Basic CW Operating Procedures
CW QSO Template
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Basic CW Operating Procedures
Back when I first got on the air in 1978, CW QSO’s had a pretty standard format. That format didn’t change much until the last few years. But today there’s quite a hodgepodge of operating procedures out there. Most of the time it works, but it’s not uncommon to hear a downright jumbled mess — even from a CW operator who has been on the air long enough to send and receive at 10 wpm or more.
It’s important to learn good operating procedure, not just because it sounds polished but because it serves a practical purpose. You can get away with sloppy operating procedure under perfect conditions, but not if your signal is weak or if there’s much QRM, QRN, and/or QSB. Even under perfect conditions, you’re making the person at the other end work harder if you’re constantly surprising him with your own odd way of operating. Under poor conditions, he may miss some of what you’re trying to say. And even if he succeeds at copying what you’re saying he may well be relieved when the ordeal is over.
I’m not going to get into all of the details of good operating procedure here, but I would like to discuss some basics.
General structure
There is a general structure to a CW QSO that most operators expect. After establishing contact, the first transmission should stick to the basics — RST, QTH, and name. You don’t know yet how well the other fellow is copying you; if you’re a 329, you’re going to torture him if you go on and on about your rig, your power, your antenna, the weather, etc. Furthermore, you might lose the opportunity to hear even the basics from the other fellow if band conditions deteriorate while you’re sending all this on the first transmission. So stick to the basics — and do send them. Here’s the way we all used to do it years ago:
NØART DE NØIP R TNX FER CALL OM = UR RST RST 579 579 = QTH QTH GRANITE FALLS, MN GRANITE FALLS, MN = NAME NAME TODD TODD = SO HW CPY? AR NØART DE NØIP KN
Note the use of BT (=). That seems to have fallen out of favor, but once upon a time it was the standard way of changing the subject. The most important thing I want to point out here is to preface each of the three major elements of this first transmission with their labels: RST, QTH, and NAME. It takes a few seconds longer than sending something like, “UR 579 IN GRANITE FALLS, MN OP TODD,” but it is worth it. As the FISTS club puts it, “Accuracy transcends speed.”
The operator replying to this first transmission sends the same three basics in the same way. If he’s inclined (and if he’s received a reasonably good RST) he will probably go on to talk about his station, the weather, etc. As it turns into a ragchewing session you can pretty much send whatever you want.
Procedure signals
Just as the use of BT has fallen out of favor, so have other procedure signals fallen on hard times. I often hear them sent incorrectly and used improperly. Remember what these are — they are procedure signals. Learn to send them well and to use them well, and your operating procedure will improve substantially. The ones most commonly used are AR, AS, BK, BT, K, KN and SK.
Notice the line that appears under some of the two-letter procedure signals. That means you send the two letters as if they are one character. For instance, BT (=) isn’t sent as dah-di-di-dit dah (BT) but dah-di-di-di-dah (BT).
- AR End of message: Send this after you are completely done sending everything — everything, that is, but call signs and KN. If it’s your last transmission, use SK instead.
- AS Wait: You might hear this if you’re working an experienced operator. If you hear this, the next thing you hear will probably be silence — maybe he has to answer the phone or something. Or maybe you’ll hear him hold his key down while he fiddles with his antenna tuner. Don’t start sending — he’ll start sending when he’s ready. This is a handy procedure sign to know, if you ever need to take a break yourself.
- BK Break: This might be used by a station who wants to enter an ongoing QSO — he’ll send BK between transmissions to see if they’ll let him in and turn their QSO into a “roundtable.” With the advent of full QSK keying, this also became popular among experienced CW operators who could interrupt one another right in the middle of a transmission (perhaps to answer a question or clarify something). But most commonly BK is used to rapidly turn the conversation over to the other station without sending any call signs. For instance, an operator might send something like “HOW CPY? BK” and then cease his transmission. If this happens to you, reply by simply sending BK and answer his question. You can go back and forth in this manner for as long as you want, but don’t forget to obey the law by identifying yourself with your call sign at least every 10 minutes.
