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CW: Morse Code

Radio

CW: Morse Code

The oldest mode on the air is still one of the best. Here’s why people learn it, and how to start without getting discouraged.

Why CW is still around

  • It gets through: a CW signal is very narrow, so all your power is concentrated in a tiny slice of spectrum. Contacts that are impossible on voice are often easy on CW.
  • Simple gear: a small low-power radio and a wire antenna will do. Many kit radios are CW only.
  • It’s a skill: a lot of operators simply enjoy it, the way some people enjoy playing an instrument.

Do you need it for a licence?

Not any more. In Canada, Morse code is optional. Passing Basic with Honours (80 percent or better) gives you the HF bands without it. The Morse qualification (5 words per minute) is still offered and also opens the bands below 30 MHz, which is handy if you didn’t quite reach Honours.

How to learn

  • Learn by sound, not by sight: don’t memorize charts of dots and dashes. Learn that the letter A sounds like “di-dah.” Counting dots slows you down later.
  • Koch method: start with two letters at full speed, about 20 words per minute, and add one letter at a time once you copy 90 percent.
  • Farnsworth spacing: send each letter at full speed but with longer gaps between letters while you learn.
  • A little every day: 15 minutes a day beats two hours on Sunday.
  • Free tools: LCWO.net (Learn CW Online) runs in a browser, and there are good phone apps. CWops runs the CW Academy, with live online classes.

Keys and keyers

  • Straight key: the classic up-and-down key. Great for learning rhythm.
  • Paddles: most operators move to paddles with an electronic keyer, which forms the dots and dashes for you. Most modern radios have a keyer built in.

Your first contacts

  • Listen first. Find the CW portion near the bottom of each band and just copy what you can.
  • Look for slow stations. Many operators will slow down to match you. Send “QRS” to ask someone to slow down.
  • Typical contacts are short: callsigns, a signal report (RST), name, location and “73.”
  • Common abbreviations: CQ (calling anyone), DE (from), K (go ahead), TU (thank you), QTH (location), 5NN (599, a strong report).
  • Mistakes are normal. Send eight dits to mark an error and keep going.

Where to go next

Last updated October 2026.