How to send and copy callsigns in Morse code
A callsign is a prefix, a figure and a suffix, like the made-up K1ABC, and it is the hardest thing to copy in an ordinary contact because it has no context: every character has to be heard, since none of them can be guessed. Send it at an even speed with full gaps between the characters, usually twice, and copy it one character at a time onto paper. Then practice with lists of made-up callsigns until letters and figures come to you without counting.
How a callsign is built
Every amateur callsign has the same three parts. Take K1ABC, which is made up, like every callsign in this post:
| Part | In K1ABC | Morse | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prefix | K | -.- |
Usually one or two characters that show the country |
| Figure | 1 | .---- |
A single figure between prefix and suffix |
| Suffix | ABC | .- -... -.-. |
A short group of letters, usually one to three |
Sent whole, K1ABC is -.- .---- .- -... -.-.: dah-di-dah, di-dah-dah-dah-dah, di-dah, dah-di-di-dit, dah-di-dah-dit.
Prefixes are allocated to countries through the ITU, so the first characters tell you where a station is licensed: K, N and W are among the prefixes of the United States, for example. The figure separates the prefix from the suffix, and once you hear it, you know where you are in the call. The suffix is the part that makes the callsign unique.
A station operating away from home may add a slash and an extra part, such as K1ABC/P, where /P often means portable. The slash is a real Morse character, -..-., sent like any other:
-.- .---- .- -... -.-. -..-. .--.
Do not confuse it with the slash you use when you write Morse down, which separates words. In written Morse, / is a word gap; on the air, -..-. is the character.
Why callsigns are hard to copy
In an ordinary word your brain fills gaps for you. Copy MORS and you already know the E that follows. A callsign gives you nothing of the kind. A few things make it harder still:
- No context. Each character stands alone. Miss one and the call is wrong, and nothing in the rest of it tells you what you missed.
- Letters and figures mixed. Letters are one to four elements long and figures are always five, so your ear switches between two kinds of rhythm in a single call.
- Figures that differ by one element. Several figures sound like a letter with one more dit or dah, and under pressure they are easy to swap:
| Letter | Code | Figure | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| H | .... |
5 | ..... |
| V | ...- |
3 | ...-- |
| V | ...- |
4 | ....- |
| B | -... |
6 | -.... |
| Z | --.. |
7 | --... |
| J | .--- |
1 | .---- |
- Speed. Many operators send their own callsign fast, because they have sent it more often than anything else. The most practiced thing they send arrives as the hardest thing for you to copy.
- Squeezed gaps. Close the gap between two letters and they become another letter. E then A,
. .-, sent without a full letter gap, becomes..-, which is U. A then N,.- -., becomes.--., which is P. In a word you might notice; in a callsign you may not.
More pairs that trip people up are in Morse letters that sound alike, and how to tell them apart.
How to send a callsign cleanly
Your callsign is the one thing every station you work must copy exactly. Make it easy for them:
- Do not speed up for it. If anything, send it a touch slower than the rest of your message, with full three-unit gaps between characters.
- Watch the figure. Five elements, evenly spaced, then a clear gap before the suffix. A figure that runs into the next letter is a common way for a callsign to be miscopied.
- Send it twice when it matters. When you call CQ or answer one, it is common to send your call twice:
K1ABC K1ABC. In the middle of a contact, once at the end of each over is enough. - Turn it into one rhythm. Practice your callsign, or a made-up one if you do not have a license yet, until it comes out as the same even shape every time. A rhythm you can send in your sleep is one you will not mangle when you are nervous.
- Send the other call as you copied it. If you are not sure of a character, do not guess. A common way to ask is to send what you have with a question mark, such as
.- -... -.-. ..--..(ABC?), and the station will usually repeat its call.
How to copy a callsign
- Write each character as it arrives. Do not wait for the whole call and then try to recall it. Many operators who copy conversation in their heads still write callsigns down.
- Use the structure. Expect a prefix, then a figure, then a suffix. In most calls the figure is your landmark: when you hear five elements, you know the prefix has ended and the suffix is coming.
- Leave a blank and keep going. If you miss a character, write a question mark in its place and catch the next one. K1A?C on paper is fixable on the repeat; a call you abandoned halfway is not.
- Ask for it again.
QRZ?(--.- .-. --.. ..--..) asks “who is calling me?” when you heard an answer but missed the call. AGN means again, and PSE RPT means please repeat. - Read it back. Send the callsign as you copied it at the start of your reply. If it is wrong, the other operator will correct it.
Copying callsigns is one place where a written log, even a scrap of paper, beats your memory every time. Where callsigns sit in a whole contact is shown in How a basic CW contact works, from CQ to 73.
Practicing callsigns
Callsigns are random text, so the practice that works for them is the same practice that works for random groups: no words to lean on, every character earned. Five-letter groups: the Morse practice that keeps you honest explains why that matters.
- Learn the figures cold first. If you still count dits in a 4 or a 6, callsigns will feel impossible. Morse code numbers 0 to 9 and the pattern behind them covers the pattern.
- Make your own lists. Write twenty made-up callsigns on paper using the pattern: one or two letters, a figure, one to three letters. Mix in the look-alikes on purpose: a 5 next to an H, a 6 next to a B, a 4 next to a V.
- Send them, then copy them. Send each one twice, at a steady speed. With a friend, take turns: one sends, the other copies, then compare the paper with the list.
- Keep the characters fast. Callsigns on the air arrive at full character speed. If you need more time, stretch the gaps between characters rather than slowing the characters themselves.
- Track your misses. Note which characters you get wrong. They are often not random: a figure and the letter it resembles is a common pair.
If you practice on a Mac, Dot & Dash has a Callsigns drill in Practice, made of made-up callsigns, ready once you have learned the figures in chapter 13 of its course. You can key them in the Sending drill (you key, the machine reads it back) or copy them in the Listening drill (the machine sends, you type what you hear). The drills use the app’s one speed and Farnsworth setting, which you can change from Practice or in Settings, General. Its Progress shows your accuracy character by character, which is a quick way to find the one you keep confusing.
Questions
What are the parts of a callsign?
A prefix, usually one or two characters, that shows the country, a single figure, and a suffix of letters, usually one to three. In the made-up K1ABC, K is the prefix, 1 is the figure and ABC is the suffix.
Why do operators often send their callsign twice?
Because a callsign has no context to fill a gap. Sending it twice when calling or answering gives the other operator a second chance at any character they missed.
How do you send the slash in a callsign like K1ABC/P?
The slash is its own Morse character, -..-., sent with normal letter gaps on each side. It is not the same as the slash used to separate words when Morse is written down.
What should I do if I only copied part of a callsign?
A common way is to send the part you have with a question mark, or send QRZ? to ask who is calling. Do not guess: a wrong callsign in your reply costs more time than asking.