- BT Separator: Usually used to change the subject, even if it’s just to go from sending RST to sending QTH. (If you hear the other fellow sending BT several times, it’s because he’s trying to think of what he wants to say next!)
- K Over: This invites anybody listening to reply. Send this after you’re done calling CQ. But if you’re in a QSO, you almost always want to use KN, not K.
- KN Over (to specific station): Send this after signing over to the other station in a QSO, e.g. NØART DE NØIP KN. KN tells other listeners that they’re not welcome to call you yet — you just want the station you’ve named to reply. Don’t send this after calling CQ — send K instead.
- SK End of contact: This lets the other operator know that you want to end this QSO, and this is your last transmission. Usually sent in place of AR right before signing over to the other station.
The Handshake
It has long been customary to send “dit dit” at the very end of a QSO, like a final handshake. On the very last transmisssion, the sending station sends “dit dit” and then the other station replies “dit dit,” and that’s the end. Or (like we did in the old days) you’ll hear the first station send “dit di-di-dit dit” and wait for the second station to send “dit dit” (“shave and a haircut, two bits!”).
But this is often fumbled. Here’s how it usually goes wrong. The first station to send his final farewell, e.g. TNX FER QSO HPE CU AGN 73 73 SK NØART DE NØIP KN, knowing full well that the other station still plans on bidding him farewell in the same manner, goes ahead and sends “dit dit” at the end of his transmission. Naturally, the other station ignores this faux pas, goes on to send his last transmission, and only when he is done does he finally offer “dit dit” for the other operator to send his own “dit dit” again.
Now, this is obviously not the most important point of operating procedure, but why not do it right? No need to be socially awkward at the end of a good QSO!
The above is from N0IP and fully endorsed as correct and recommended CW operating practice by Quality True Telegraphists.
CW QSO Template
You’ll have quite a lot on your mind during those initial QSOs, so trying to remember what to say and when to say it can be surprisingly difficult. Fear not, for LIDS is happy to provide you with this crib sheet to help you through those first contacts. Print this page and keep it close by in your shack.
You don’t need to follow this to the letter – in fact as you gain confidence you’ll find yourself going off-script as the conversation takes you over and you want to make it more personal – but this covers the basics of a ‘rubber stamp’ QSO.
In this example, you are M0ABC and you are answering a CQ call from K9XYZ, but if it’s you calling CQ then you just swap the roles.
Pro-signs have been underlined. There are three in general use: AR signifies the end of the message, KN marks the end of your transmission and an invitation to the other station to reply, and SK says it’s the end of the contact and your last transmission to that station.
Ed: = is sent as one character BT -…-
K9XYZ: CQ CQ CQ DE K9XYZ K9XYZ K9XYZ PSE K
M0ABC: K9XYZ DE M0ABC M0ABC M0ABC KN
K9XYZ: M0ABC DE K9XYZ = GA ES TNX FER CALL = UR RST 469 46N 46N = NAME IS JANE JANE JANE = QTH NEW YORK NEW YORK = HW? AR M0ABC DE K9XYZ KN
M0ABC: K9XYZ DE M0ABC = GA JANE TNX FB RPT UR RST 579 579 579 = OP JOHN JOHN ES QTH YORK YORK THE OLD ONE HI = HW? AR K9XYZ DE M0ABC KN
K9XYZ: M0ABC DE K9XYZ = R TNX RPRT ES INFO JOHN = PWR 100W ANT IS YAGI UP 10M = WX IS SUNNY ES WARM 30C = HW? AR M0ABC DE K9XYZ KN
M0ABC: K9XYZ DE M0ABC = TNX FER INFO = HR RIG IS FT817 PWR 5W 5W 5W ES ANT IS DIPOLE DIPOLE UP 9M 9M = WX IS WET ES COLD AR K9XYZ DE M0ABC KN
K9XYZ: M0ABC DE K9XYZ = MNI TNX INFO ES FB QSO = PSE QSL VIA BURO = 73 ES HPE CUAGN AR SK M0ABC DE K9XYZ KN
M0ABC: K9XYZ DE M0ABC = FB JANE TNX FER NICE QSO 77 ES BCNU AR K9XYZ DE M0ABC SK
K9XYZ: 77 TU E E
M0ABC: E E
Ed note: you can edit the above for your own use and keep a copy in front of you to assist you when sending if you are a nervous CW novice.
