Abbreviations Used On CW

Learning to send and receive is the first major step to becoming proficient at CW.  Once you have mastered the code you must also learn the language of the CW operator.  On this page you will find the most frequently used abbreviations (i.e. shortcuts) that you will hear used on the air.  Knowing them will make your on the air CW experience complete.

0-9
Abbreviation Meaning
161
Best Regards and Love & Kisses (73 + 88)
33
Fondest Regards
55
Best Success
72 Best Regards (used by QRP operators)
73
Best Regards
88
Love & Kisses

A
Abbreviation Meaning
A
Short hand for the number 1
ABT
About
ADR, ADDR
 Address
AGN
Again
AM
 Amplitude Modulation
ANS
Answer
ANT
Antenna
AR
 End of transmission
AS
 Wait  (When sent with no spacing between letters)

B
Abbreviation Meaning
B4
Before
BC
Broadcast
BCNU
Be Seeing You
BD
Bad
BK, BRK
Back or Break
BN or BEN
Been
BT
 A dash -  (Sent with no space between letters - Used by experienced operators to separate sentences)
BTU
Back To You
BURO
QSL Bureau

C
Abbreviation Meaning
C
Correct
CB
Callbook or Citizen Band
CBA
Call Book Address
CFM
Confirm
CL
Closing Station Down
CLDY Cloudy
CLG
Calling
CLR
Clear
CONDX
Conditions
COOTIE also called SIDE SWIPER
 Key similar to a paddle used to send dits and dahs with a sideways motion
CONGRATS
Congratulations
CPI, CPY
Copy
CQ
General Call for a QSO (Contact)
CUD
Could
CUL
 See you later

D
Abbreviation Meaning
DE
From (eg... W3AA de W3DF)
DELTA or DELTA LOOP
 Loop antenna in the shape of a triangle
DR
Dear (Used by overseas Hams for Sir, Mister)
DSB
 Double sideband
DSW
See You Again (Russian)
DWN
Down
DX
Long Distance Contact, or a Rare Station

E
Abbreviation Meaning
EDZ
 Extended Double Zepp (type of antenna)
EFHW End Fed Half Wave (type of antenna)
EFW
 End Feed Wire (type of antenna)
EL
Element (as in 3 Element Yagi)
ENUF
Enough
ES
And

F
Abbreviation Meaning
FB
Fine Business (Ham jargon for very good)
FD
Field Day
FER, FR
For
FIST
Unique characterisitc of an operater's sending of CW
FONE
Phone (as in AM or SSB)
FM
From or Frequency Modulation
FQ, FREQ
Frequency
FWD
 Forward
FW
 Full wave

G
Abbreviation Meaning
GA
Good Afternoon or Go Ahead
GB
Good Bye
GD
Good or Good Day
GE
Good Evening
GG
Going
GL
 Good Luck
GM
Good Morning
GMTGreenwich Mean Time (standard time used by hams)
GN
Good Night or Gone
GND
Ground
GP
Ground Plane
GRT or GT
 Great
GUD
Good

H
Abbreviation Meaning
HAM
Amateur Radio Operator
HC
Home Call
HI  HI
Laughter on CW 
HNY
Happy New Year
HPE
Hope
HR
Here or Ham Radio
HV
Have or High Voltage
HVY
Heavy
HW, HW?
How, or How Do You Copy Me?

I
Abbreviation Meaning
I I
I Repeat (two i's with a letter space between them)
INV VEE
Inverted Vee

J
Abbreviation Meaning
JA
Japan
JMP
Jump

K
Abbreviation Meaning
K
Please Transmit
KEY or STRAIGHT KEY
 Device used to send morse manually
KEYER or ELECTRONIC KEYER
 Electronic device to send morse dits and dahs automatically with one key closure
KN
Only the station I am working should transmit (sent with no space between the letters)
KNW
Know
KW
 Kilowatt (1000 watts)

L
Abbreviation Meaning
LID
Poor Operator
LOOP
 Type of antenna
LPA
 Log Periodic Array
LP
Log Periodic (type of directional antenna) or Long Path
LSB
Lower Sideband
LSN
 Listen
LW
Long Wire (type of antenna) or longwave(s)

M
Abbreviation Meaning
MGR
QSL Manager
MNI
Many
MO
 Month
MSG
Message
MULT
Multiplier
MW
 Mega-watt, milli-watt, or medium wave(s)

N
Abbreviation Meaning
N
No or the number 9
NIL
Nothing Heard or No Copy
NR
Near or Number or Novice Round Up
NW
Now or North West

O
Abbreviation Meaning
OB
Old Boy
OC
Old Chap
OM
Old Man (Ham jargon for an experienced operator)
OP
Operate, or Name
OPR
Operator or Operate
OT
Old Timer (A long time HAM)

P
Abbreviation Meaning
PADDLE
Key used with electronic keyers to send dits and dahs automatically with a sideways motion
PSE
 Please
PWR
Power
PO
Power Output or Post Office
PFX
Prefix (first letters of a call sign including the number)

Q
Abbreviation Meaning
See Q-Signals
Standard Q-Signals (A different set of Q-Signals is used for formal traffic handling nets).
QSLL
QSL 100% (Term used by overseas hams)

R
Abbreviation Meaning
R
Message Received or Correct, or Roger (affirmative)
RCV
Receive
RCVD
Received
RCVR
Receiver
RIG
Station equipment
RPRT or RPT
Report or Repeat
RX
Receiver or receive

S
Abbreviation Meaning
SDR
Software Defined Radio
SFX
 Suffix (letters of a call sign after the number)
SHUD
 Should
SIG
Signal
SK
This is my last transmission (when sent with no space between letters) , or Silent Key
SKED
 Schedule
SN
Soon
SNW
Snow
SP
Short Path
SRI, SRY
Sorry
STN
Station
SWL
Short Wave Listner
SW
 Shortwave or Shortwaves or South West

T
Abbreviation Meaning
T
Short hand for the number Zero
TEMP
Temperature
TEST
Contest
TFC
Traffic
TIL
Until
TKS, TNX
Thanks
TCVR
Transceiver
TT
That
TU
Thank You
TX
Transmitter

U
Abbreviation Meaning
U
You
UFB
Ultra Fine Business (Ham jargon for very good - excellent)
UR
Your
USB
Upper Sideband
UTC Universal Time Coordinated (same as GMT)

V
Abbreviation Meaning
VERT
Vertical Antenna
VFO Variable Frequency Oscillator
VY
Very

W
Abbreviation Meaning
W
Watts
WAT
 What?
WATSA
What'Cha Say
WID
With
WK
Work or week
WKD
Worked (Ham jargon for making a contact with a station)
WKG
Working
WL
Will
WPM
Words Per Minute (a measure of code speed)
WRK
Work
WUD
Would
WX
Weather

X
Abbreviation Meaning
XCVR
Transceiver
XMTR
Transmitter
XTAL
Crystal
XYL
Wife 

Y
Abbreviation Meaning
YF
Wife
YL
Young Lady
YR, YRS
Your or Year, Yours or Years

Z
Abbreviation Meaning
Z
Zulu, GMT, or UTC Time (all the same)
ZZ, ZZZ
Sleep

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