There are many many abbreviations used for words on CW, ranging from commonly used abbreviations like B4 for Before or TU for Thank You to very obscure abbreviations known only to the one using them. Thus such a list must be a very subjective list. The following are what I believe to be the most common and easiest to understand abbreviations. This list courtesy of K3WWP's Ham Radio Activities http://home.windstream.net/johnshan/ Abbrev. Word Abbrev. Word ABT About OB Old boy ADR Address OM Old man AGN Again OP Operator ANT Antenna OT Old timer; old top B4 Before PSE Please C Yes PWR Power CFM Confirm RIG Station equipment CUL See you later RPT Repeat; report ES And RX; RCVR Receiver FB Fine business SED Said GA Go ahead SEZ Says GA Good afternoon SIG Signal GB Good bye SKED Schedule GB God bless SRI Sorry GE Good evening TMW Tomorrow GG Going TNX Thanks GM Good morning TT That GN Good night TU Thank you GND Ground TVI Television interference GUD Good TX Transmitter HI Laughter UR; URS Your; Yours HI High VY Very HR Here; hear WKD; WKG Worked; working HV Have WL Will HW How; how copy WUD Would LID A poor operator WX Weather MSG Message XMTR Transmitter N No YF; XYL Wife NIL Nothing YL Young lady NR Number 73 Best regards NW Now 88 Love and kisses ==================================== Perhaps the most important abbreviations in CW operation are the procedure signals. Learn to use them correctly. The signals AS, BT, AR, and SK are sent with the two letters run together. For example send AR as di dah di dah dit. This list courtesy of K3WWP's Ham Radio Activities http://home.windstream.net/johnshan/ Signal Meaning or Usage Example CQ A general call that indicates you are CQ CQ CQ DE K3WWP K3WWP K inviting anyone who is hearing you to answer you R I received your transmission perfectly. KB3BFQ DE K3WWP R FB ON UR ......... Do not send R if you didn't copy everything. Don't be redundant and say R, I COPIED YOU SOLID. AS Wait. FONE IS RINGING PSE AS BT Break in text. Used as a separator between WX IS CLDY BT AGE HR IS .... thoughts or a pause. Also something good to send when your mind goes blank or you are talking to someone in your shack, etc. AR End of message. Use when you are through blah, blah, blah, hw? AR KB3BFQ DE through sending info, and turning it over K3WWP K. - or - To answer KB3BFQ's CQ, to the station you are working. Also used KB3BFQ DE K3WWP AR when answering a CQ. SK Used like AR, but only for your very last TNX NICE CHAT 73 CUL GE SK KB3BFQ DE transmission K3WWP K BK An invitation for the other station to (K3WWP SAYS) WHAT IS UR RIG? BK - - - break in immediately with an answer or (KB3BFQ ANSWERS) RIG HR IS ....... comment. The other station may answer immediately after the BK is sent - do not say BK KB3BFQ DE K3WWP K just BK, then KB3BFQ will answer your question or comment. K Go ahead. Used to tell the station you are HW? AR KB3BFQ DE K3WWP K working you expect him to transmit now. Use after a CQ to invite someone to answer you. Do not use K after you answer someone's CQ since you don't know he is going to answer you, use AR. KN Go ahead, specific station only. No breakers HW? AR KB3BFQ DE K3WWP KN are currently welcome. Used same as K when you only want to talk to one other station. Never use after a CQ unless you are not wanting anyone to answer you. CL I am now shutting down my station TNX NICE CHAT 73 CUL GE SK KB3BFQ DE completely. Use when you are completely done K3WWP CL transmitting, and about to pull the big switch. This is a signal that you are not listening to any more calls. ==================================== With the introduction of the new Morse code group for @, my friend Mark AC7XR thought I should include it with my list of procedure signals for Morse code. I thought about it and concluded that @ is not really a procedure signal, but actually a punctuation character like quotes, commas, etc. Even so, Mark had a great point about putting the new code group on my web site, thus this page of Morse code punctuation code groups was born. Of course these are the Continental Morse code groups since that is the style of Morse we use on the ham bands. American Morse afficianados will know somewhat different code groups for the symbols. There is also a bit of controversy or ambiguity among the code groups which I cover in the notes below the table. This list courtesy of K3WWP's Ham Radio Activities http://home.windstream.net/johnshan/ Symbol Code group Name " .