If you want an even simpler template to remember as you get more familiar with the how to say things in CW then you can try this:
- CQ call / answer
- RST / Name / QTH
- Rig / Power / Antenna / WX
- Thanks / QSL info / 77
The above is from LIDSCW with minor changes for clarification and fully endorsed as a correct CW operating practice by Quality True Telegraphists.
NOTE: Some of you may be wondering, why repeat things a few times? The main information should be repeated unless you truly have a 599 copy on both sides. There’s no rush and it gives the other OP time to write the details in the log, and be sure they’re correct without having to ask you for a repeat of one or more pieces of information. Also, this includes, the callsign of the other station: if the conditions are not optimum, be sure to send their callsign several times, especially at the beginning when calling them or answering them, so that they can be sure you have received their callsign correctly. It is better to send these things several times the first time, than have to repeat them later on request. The same goes for your own callsign: make sure you sent it often enough and that you hear the other station sending your callsign correctly. If you haven’t heard the other station sending your callsign correctly, or are not sure, then be sure to send it at least 2 or 3 times yourself when it is your turn, so that they will have a chance to get it correct or to verify it when it is their turn, by sending it more than once. Again, there is no rush, and yes, the other station knows their own callsign but does want to clearly hear it from you to know you have it correct too!
Modern Day Mistakes to Avoid
These days a number of mistakes have crept into CW Operating which cause confusion. In the old days when CW was a requirement of the radio amateur exam and was widely used by other services, well established standards were taught and easily available in a number of publications.
Today however, the well-intentioned CW operator who is relatively new to CW, will find so much contradictory and even harmful information, some of it notoriously published by the IARU in it’s “Ethics of Amateur Radio” booklet by ON4UN. On air they hear so many different contradictions, adding to the confusion and when they ask online they receive contradictory answers.
Let us put it this way: although most things are allowed in CW and won’t cause too many problems, especially when taking note of the above recommended Standard QSO Format, there are certainly a few things that need to be avoided at all costs due to being absolutely incorrect and damaging to the future of CW through the confusion and inefficiency they cause, as well as unnecessary stress.
Below is a short list of them: remember, AVOID such practices at all costs, no matter what you read elsewhere. The authors above and the Editor of this page has over 50 years of CW experience both within Amateur Radio and other services that used “Morse Code” in the past. Take note!
- NEVER end a CQ call with only silence after your callsign!
- NEVER end a CQ with only <AR>
- ALWAYS end a CQ with a K – no matter if it is just K, or <AR> K, or PSE K
- ALWAYS make sure when answering a CQ to send the callsign of the other station
Additional Information for Those Interested
Some other recommendations of things to avoid doing:
- Do not send R or RR or RRR unless you really are sure you copied all information
- Do not give a report of 5NN unless the other station’s signal is truly extremely strong
- If you want to answer a DX station that is listening up, check TX freq. first with QRL?
On this note, why is it necessary to ask QRT? or QRL? or QSY? to check if a frequency is in use? Unless you have been listening on the frequency for several minutes, or it is a Calling Frequency, even though you might hear nothing there could be another station in QSO that you cannot hear. Asking gives them a chance if the QSO partner can hear you, to reply with YES or C or QSY.
If you’re wondering why a CQ must end with a K, and not silence: because a station that is far away and not copying you with very strong signal can’t be sure you have finished your CQ, also it is just plain rude, as you aren’t inviting an answer, and, K is the only invitation to transmit. It is short, so why leave it out? Doing so is disrespectful of CW Operating Practices and the other OP.
If you’re wondering why a CQ cannot end (only) with an <AR>: because doing so means only that you have finished your CQ call, but it might be a test, and again you haven’t clearly invited a reply. For example you might be calling CQ to check your ANT and signal on the RBN.
