Morse QSO with M9IPM

Unravelling the Mysteries and Learning How to have a CW (Morse) QSO.

A straightforward guide by Ian Melling M9IPM

The text you are reading isn’t about why you should use morse code, or cw. Nor is it about any advantages/disadvantages, nor is it to teach you the code itself. It is solely here to help you get over the first hurdle of understanding the syntax of a QSO and show a method (Vband) that you and some friends can use to practice before going on air.

The steps are to watch an excellent YouTube video first, then I'll give you the structure of the simplest of QSOs and give you a cheat sheet of all the shortcuts in common use. (There are Q codes, Prosigns and abbreviations).

So, get yourself a drink, a doodle pad and pen, sit comfortably and watch this video. You don’t need to remember it all, just the essence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY6Q9_Qmk8Q

Hopefully you will have just watched Ask Dave – The anatomy of a CW QSO

You will see he has broken the short cuts to the categories of there are Q codes, Prosigns and Abbreviations. Below is a cheat sheet for them listed alphabetically. You may want to copy and print out as a crib sheet. Note the lines across the top of the Prosigns.

Next, we want to look atVband. This is a website where you can connect both straight and Iambic keys via an inexpensive dongle to practice your morse and engage in morse QSOs. You can also use private channels, and I suggest that you use this method to practice with friends. Note that you don’t need to use their dongle, there are plenty of cheap copies.

Get your next drink, kick back and watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ciJR-hEyA8

Hope you enjoyed that and you get yourself up and running with Vband.

Two key things I hope you pulled from watching this video, firstly is entering your name and callsign so people can identify you, and secondly that you can make a private channel. If you, and your friend make a channel WVARS for example then you can have a private channel. Note if someone else adds that as a private channel they can join in,

Now the next bit requires you and a friend on a channel (probably private as it is a daunting task just sending and receiving morse without all of those abbreviations etc)

I suggest starting with the following.

You	CQ CQ CQ DE (your callsign 3 times) K
Friend	(your callsign 3 times) DE (their callsign 3 times) KN
You	(their callsign 3 times) DE (your callsign 3 times)
	BT(=) UR RST 5NN 5NN KN
Friend	(your callsign 3 times) DE (their callsign 3 times)
	BT(=) TU UR RST 5NN 5NN KN
You	their callsign 3 times) DE (your callsign 3 times)
	BT(=) HPE CUL your callsign DE their callsign SK
	DIT DIT
Friend	DIT DIT

Now I have kept this quite simple. Review Daves video and expand and explore where you want to – then go live !

Note that this is just a guide, different people have different methods but if you master these then you should easily flex for something new. Don’t forget you can always ask them to repeat or slow down!

See you further up the log.

Ian M9IPM

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Welland Valley Amateur Radio Society

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