-..-. Quotation mark $ ...-..- Dollar sign ' .----. Apostrophe ( -.--. Open parenthesis (1) ) -.--.- Close parenthesis [ -.--. Open square bracket (1) ] -.--.- Close square bracket + .-.-. Plus sign (2) , --..-- Comma - -....- Hyphen or single dash . .-.-.- Period / -..-. Slant : ---... Colon ; -.-.-. Semicolon (3) = -...- Equal sign or double dash (4) ? ..--.. Question mark @ .--.-. At symbol (5) _ ..--.- Underline .-.-.. Paragraph ! ---. Exclamation point (6) Notes: (1) - The close parenthesis code group is often used for both open and close parentheses and square brackets. (2) - You'll recognize this to be the same as AR - the end of transmission procedure signal. (3) - This is also listed in some sources as -.-.- but I believe -.-.-. is official. (4) - The same as BT - the break in text procedure signal. (5) - Newly adopted by the ITU in December 2003. To become official in July 2004 if approved by all member states. (6) - Commonly used, but not official in the Continental Morse code. It's taken from the official American Morse code group. ==================================== As with the English language there are many ambiguities among Q signals. The meanings for many of the Q signals have evolved with usage over the years. Many of them have evolved from sentences to words. For example QTH KITTANNING, PA means My location is Kittanning, PA. However it is commonly (erroneously?) used as MY QTH IS KITTANNING, PA using QTH as a noun. Most Q signals can be used as questions as well as statements. The following table lists the more commonly used Q signals with their traditional meanings as a question and as a statement. This list courtesy of K3WWP's Ham Radio Activities http://home.windstream.net/johnshan/ Q Signal Used As a Question Used As a Statement QRG What is my (his) frequency? Your (His) frequency is ------ QRH Does my frequency vary? Your frequency varies QRI How is the tone of my transmission? Your tone is 1 (good) 2 (variable) 3 (bad) QRJ Are you receiving me badly? Are my I cannot receive you. I receive you badly signals weak? QRK What is the readability of my (his) Your (His) readability is (1)unreadable to signals? (5)perfect QRL Is this frequency busy? This frequency is in use QRM Are you being interfered with? I am interfered with QRN Are you troubled by static? I am being troubled with static QRO Must I increase power? Increase power QRP Can I decrease power? Decrease power QRQ Shall I send faster? Send faster ------- WPM QRS Shall I send slower? Send slower ------- WPM QRT Shall I stop sending? Stop sending QRU Have you anything for me? I have nothing for you QRV Are you ready? I am ready QRX When will you call me again? I will call you again at ------ QRZ Who is calling me? You are being called by ---- QSA What is the strength of my (his) Your (His) strength is (1)barely signals? perceptible - (5)very good QSB Are my signals fading? Your signals are fading QSL Can you acknowledge receipt? I acknowledge receipt QSO Can you communicate with -------? I can communicate with ------- QSP Will you relay to -------? I will relay to ------- QST - Calling all radio amateurs QSV Shall I send a series of V's? Send a series of V's QSX Will you listen to ------- I am listening to ------- on ------kHz on --------- kHz? QSY Shall I change frequency? Change frequency to ---------- QSZ Shall I send each word twice? Send each word twice QTH What is your location? My location is ----- QTR What is the time? The time is --------- ==================================== In addition to the regular Q signals used in everyday ham conversation, there are also special QN signals that were designed for net use only. The following table lists these signals with their meanings. Several of these are almost never used as questions so unlike the regular Q signal list, this table lists only a general meaning for each. I have also included a few other Q signals that are not QN's, but are used generally only in nets. This list courtesy of K3WWP's Ham Radio Activities http://home.windstream.net/johnshan/ Q Signal Meaning QNA Answer in prearranged order QNB Act as