CW Operating

[flintstone mop]

OK
Im gonna try CW operating again. I don't want to sound like a real beginner when I start sending CQ. I remember there were little codes used within the QSO to talk to each other....like......AR (What's that?)....or SK (I assume end of QSO or transmission(?)) Is there a little guide on the way Hams use CW? I'm really rusty, prolly around 7 WPM. There are better chances for DX using that mode, for now.
Thanks

Fred

[WD8BIL]

Hi Fred...

Where ya gonna hang out ?  I can dust off the straight key and join ya. (It's a bit tough to crank the Bug down to 7 wpm)

If I remember : AR = end of message
                      K= over
                      KN= over to u only(no breakers pls)
                      SK = over and out

to name a few.
And, of course there's the ever popular HI HI FB

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Section 3.6 here: http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/nts-mpg/pdf/MPG304A.pdf

And here, about half way down the page: http://ac6v.com/morseaids.htm

[AF9J]

Hi Fred,

Here's an organization where you can get your feet wet again, and not worry about speed:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skcc/

There are a lot of OTs just getting back into CW, that belong to it.  It's a pretty low pressure group.  If you're looking for some CW QSOs let me know.  I'll QSO with you ,and you can set the speed.

73,
Ellen - AF9J

[k4kyv]

Unfortunately, with the demise of the code test, CW will eventually become a lost art.  To become a competent telegrapher (not the same thing as tapping out an occasional QSO at < 10wpm)  requires that one applies oneself, and it is not a skill developed overnight.

I'd say that well over 90% of the hams who work CW (myself included) originally learnt the code for one and only one reason: it was a licence requirement.  Without that requirement, very few new hams will go to the trouble.  The vast majority of CW operators will go the way of WW2 veterans to-day, with the passing of time.

It may take a few decades, but I predict that eventually, CW will become a tiny, practically insignificant minority of operators, much like AM circa 1970 when "everybody knew" it was "dead".  It will take something unforeseen to cause it to "come back" as AM did, simply because of the effort required to become proficient in the code.

[ve6pg]

...just say when es where...ve3brl, a great AMer, werks cw on 40. there is a bunch of guys there, who send/receive abt 7-10 wpm...i'll ask jim where and when, and pass it along....tim...sk...

[WU2D]

The Straight Key Century Club seems to be a group that is gaining. I worked a few of these guys on saturday.  Could CW be coming back? http://skccgroup.com/

Mike WU2D

[WA1GFZ]

Hey Don,
if I had a spark rig I would never go back to AM.

[Ed/KB1HYS]

I'm a lousy CW op. But it's still the cats a$$ for QRP work, and it's still the mode that can penetrate bad cond.

I personally rather work a op who's rig has some personality. A little chirp or buzz... or a guys who's swinging a bug.  When I was on CW alot, I had a couple guys who's rig I could recognize, as they were distinct sounding. You know your having a QSO with a human and not a computer translator.

You can slow a bug down alot, just add a solid weight to the swing arm. Cable clamps work pretty good...

[W1UJR]

OK
Im gonna try CW operating again. I don't want to sound like a real beginner when I start sending CQ. I remember there were little codes used within the QSO to talk to each other....like......AR (What's that?)....or SK (I assume end of QSO or transmission(?)) Is there a little guide on the way Hams use CW? I'm really rusty, prolly around 7 WPM. There are better chances for DX using that mode, for now.
Thanks

Fred

Hi Fred,
Congrats on the idea, did the same thing earlier this year and never looked back.

You may want to check out the good folks at FISTS, at http://www.fists.org/.
They have a huge amount of data on their site.
Another excellent resource, available for free off the FISTS site and elsewhere, is Bill Pierpont's "The Art & Skill of Radio-Telegraphy", outstanding and interesting reading about the history of CW, most efficient learning procedures, operating protocol, etc.

One last suggestion, if it makes sense to you, is to enlist the aid of a "Code Buddy' via the good folks at FISTS.
A Code Buddy is someone of your skill level with whom your maintain a regular schedule.
Not only does it make the entire process more enjoyable, but it also makes those days when you "just don't feel like it" happen as you don't want to let your buddy down!

Finally, try QRP, its a blast at 5 watts.
I've had more fun with my Elecraft K2 and battery power in the last 6 months than the last 5 years of hamming.
Something about keeping it simple, and CW and QRP is where the amateur service started out.
Nothing like going back to your roots to remind you what really matters.

Anything else, just email me OM.


73 Bruce

[flintstone mop]

WOW GANG,
Thank you for all of the responses. I'm printing this page and will start looking at the links and contact some of yinz (Pa. talk) to set up a sched as the Winter doldrums begin.
Fred

[kf6pqt]

Count me in too... I'm trying as well, and as was mentioned previously, it takes a TON of dedication and effort to get going with CW. Kinda hard to see improvement in my own skill while maintaining a social life, a girlfriend, a full time job, getting a good night sleep, etc. What free time leftover has been squandered playing with single transistor and single tube transmitters, instead of fixing my DX-100.

