CW Abbreviations

Short for "about," used both in the sense of "regarding" and "approximately" — context makes the meaning clear.

Shorthand for "address," mainly seen in formal traffic/message-handling contexts where a mailing address needs to be sent.

Requests a repeat of what was just sent — most often paired as "SRI AGN?" (sorry, again?) when a word or callsign was missed.

Standard shorthand for antenna, extremely common in station-description exchanges ("ANT IS DIPOLE AT 10M").

Number-substitution shorthand for "before" — a small example of the same number-for-sound trick used in 5NN.

A playful, sound-alike abbreviation ("B-C-N-U" spoken sounds like "be seeing you") used as a friendly sign-off, similar in spirit…

Signals a quick handover in a rapid back-and-forth exchange between two stations already in contact — shorter and more informal t…

Used to confirm receipt of information, similar in function to R or QSL but phrased as an explicit verb.

Very common small-talk word among hams — "CONDX FB" (great band conditions) or "CONDX PR" (poor conditions) comes up constantly i…

Used constantly to describe reception quality — "HW CPY?" (how do you copy) is one of the most common CW questions there is. CPI…

The universal opening call to start a contact with anyone listening — "CQ CQ CQ, this is HS8AC calling and standing by" — used ac…

A very common, friendly sign-off word, often paired at the end of a QSO alongside 73.

Used exactly like the English word "from" between two callsigns: "W1AW DE HS8AC" means "W1AW, this is HS8AC calling."

A traditional, telegraph-era salutation style ("DR OM" = "Dear old man") still occasionally heard, especially among older-generat…

A short, efficient stand-in for the word "and" — very frequent in CW where every character saved matters.

A classic telegraphy-era compliment meaning "great" or "very good." The literal phrase "fine business" is old-fashioned, but the…

Phonetic shorthand for the word "for," used constantly in everyday CW sentences.

Plain shorthand for frequency, used constantly in everyday operating talk.

Usually "good afternoon," part of the GM/GA/GE/GN greeting family. Context matters: "GA" is also sometimes used informally to mea…

A friendly greeting abbreviation, part of the GM/GA/GE/GN family covering the times of day.

A friendly closing wish, common before contests ("GL IN THE CONTEST") or DXpeditions.

A friendly greeting abbreviation, one of a family of four (GM/GA/GE/GN) covering the times of day.

Used to close out a contact or the operating session at night, completing the GM/GA/GE/GN greeting family.

Plain shorthand for "good," used as a general-purpose positive descriptor.

One of the most iconic and recognizable CW abbreviations — "HI HI" is how CW operators laugh on the air, chosen because its rhyth…

Short form of "here," as in describing local conditions: "WX HR IS HOT" (the weather here is hot).

Almost always seen as "HW?" — a quick way to ask "how do you copy / how am I coming through?" without spelling out the full quest…

Plain shorthand for "information," used generically across many contexts.

Well-known, long-standing ham slang describing an operator who breaks basic procedure or courtesy — not a procedural signal itsel…

Plain shorthand for "message," common in both casual conversation and formal traffic handling.

Used mainly in formal traffic/net handling to state that a station has zero messages to pass — a clean, unambiguous "none" rather…

Shorthand for "number," commonly seen before a message or serial number in formal traffic: "NR 5" (message number 5).

Plain shorthand for "now," used generically.

"Old Man" is traditional ham-radio slang for a fellow male operator regardless of actual age — not a comment on age. Its traditio…

Shorthand for "operator" — the person at the key or microphone, as distinct from the station/equipment itself. OPR is an alternat…

Simple courtesy word, extremely common paired with a request: "PSE QRS" (please send more slowly), "PSE QSL" (please confirm).

Plain shorthand for transmitter power, used in station descriptions ("PWR 100W").

A single-letter confirmation that a transmission was received in full and understood. Note this is a different use of the letter…

Shorthand for "receiver," the radio equipment used to receive signals.

Extremely common, casual word for a ham's radio equipment — "what rig are you running?" is one of the most typical questions in a…

Requests a repeat, similar in function to AGN. A separate abbreviation, RPRT ("report"), is sometimes confused with RPT — they ar…

Plain shorthand for "signal," e.g. "UR SIG IS FB" (your signal is great).

Common courtesy word, often paired with a request to repeat: "SRI AGN?" (sorry, again?).

A fully interchangeable alternate abbreviation for "thanks," alongside TNX. Choice between the two is purely operator preference/…

One of the most common courtesy words in ham radio, heard in CW, voice, and text chat alike. TKS is a fully interchangeable alter…

Extremely common courtesy word, especially prominent in contest exchanges — "5NN TU" is one of the most-heard phrases in CW conte…

Shorthand for "your," used constantly: "UR RST 599" (your signal report is 599).

Plain shorthand for "very," used as an intensifier: "VY FB" (very great).

Shorthand for "weather," a very common small-talk topic in casual QSOs: "WX HR IS RAINY."

Traditional ham-radio counterpart to "OM," used for a female operator regardless of actual age. A separate, older term "XYL" trad…

The universal amateur radio sign-off, used at the end of a contact or even at the end of written correspondence between operators…

Traditional numeric shorthand, conventionally used between close friends or family, or historically between an operator and their…

Cut numbers exist purely to save time: a full "9" (dah-dah-dah-dah-dit, 5 elements) takes noticeably longer to send than "N" (dah…