Continuous Wave (CW), the modulation mode of switching a carrier on and off to encode information, or sending Morse code tones over AM or FM modes. Questions that are about Morse code alone and not about radio at all, such as a question asking about some Morse code in a movie, should use the "morse-code" tag instead. Questions about keying a radio should use this tag. Questions about Morse-code-related radio procedures, e.g. Q-codes, should use this tag.
Questions tagged [cw]
120 questions
16
votes
6 answers
Where can one find recordings of Morse code, generated by humans and not machines?
I need some recordings of CW / Morse code for use in a project. Most of what I find is either nonsense (it just exists for the 'sound of CW', but doesn't contain a message) or is generated by a computer. Where can I find some audio of real CW…
Ken - Enough about Monica
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13
votes
3 answers
Bandwidth of a CW signal?
What is the RF bandwidth of a typical CW signal? How is the signal bandwidth affected by WPM and/or transmitter rise-time?
What is the narrowest bandwidth that can still be copied by a human? Or what is the narrowest receiver audio filter that…
hotpaw2
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12
votes
1 answer
Dominant speeds of Morse Communications
5 wpm is easy to learn and better than nothing in emergency.
Speed Morse Coding is fine for "sport competition"
I am trying to find out which is the typical speed for what I call "conversation" and define it with the following questions:
Are there…
03525
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11
votes
4 answers
Single or Dual Paddle Key?
I want to eventually use a CW paddle and built in keyer in my Yaesu FT-890. What are the merits of each style. Single or Dual Paddle. Does it make any difference if I start with say a dual paddle then later use a single paddle? Any disadvantages of…
jim
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10
votes
4 answers
What was the origin of the Morse code abbreviations "hi" and "es"?
In Morse code, hams use "hi" to indicate a laugh, and "es" to mean "and".
Where did these abbreviations come from? Both being all dots, they are short and easy to send and easy to recognize, but why these particular abbreviations?
For example, we…
Michael Geary
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10
votes
2 answers
Scoring quality of Morse Code "fist"?
When learning, teaching oneself, or training a class in Morse Code sending using a hand key, how can acceptable quality be scored (other than the letters being correct terms of dot-dash sequence)? There a big difference between the dots being a bit…
hotpaw2
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10
votes
5 answers
Audio frequency used for Morse code in licensing exams?
Back when Morse code proficiency was required for certain radio licenses, what audio frequency was used by the exam tapes, equipment or examiner that generated the Morse code audio? Was there a legal or recommended testing standard for this audio…
hotpaw2
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9
votes
4 answers
How many new amateur operators can currently use CW?
Given that it is no longer a license requirement, are there any current statistics available on what percentage of licensed amateur radio operators still learn Morse Code to some degree of proficiency? (e.g. without needing to use a computer…
hotpaw2
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8
votes
6 answers
International characters in Morse Code?
Does the official International Morse code include alphabetic characters other than the 26 letters of the English alphabet? If so, what are the most common other alphabets or characters that one might find used on HF CW bands?
Added:
How do Greek…
hotpaw2
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8
votes
2 answers
What does QSL mean in a CW conversation?
When the other party sends QSL, do they just want to know whether I received the previous message and expect RR or AGN? Or, are they asking for a QSL Card to be sent to them?
Qi Fan
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7
votes
3 answers
How do I send negative numbers or below zero in CW?
Sometimes when operating CW I want to send numbers that are negative. In particular when operating outdoors during the winter and someone asks the temperature, I would like to come back in CW with -5C. For some events like Freeze Your Butt Off,…
Malcolm VE2DDZ
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7
votes
2 answers
CW: when I supposed to send "E E"?
I'm new to CW and one thing I couldn't figure out is when I supposed to send "E E". Let's say I'm calling CQ and somebody answers me. The QSO is almost over. Should it be ended like this:
- TNX FER NICE QSO 73 E E
- GDX 73 E E
... or:
-…
Aleksander Alekseev - R2AUK
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7
votes
1 answer
Coherent CW synchronization?
When using coherent CW, how is the receiver frequency and/or Morse Code dot clock synchronized to the transmission precisely enough to allow for synchronous decoding?
hotpaw2
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6
votes
2 answers
Has anyone actually heard or used rare Morse code characters on the air?
When I got my license about 50 years ago, I believe the only punctuation marks on the test were the period, comma, question mark, and slash mark.
Once on the air, I heard and used the usual prosigns, [AR], [BT], [SK], [KN]. I also frequently heard…
Michael
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5
votes
3 answers
Consistency of Morse Code/CW sending speed
How important is it to maintain a consistent Morse Code WPM keying speed when transmitting CW? I occasionally hear operators slow way down when sending RST and location info, and then later identifying at double speed from the rest of the QSO. Is…
hotpaw2
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