE WF6TTT, FB
VLAD TNX NICE QSO HPE CUL VY 73 GM SK
DX11DX DE
WF6TTT Use SK or CL (Closing
Station) on your final transmission not AR or K (N)
Then there are some
cuties signoffs dit dit,
and a response of dit. Old Military types use dit dita dit dit (Shave and a
Haircut) with the response of dit dit (2 Bits)!
For contests, a common CQ is test AC6V test.
Tail-ending. Wait until another QSO is complete, and then call the station you want to contact.
Breaking into a QSO is not commonly done on CW and should be approached with caution. If it obvious that two old friends are in conversation, it is not advisable. If the exchanges include KN its a signal that others are not welcome, best wait until the QSO is over and then tail-end. The standard break-in method on CW is to wait between transmissions and then send "BK" for break, or "BK de WT8III".
It is very common to
send RST reports in abbreviated form, for example 599, is sent as 5NN.
"N" in place of the number "9". Also another time saver is
for the zero using a long "T". "T" is sent in place of the
number zero as in " POWER HR IS 3TT WATTS". There is a number code for
all numbers; however, the N and T codes are the most common ones.
Also CW stations sometimes report their zones as "A4" or
"A5" instead of sending "14" or "15".
1 = A, 2 = U, 3 = V, 4 = 4,
5 = E, 6 = 6, 7 = B, 8 = D, 9 =
N, 0 = T
CW Bandwidth = wpm X 4 (e.g., 40 WPM = 160 Hz)
From the ARRL License Manual 1976:
"With proper shaping, the necessary keying bandwidth is equal to 4
times the speed in words per minute for International Morse Code;
e.g. at 25 words per minute, the bandwidth is approximately 100 cycles."
Character Spacing and Calculating Morse Code Speed
The word PARIS is the standard to determine CW code speed. Each dit is one element, each dah is three elements, intra-character spacing is one element, inter-character spacing is three elements and inter-word spacing is seven elements. The word PARIS is exactly 50 elements.
Note that after each dit/dah of the letter P -- one element spacing is used except the last one. (Intra-Character).
After the last dit of P is sent, 3 elements are added (Inter-Character). After the word PARIS - 7 elements are used.
Thus:
P
di da da di
1 1 3 1 3 1 1 (3) =
14 elements
A
di da
1 1 3 (3) =
8 elements
R
di da di
1 1 3 1 1 (3) =
10 elements
I
di di
1 1 1 (3) =
6 elements
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is neither affiliated with the authors of this page nor responsible
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