Amateur Radio Stack Exchange
Amateur Radio Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [cw]

Continuous Wave (CW), the modulation mode of switching a carrier on and off to encode information, or sending Morse code tones over AM or FM modes. Questions that are about Morse code alone and not about radio at all, such as a question asking about some Morse code in a movie, should use the "morse-code" tag instead. Questions about keying a radio should use this tag. Questions about Morse-code-related radio procedures, e.g. Q-codes, should use this tag.

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Why is Morse code still in use?

Why do people still use Morse code? What are its advantages over newer voice or data communication modes?
Timtech
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Using a Morse code key with a computer?

Are there standard ways to connect a hand key (straight or paddle) to a contemporary computing device (PC laptop with no parallel port, Mac, Android, iOS device, etc.) for developing or improving ones Morse code sending skills? If so, can one use…
hotpaw2
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If I receive an SOS signal, what is the proper response?

My 5-year old son loves sending out an SOS signal using a toy Morse code generator (wired, don't worry about false alarms for real authorities). He has learned to send the SOS signal and was asking me to send a response to him to let him know that…
Hanky Panky
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How does selecting the opposite sideband when receiving CW on HF reduce interference?

I am studying for my FCC General Class license, and question/answer G4A02 reads as follows: Q: What is one advantage of selecting the opposite or "reverse" sideband when receiving CW signals on a typical HF transceiver? A: It may be possible to…
Bryson
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6 answers

Where can one find recordings of Morse code, generated by humans and not machines?

I need some recordings of CW / Morse code for use in a project. Most of what I find is either nonsense (it just exists for the 'sound of CW', but doesn't contain a message) or is generated by a computer. Where can I find some audio of real CW…
Ken - Enough about Monica
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Is Morse code a digital, binary mode?

At first glance Morse code looks like a digital mode - there are dits and dahs, two values which contain the information of the transmission. Alternatively, at any point in time there either is a signal, or there isn't. Morse code follows the…
DK2AX
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What is the origin, history behind "Ben's Best Bent Wire"?

Bens Best Bent Wire My uncle, who was a Merchant Marine in WWII used to tell me this. He was a ham, and said it would develop my fist musically. I was a small child at the time, and through his enthusiasm for all things geeky, especially Ham Radio,…
tallship
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What is the decimal in Morse Code?

The ITU's International Morse Code recommendation ITU-R M.1677-1 specifies a "Full stop (period)" as ".−.−.−", however it falls short of specifying a decimal point. Even the examples, though they illustrate fractional numbers, don't show decimal…
Amin Shah Gilani
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Dominant speeds of Morse Communications

5 wpm is easy to learn and better than nothing in emergency. Speed Morse Coding is fine for "sport competition" I am trying to find out which is the typical speed for what I call "conversation" and define it with the following questions: Are there…
03525
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Bandwidth of a CW signal?

What is the RF bandwidth of a typical CW signal? How is the signal bandwidth affected by WPM and/or transmitter rise-time? What is the narrowest bandwidth that can still be copied by a human? Or what is the narrowest receiver audio filter that…
hotpaw2
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Key CW on zero crossings - zero bandwidth?

I remember being surprised to learn that a CW signal has a bandwidth (albeit small), but when I thought it over, it made sense. Essentially, we are modulating the carrier with a low frequency square wave. This would explain key clicks: a perfect…
Dominick Pastore
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Single or Dual Paddle Key?

I want to eventually use a CW paddle and built in keyer in my Yaesu FT-890. What are the merits of each style. Single or Dual Paddle. Does it make any difference if I start with say a dual paddle then later use a single paddle? Any disadvantages of…
jim
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Fastest Speed allowed for CW FM repeater ID in USA

What is the fastest legal WPM I can use for my repeater's Morse code identification? I am in the USA.
Skyler 440
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What was the origin of the Morse code abbreviations "hi" and "es"?

In Morse code, hams use "hi" to indicate a laugh, and "es" to mean "and". Where did these abbreviations come from? Both being all dots, they are short and easy to send and easy to recognize, but why these particular abbreviations? For example, we…
Michael Geary
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Scoring quality of Morse Code "fist"?

When learning, teaching oneself, or training a class in Morse Code sending using a hand key, how can acceptable quality be scored (other than the letters being correct terms of dot-dash sequence)? There a big difference between the dots being a bit…
hotpaw2
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