On a side note, I've gotten some cw-tutor software that run on Linux, its called QRQ... it'll send you a callsign, and you have two chances to hear it, and then you type it in. If you get it right, it speeds up, if you get it wrong it slows down. Works in a batch of 50 and then gives you your score. REALLY kicks your butt!

-Jason kf6pqt

[Carl WA1KPD]

Count me in too... I'm trying as well, and as was mentioned previously, it takes    a TON of dedication and effort to get going with CW  to get going with CW. Kinda hard to see improvement in my own skill while maintaining a social life, a girlfriend, a full time job, getting a good night sleep,etc.  What free time leftover has been squandered playing with single transistor and single tube transmitters, instead of fixing my DX-100. /

Jason
I edited your post and crossed out non essential items. You clearly have plenty of time once those time suckers are discarded     

[AF9J]

I'm a lousy CW op. But it's still the cats a$$ for QRP work, and it's still the mode that can penetrate bad cond.

I personally rather work a op who's rig has some personality. A little chirp or buzz... or a guys who's swinging a bug.  When I was on CW alot, I had a couple guys who's rig I could recognize, as they were distinct sounding. You know your having a QSO with a human and not a computer translator.

You can slow a bug down alot, just add a solid weight to the swing arm. Cable clamps work pretty good...

I have a Bug (been using them since 1982). They're a lot of fun to use.

73,
Ellen - AF9J

[kf6pqt]

He's out playing with that girl and the new motorcycle.

Mack

I consider myself a well-rounded individual!

Sure I cut corners, I hardly ever do my dishes and my kitchen floor doesn't know what a mop is.   Ok, enough of this internet bidness, out to the garage to plug in the soldering iron.

[W3LSN]

OK
Im gonna try CW operating again. I don't want to sound like a real beginner when I start sending CQ. I remember there were little codes used within the QSO to talk to each other....like......AR (What's that?)....or SK (I assume end of QSO or transmission(?)) Is there a little guide on the way Hams use CW? I'm really rusty, prolly around 7 WPM. There are better chances for DX using that mode, for now.
Thanks

Fred

Many folks have already pointed you to some good web resources, though many older ARRL Handbooks have a chapter on "CW Operating Practices". That section had been in all the handbooks for decades, but seems to have faded away. I tend to find that the pre-1960 editions of the handbook describe CW operating practices much better than later editions. Of course, there is also the venerable old ARRL "Operators Manual" booklet which shows up on Ebay from time to time.  Besides a half dozen of the most common Q-signals and prosigns, you may want to spend some time reacquainting yourself with the common telegraphic abbreviations such as TU for thank you, GE for good evening, GUD for good, AGN for again, etc. There are pages of them. Modern teenage text messagers could learn a thing or two from the past in that regard. They will lend a little bit of panache to your QSO if you remember to use them properly

The web is a wonderful resource for keeping the music of CW alive, but something I noticed is that CW operating practices seem to differ a smidge by country; (e.g.) the American/ARRL practice puts "SK" before the callsign as you end a QSO, whereas the Brits or Aussies, if I recall, put it after the callsigns.  That business with SK is basically the way commercial coast stations once operated, and I always wondered why the ARRL recommended putting it before the calls and not following the calls with any prosign.

Also, here's another tip that will make you sound like a polished operator. When responding to a CQ, you always want to end your reply with an "AR" and not an "K".  This is actually a very old operating practice which most CW ops now seem to forget. The reason for this is that you haven't actually confirmed communication with the station calling CQ until he replies to your call, so technically you shouldn't use a "K" (back to you) until the second exchange. An "AR" (end of message) is justified as it is a temporary break in communication until until two-way comms are confirmed. Yes, I know, it's a fine point indeed and most ops don't do it anymore, but it's part of the legacy. Older handbooks explain this concept, but none of the later ones do. For example:

CQ CQ CQ DE WA2AJM WA2AJM WA2AJM K

WA2AJM DE W3LEV AR

W3LEV DE WA2AJM TU OM, UR SIG 599 QTH MD NAME JIM SO HW? W3LEV DE WA2AJM K



Lots of callsign repetition in that example, I know.  Since the ID rules relaxed a few years ago, many people now "BK" or "break" frequently rather than go through the tedious repetition of callsigns in the classic fashion, but otherwise observe the 10-minute ID rule. 

A word about using AR or "end of message." Some people use AR before the callsigns as they throw it back to the other station. Coast stations and ships frequently used AR to mark the end of messages and telegrams in a long transmission with mutliple messages sent. I think the ARRL National Traffic System still uses it that way, and its also part of the legacy.

Another thing is that the classic 3x3 CQ has been mostly abandoned since the majority of ops are using riceboxes with full CW break-in capabilty and VFOs. There are no relays to throw between TX and RX anymore in modern gear, and woe to the rockbound CW op out of passband who is trying to get the attention of a CQ-er 1 kc away.

Another bit of advice....forget punctuation in CW. You are not sending a telegram.  You can use "BT" as a separator to separate parts of the exchange or to give your mind some idle moment to think of something to say.  And don't forget about the all too rarely used "AS" or "stand-by" if you need to pause.

