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Typical HF ham Morse / CW contact or QSO format
- a overview or summary of the format for a typical contact or QSO made by ham radio operators using Morse code or CW on the HF amateur radio bands and allocations.
While it may appear that Morse Code or CW transmissions as they are often called may be old hat, they are still a very effective way of making contacts or QSOs within ham radio. It is possible to read Morse or CW signals at much lower levels that other forms of transmission such as SSB. This means that for a ham radio operator with an average or low power station, it provides an excellent method of making contacts with DX stations. In addition to this, many people enjoy using Morse anyway, and many ham radio operators are able to send and receive Morse at very high speeds.
One area where Morse is widely used is in conjunction with amateur radio QRP equipment. As this low power operation naturally results in lower signal levels, the use of Morse code is an ideal option. In addition to this transmitters for Morse code (CW) can be made more simply than those for many other modes and as many amateur radio QRP operators build their own equipment, this provides an additional advantage.
Basic ham radio Morse (CW) contact
The format for a ham radio QSO or contact using Morse code is very similar to that adopted for a voice contact. The main differences are that very many abbreviations tend to be used, and the contact is slightly more formalised. The abbreviations and codes can be found in the relevant pages within the Ham Radio section of this website.
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Typical Morse (CW) amateur radio contact:
CQ CQ CQ, DE G3YWX G3YWX G3YWX CQ CQ CQ, DE G3YWX G3YWX G3YWX CQ CQ CQ, DE G3YWX G3YWX G3YWX AR K
G3YWX DE G3QAB G3QAB AR KN
G3QAB DE G3YWX GM OM ES TNX FER CALL UR RST 599 599 = NAME IS IAN IAN ES QTH STAINES STAINES = SO HW CPI? AR G3QAB DE G3WX KN
G3YWX DE G3QAB FB OM ES TNX FER RPRT UR RST 599 599 = NAME IS MIKE MIKE ES QTH NR LONDON LONDON = SO HW? AR G3YWX DE G3QAB KN
G3QAB DE G3YWX FB MIKE ES TNX FER RPRT = TX RNG 30 WATTS ES ANT VERT = WX FB SUNNY ES ABT 23 C = SO HW CPI? AR G3QAB DE G3YWX
G3YWX DE G3QAB R R AGN IAN = RIG ERE RNG 100 WATTS ES ANT DIPOLE UP 10 METRES = WX WET ES COLD ABT 5 C = G3YWX DE G3QAB KN
G3QAB DE G3YWX FB MIKE ES UR RIG DOING FB. QRU = QSL VIA BURO = 73 ES HPE CUAGN SN AR G3QAB DE G3YWX KN
G3YWX DE G3QAB R R QRU ALSO = QSL FB VIA BURO = SO TNX FER QSO 73 ES BCNU AR G3YWX DE G3QAB VA
G3QAB DE G3YWX FM 73 ES BCNU AR G3QAB DE G3YWX VA
Note = sign used as a full stop or break
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Advantages of Morse
Although Morse may appear to be difficult to learn, it can bring many rewards. It is often found that it is much easier for a low powered ham radio station to make good contacts using Morse. For someone owning a more average station, not using huge antennas and high powers, Morse gives the opportunity of making contacts with distant stations, or getting through pileups that may not be possible of SSB were used. Even though there is now no requirement to learn Morse to gain access to the HF bands with a ham radio licence, in many countries today, it can bring many benefits in terms of the capability of the amateur radio stations.
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