If you’re wondering why you have to send the callsign of the other station when you are replying to their CQ even if they are 599+20db: because if you do not 1) they do not know whether or not you have copied their callsign correctly and 2) they have no way of knowing whether you are one of the majority of LID who in haste reply to a DX Pedo listening “UP” and this happens very often, so they cannot reply to you and send all their info only to later find out you weren’t even calling them, and 3) it is not legal to do so. You must legally give the callsign of the station you are in QSO with at least at the start and end of all transmissions. It’s also rude not to give their callsign.
Why is it recommended (but not compulsory) to end a CQ with PSE K? It is perfectly fine to simply end a CQ with K, or with <AR> K, but ending it with PSE K leaves no doubt to anyone who tuned in at the very end of your CQ and did not therefore here the “CQ” but only your callsign, by ending with PSE K they know 100% you were calling CQ and not replying to someone else. Yes, a K is enough as it is an invitation for anyone to reply, but PSE simply removes all doubts. After all, some use K during QSO overs, meaning anyone could break in, though most will use KN during QSO overs to signal that they do NOT want anyone to break in during their QSO.
So are there no new acceptable developments in CW since the old days? Sure there are. In the old days, it was more frequent to hear <CT> at the start of transmissions. These days this is usually only used when you want the other station to grab a pen and start writing down a formal message. There is no harm at all in using it though. Likewise, if you like to use “.” instead of “=” during QSO, it’s up to you. The practice of using “OP” instead of NAME is more international, and used to be used almost only in the Communist countries, the original RST code for signal reports in Amateur Radio CW has been improved by the increasingly used RSN code, and a new code “77” to signify “Long Live CW and Wishing You Many Happy QSO” is also a welcome development.
However, a great many useful abbreviations and Q codes have fallen into disrepair, and it behoves the conscientious CW Operator to learn them. A good list is on the QRZ page of G4OJW here. Q codes can be found by searching the web for “Q Codes” and QN codes as used in Amateur Radio CW Nets only can be found by searching for “QN Codes” or on the CWB website. Another new development, though not yet in use but suggested for Amateur Radio Emergency CW Nets are the so-called “QVZ” codes which can be found here.
As you can see, and as mentioned in the publication “Zen and the Art of Radiotelegraphy”, CW, as well as amateur radio, is still evolving. Over the years changes happen gradually that are beneficial such as some of those mentioned above, while it is important to point out and avoid the harmful changes creeping in as also mentioned above. We even need new codes for new problems and if you are still interested you can read about some of those below.
In the old days, it was rare that other equipment was causing noise to amateur radio, rather, it was we who were causing radio receivers and television sets to blink and buzz in our neighbourhood. So the only Q codes about noise were QRM signifying you are having interference from another station (of any mode), and QRN that you are having strong static (atmospherics) interference. Neither of these codes are suited to describing loud local noise from LED lamps and so on, because it is important to know that QRM is another station, and QRN is natural. Although many use “QRM” for local noise too this is incorrect, and ambiguous. So over time perhaps a new code will evolve such as QRMN (Man Made Noise but not another station), or QRML (Local Noise).
If Amateur Radio continues to be a male dominated hobby in future and political correctness goes out the window, maybe a code such as QRMX (Interference from XYL please standby) may find its way into common use. The point is not rigidity but avoiding confusion in operating procedures.
Some other developments over the years, the “Thank you, see you” (either TU SU or TU SEE U) which were widely used around the world by ships radio operators, is increasingly finding its way into amateur radio, at first after many retired and took up amateur radio, but now also by those without any history of the maritime radio service. In the old days this was almost never used.
The International Morse Code itself has even officially changed over the years many times, the last being some decades ago when the ITU changed the use of “!” to “,” (DDddDD or Dah-dah-di-di-dah-dah) and this was also used even after the change as an international CW swear word! So “!” or now “,” (often sent for emphasis as “MEEM” with the Radio Officer pounding his fist on the straight key in anger) may even find its way into amateur CW in the future as an international swear word, if operators see a need for it. On the other hand the more often used “99” meaning “Get Lost” which was an official amateur radio code, and “LID” meaning “Licensed idiot” have fallen into disuse and are now almost never to be heard.