How a basic CW contact works, from CQ to 73
A basic CW contact follows a pattern you can learn before you ever hear one. One station calls CQ, a second answers with its callsign, and the two take turns: a signal report, a name and a location first, then perhaps a word about the radio, the antenna and the weather, and finally 73 and SK. Until the sign-off, each turn usually ends with K or KN to hand the frequency back.
Hams call a contact a QSO. Almost all of a short one is made of abbreviations, Q codes and callsigns, which is why it is manageable at slow speeds: you are not copying free conversation, you are copying a form you already know, with a few blanks filled in.
The shape of a contact
A short contact on the air usually runs in six steps:
- Check the frequency. Listen first, then send
QRL?: is this frequency in use? If someone answers, find another spot. - Call CQ. CQ means calling any station. You send it a few times, then DE (“from”) and your callsign, then K.
- The answer. A station that hears you sends your callsign, DE, and its own callsign, often twice.
- The first exchange. Each side sends a signal report (RST), a name and a location (QTH).
- The optional middle. The radio, the antenna, the weather, or anything else, for as long as both operators enjoy it.
- The sign-off. Usually thanks, 73 (best regards) and SK, the end of the contact, though operators vary the order.
Each over, the stretch one operator sends before handing back, usually ends the same way: the other station’s call, DE, your own call, and K or KN. K, -.-, invites a reply. KN, -.--., means go ahead, but only the station I am working. Once a contact is under way, many operators switch to KN, because it tells anyone listening that only the station being worked should reply.
An example contact, line by line
The two callsigns here, K1ABC and K9DEF, are made up, and so are their operators, Ann and Bob. Each over is shown as the plain text the operator sends, with the Morse for the parts you will hear in nearly every contact.
1. Ann checks the frequency, then calls CQ.
QRL?
CQ CQ CQ DE K1ABC K1ABC K
In Morse, the call is:
-.-. --.- / -.-. --.- / -.-. --.- / -.. . / -.- .---- .- -... -.-. / -.- .---- .- -... -.-. / -.-
CQ, dah-di-dah-dit dah-dah-di-dah, is one of the first rhythms you learn to pick out on the bands. Ann sends her callsign twice so that a listener who tunes in halfway has a second chance at it.
2. Bob answers.
K1ABC DE K9DEF K9DEF K
-.- .---- .- -... -.-. / -.. . / -.- ----. -.. . ..-. / -.- ----. -.. . ..-. / -.-
Bob sends Ann’s call once and his own twice. The first job is to get the callsigns across, and a long first answer only gives Ann more to sort through.
3. Ann’s first over: report, name, location.
K9DEF DE K1ABC TU UR RST 579 579 BT NAME ANN ANN BT QTH VERMONT VERMONT BT K9DEF DE K1ABC KN
TU is thank you, for the call. UR RST is “your signal report”, sent twice. BT, -...-, is a break: a pause between topics that the other operator hears as a clear dividing mark, sent as one character. The over closes with the callsigns and KN.
4. Bob replies in kind.
K1ABC DE K9DEF R TU ANN UR RST 559 559 BT NAME BOB BOB BT QTH INDIANA INDIANA BT K1ABC DE K9DEF KN
R, .-., means received: Bob copied everything. If he had missed Ann’s name, he would have asked for it with PSE RPT NAME, please repeat your name. His report of 559 says Ann is perfectly readable, at a fairly good strength, with a clean tone. What the three figures mean is in RST and 5NN: signal reports in Morse code explained.
5. Ann adds a few details.
K9DEF DE K1ABC R FB BOB BT RIG HR 50 WATTS ES ANT DIPOLE BT WX SUNNY BT K9DEF DE K1ABC KN
FB is “fine business”, meaning good. RIG HR is the radio here, ES is “and”, ANT is the antenna and WX the weather. Plenty of contacts skip this over entirely. It is also where a short contact can turn into a long chat.
6. Bob signs off.
K1ABC DE K9DEF R TU ANN 73 K1ABC DE K9DEF SK
73, --... ...--, is best regards. SK, ...-.-, is one character with no gap between the S and the K, and it marks the end of the contact.