With practice it will all become quite natural.



73 AR
WA2AJM
SK





 

[W4EWH]

OK
Im gonna try CW operating again. I don't want to sound like a real beginner when I start sending CQ. I remember there were little codes used within the QSO to talk to each other....like......AR (What's that?)....or SK (I assume end of QSO or transmission(?)) Is there a little guide on the way Hams use CW? I'm really rusty, prolly around 7 WPM. There are better chances for DX using that mode, for now.
Thanks

Fred

Here's an easy way to remember that "SK" means "closing station" -

In American morse, dit-dit-dit-dah-dit is the number three, and the long dash (American morse has more than one length of dash) is the number zero.

Since reporters used to write -30- at the end of their columns, the American morse "30" became the prosign SK, for "Closing station".

73, Bill W1AC
P.S. Check out "The Mill"; it's a computer program that will help a lot with practice. GIYF.

[W1GFH]

Haven't run CW in a while. Are there still achingly slow speed QSOs? That's the best way to improve when you're rusty.

[K9ACT]

I got the urge to do CW while building my exciter and it delayed the project by weeks because of the much greater demands on the VFO to get decent keying.

I spent a couple of weeks before I got tired of losing most of the contacts because of QRP and this is what started my 811 project.  When I got it working I had a ball for another couple of weeks on 40 CW just sort of reliving the old days, S38 and all.

The day after working OK1KW I finished my modulator and figured I should quit while I was ahead.

I have since spent at least 10 hours off and on calling CQ on 40 meter AM with only a hand full of QSO's to show for it so this topic is very timely.

40 CW is very active and 40 AM is nearly non-existant as far as I can tell.

As a point of interest, I learned CW the way most of us did with the help of an Elmer who helped me get my Novice and then it was on the air practice to get the General.

A few years later, I found myself in Coast Guard Radio school sitting in front of a typewriter with headphones on for at least 4 hours a day.  This plus 4 years on the job sending and receiving prepared messages turned me into a 40 wpm robot with an official CG Speed Key Certificate.

This training was nearly useless for ham radio and I grew to hate CW because I could neither copy nor send in my head and could do almost nothing without a typewriter which is now a lap top.

The good news is that I was allowed to use a typewriter when I took my extra and it was like a vacation.

For the past few months I have been working on the issue but I may be just a bit too old to ever get with it. 

The other troubling problem I run into a lot are people who can not send code.  I find myself totally frustrated because I am not about to suggest they learn how to send before getting on the air.  I am not sure how to deal with these guys.  When an AMer has a distorted signal it's easy to tell him gently but there are not enough words in CW to do it diplomatically.

Anyway, enough ranting.... so you on CW one of these nights.

js

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

And always reply to a transmission with

SOLID COPY

with just a slight extra space between the O and the L.

[AF9J]

Haven't run CW in a while. Are there still achingly slow speed QSOs? That's the best way to improve when you're rusty.

Probably SKCC Joe.  Many of the ops are newbs just learning CW & OTs that are rusty, and getting back into CW.  Average speeds are typically 5- 15 WPM.  Next in line, would be FISTS.  Also just ask.  A lot of us are more than willing to work a slow speed CW op.  I find slow speed CW to be just as fun as running 20 plus WPM.  Also, only a lid would send faster than the other op can copy.

73,
Ellen - AF9J

[K9ACT]

And always reply to a transmission with

SOLID COPY

with just a slight extra space between the O and the L.

I can't believe you said that.  I have repeated this story a hundred times.

I was totally humiliated when my very first QSO as a Novice in 1956 came back as....
 "so lid" and I just caved and couldn't copy another word he said.

js

[Ed/KB1HYS]

a decent op will reply at the same (at least close) speed as you are sending.

There are a few slow speed operators out there.  I had a great qso with Bill, KN2CZZ from syracuse.  we were running pretty slow (my limit) and he sent great CW. I hear him frequently on 80M, always sending nice slow, easy copy CW. 

Ellen -- I like to use my vibroplex, got it one christmas somet time ago.  I have added a home made tamer. (just an extension to move the weight out) it will send great at 7-15 wpm.

Chuck Adams K7QO makes a great code course, MP3 format that you can play anywhere.  I've made CDs to listen to in the car while commuting. 



 

[AF9J]

Hi Ed,

I keep mine around 25 WPM.  If I want to do slow, I either use a straight key, or I use the "dah' side of the lever, like a straight key.  Mine needs some work.  I foolishly sold my Lightning Bug I'd owned for 24 years, last year.  I had that thing set up to the max.  I regretted selling it within a month.  So I bought a Champion Bug off of eBay in April of 2006.  It's not quite right, and I have the feeling that some of the parts are worn out.  The only problem, is that it's hard to find parts for rectangular weighted Vibroplex Bugs.

73,
Ellen - AF9J

[KA1ZGC]

Now I'm curious.

If I were to fire up on sideband with my trademark Beer Bottle CW, what kind of tone report would I get?

--Thom
Kleptomaniac Aardvark One Zealous Greedy Critter