relay between ...... and ...... QNC All net stations copy QND Net is directed QNE Entire net please stand by QNF Net is free QNG Take over as Net Control Station (NCS) QNH Your net frequency is high QNI Report into net -or- I report into net QNJ Can you copy ......? QNK Transmit message(s) (for ......) to ...... QNL Your net frequency is low QNM You are QRMing ...... Please stand by QNN Who is net control station? -or- Net control station is ...... QNO Going out of net QNP Unable to copy you or ...... QNQ Move frequency to ...... and wait for ...... to finish handling traffic. Then send him traffic for ...... QNR Answer ..... and relay (or receive) traffic QNS Following stations in net ... ... ... QNT Leaving net temporarily (or for ... minutes) -or- I request to leave net temporarily, etc. QNU ...... has traffic for you: await instructions QNV Establish contact with ...... on this frequency. If successful, move to .....kHz and send him traffic for ...... QNW Through whom shall I relay message for ...... QNX You are excused from the net -or- I request to be excused from the net QNY Please shift to another frequency (or to ....kHz) to prevent QRMing other net stations (or to clear traffic with ......) QNZ Zero beat your signal with mine QSG Send ... messages at a time -or- Shall I send ... messages at a time QTA Cancel nr ... as if it had not been sent -or- Shall I cancel nr ... as if it had not been sent? QTB Do you agree with my number of words? -or- I do not agree with your number of words; I will repeat the first letter of each word and the first figure of each number. QTC How many messages have you to send? -or- I have ... messages for you or for ..... ==================================== The RST system is a means of quickly telling the other station a wealth of information with just 3 numbers. When you say to someone 'RST 469', they immediately know you are having a little trouble copying them (4), they know you are hearing them at a good level (6), and their signals are in good shape with no hum or buzz (9). These 3 numbers are independent of one another, and simply because a station is very weak, you can still be copying perfectly, and his tone can still be perfect. This would be an RST of 529. I have heard some stations improperly giving out RST's of 555 or 577 when the other station had a perfect tone. They somehow think the T should track with the S, and if the sig is weak, the T number should be lower. This is completely wrong. Nowadays, virtually every signal you hear is a T9. The meanings of T1-T8 are throwbacks to the early days of radio when you really could hear a T1 signal. Oh, occasionally you will hear a station with some hum, buzz, or ripple, and should give them a T7 or T8. In addition to the three numbers, once in a while a letter is added to the end of the 3 numbers. These letters are: X meaning the signal is perfectly steady like a crystal controlled signal; C meaning the signal sounds chirpy as the frequency varies slightly with keying; and K meaning the signal has clicks. X is a throwback to the early days of radio when such steady signals were rare. Today most all signals could be given an X and it is hardly ever used. It is helpful if you hear a chirpy or clicky signal to use the C or K, e.g. 579C or 579K. The following lists the values and definitions of the R, S, and T. This list courtesy of K3WWP's Ham Radio Activities http://home.windstream.net/johnshan/ R Readability 1 Unreadable 2 Barely readable, occasional words distinguishable 3 Readable with considerable difficulty 4 Readable with practically no difficulty 5 Perfectly readable S Signal Strength 1 Faint signals, barely perceptible 2 Very weak signals 3 Weak signals 4 Fair signals 5 Fairly good signals 6 Good signals 7 Moderately strong signals 8 Strong signals 9 Extremely strong signals T Tone 1 Sixty cycles or less, very rough and broad 2 Very rough ac, very harsh and broad 3 Rough ac tone, rectified but not filtered 4 Rough note, some trace of filtering 5 Filtered rectified ac, but strongly ripple-modulated 6 Filtered tone, definite trace of ripple modulation 7 Near pure tone, trace of ripple modulation 8 Near perfect tone, slight trace of modulation 9 Perfect tone, no trace of ripple, or modulation of any kind -----------