7. Ann’s last word.
TU BOB 73 DE K1ABC SK
- ..- / -... --- -... / --... ...-- / -.. . / -.- .---- .- -... -.-. / ...-.-
The frequency is hers again: she can call CQ once more or move on.
The words in this contact
Every abbreviation in the example, with its Morse:
| Sent | Morse | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| CQ | -.-. --.- |
Calling any station |
| DE | -.. . |
From, this is |
| K | -.- |
Over, go ahead |
| KN | -.--. |
Over, only the station I am working |
| R | .-. |
Received |
| TU | - ..- |
Thank you |
| UR | ..- .-. |
Your |
| RST | .-. ... - |
Readability, strength, tone |
| QTH | --.- - .... |
Location |
| BT | -...- |
Break, new topic |
| FB | ..-. -... |
Fine business, good |
| ES | . ... |
And |
| HR | .... .-. |
Here |
| WX | .-- -..- |
Weather |
| 73 | --... ...-- |
Best regards |
| SK | ...-.- |
End of contact |
| QRL? | --.- .-. .-.. ..--.. |
Is this frequency in use? |
KN, BT and SK are prosigns: each is sent as a single character, with no letter gap inside. More of the shorthand is in CW abbreviations: CQ, DE, 73, TU and more, and the Q codes in Q codes in Morse code: QTH, QSL, QRS and more.
Pacing: speed, repeats and taking turns
In a first contact, much of the trouble comes from speed and turn-taking rather than the code. A few habits help:
- Never call CQ faster than you can copy. Whoever answers will usually reply at about your speed, so a fast CQ brings back a fast answer.
- Answer at the CQ’s speed or slower. If a CQ is too fast for you, you can still answer it at your own speed. Many operators will slow down to match, and you can ask for it with
QRS, send more slowly (--.- .-. ...). - Send the hard parts twice. Callsigns, names, locations and reports have no context to fill a gap, so they often go twice. Plain words like SUNNY can go once.
- Ask, do not guess. AGN means again, PSE RPT means please repeat, and
QRZ?means “who is calling me?”, which is what you send when you heard an answer but did not get the callsign. - Leave a gap after K. The other operator needs a moment to start sending, and a station that jumps in too fast clips the first letters.
- Keep the letter gaps honest. Nervous sending squeezes the gaps between characters, and a squeezed callsign is one of the hardest things on the air to copy. When in doubt, leave a little more space, not less.
Sending clean callsigns is a skill of its own, with its own practice; How to send and copy callsigns in Morse code covers it.
Practicing a contact before you go on the air
You need an amateur license to transmit on the amateur bands, but you do not need one to learn or practice. In the US, licenses have not required a Morse test since 23 February 2007; other countries set their own rules, so check yours.
A good way to prepare is to write your own two standard overs on a card: your report, name and location over, and your sign-off. Send them until they come out smooth, with even spacing, at a speed you can also copy. Then practice copying the other side: callsigns, reports and names, the parts that change every time. Two people with practice keys and a sidetone can run the whole example above across a table, swapping roles, with no radio at all.
If you practice on a Mac, Dot & Dash can take over some of this. In Write you type an over and the machine sends it, with the tone and the printed tape, or you key it yourself and watch it decode as you go. Its Practice drills include made-up callsigns and sentences, to key yourself or to copy by ear as the machine sends them. It does not connect to a radio or play the other station; it is for getting the code itself into your hands and ears.
Questions
Does every CW contact follow this order?
No. The order here is a common pattern, not a rule. Contest contacts are far shorter, often only callsigns and an exchange, and a relaxed chat can run on for many overs after the first exchange.
What is the difference between K and KN?
K, -.-, invites a reply and is used at the end of a CQ, where anyone may answer. KN, -.--., means go ahead, only the station I am working, and it is the usual choice once a contact is under way.
Why are callsigns and names often sent twice?
They have no context. A missed letter in an ordinary word can often be guessed, but a missed letter in a callsign or a name cannot, so sending it twice gives the other operator a second chance.
Do I need a license to practice a CW contact?
Not to practice. You can learn and rehearse a contact with a practice key, a sidetone or a friend. You need an amateur license only to transmit on the amateur bands.