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CW Abbreviations

NOTE: These abbreviations are commonly used in CW transmissions to shorten transmission times.

 

Not all CW operators use all of them - most will use very few. As a general rule, most operators do not abbreviate unnecessarily, especially when communicating with an operator that they do not know or whose experience is unknown. In contest conditions, abbreviations are common as operators try to gain as many contacts as possible over the competition period.

 

ABBREVIATION          MEANING

AA

​

AB

​

ABT

​

ADEE

​

ADR

​

AGN

​

AM

​

ANT

​

BCI

​

BCL

​

BCNU

​

BK

​

BN

​

BT

​

BTR

​

Bug

​

C​

​

CFM

​

CK

​

CKT

​

CL

​

CLBK

​

CLD

​

CLG

​

CNT

​

CONDX

​

CQ

​

CU

​

CUL

​

CUM

​

CW

​

DA

​

DE

​

DIFF

​

DLD & DLVD

​

DN

​

DR

​

DX

​

EL

​

ES

​

FB

​

FER

​

FM

​

GA

​

GB

​

GD

​

GE

​

GESS

​

GG

​

GM

​

GN

​

GND

​

GUD

​

GV

​

HH

​

HI HI

​

HR

​

HV

​

HW

​

IMI

​

LNG

​

LTR

​

LVG

​

MA & MILLS

​

MSG

​

N

​

NCS

​

ND

​

NM

​

NR

​

NW

All After

 

All Before

 

About

 

Addressee

 

Address

 

Again

 

Amplitude Modulation

 

Antenna

 

Broadcast Interference

 

Broadcast Listener

 

Be seeing you

 

Break-in

 

Between

 

Separation

 

Better

 

Semi-automatic key

 

Yes, Correct

 

Confirm, I confirm

 

Check

 

Circuit

 

Closing Station, Call

 

Callbook

 

Called

 

Calling

 

Can't

 

Conditions

 

Calling any station

 

See you

 

See you later

 

Come

 

Continuous Wave

 

Day

 

From, From this

 

Difference

 

Delivered

 

Down

 

Delivered

 

Distance

 

Element

 

And

 

Fine Business

 

For

 

Frequency Modulation, From

 

Go Ahead, Good Afternoon

 

Goodbye, God Bless

 

Good

 

Good Evening

​

Guess

​

Going

​

Good Morning

​

Good Night

​

Ground

​

Good

​

Give

​

Error sending

​

Laughter

​

Hear

​

Have

​

How, Copy?

​

Repeat, Say again

​

Long

​

Later

​

Leaving

​

Milliamperes

​

Message

​

No

​

Net Control Station

​

Nothing Doing

​

No More

​

Number

​

Now, Resume transmission

 

 

 

ABBREVIATION          MEANING

Old Boy

 

Old Chap

 

Old Man

 

Operator

 

Operator

 

Old Timer

 

Preamble

 

Package

 

Please

 

Point

 

Power

 

Press

 

Received

 

Ragchew

 

Received

 

Receiver

 

Refer to

 

Radio Frequency Interference

 

Station equipment

 

Repeat, Report

 

Radioteletype

 

Readability Strength Tone

 

Receive, Receiver

 

Self Addressed Stamped Envelope

 

Said

 

Says

 

Signed

 

Signature, Signal

 

Personal initials or nickname

 

Schedule

 

Sorry

 

Sweepstakes

 

Single Sideband

 

Station

 

Some

 

Service

 

Zero

 

Traffic

 

Tomorrow

 

Thanks

 

Transmit

 

Transmit/Receive

 

Tricks

 

That

 

That is

 

Thank you

 

Television interference

 

Transmit, Transmitter

 

Text

 

You

 

You're, Your

 

Yours

 

Very Fine Business

 

Variable Frequency Oscillator

​

Very

​

Watts

​

Word After

​

Word

​

Words

​

Worked

​

Working

​

Words Per Minute

​

Word

​

Weather

​

Transceiver

​

Transmitter

​

Crystal

​

Wife

​

Young Lady

​

Year

​

Best Regards

OB

 

OC

 

OM

 

OP

 

OPR

 

OT

 

PBL

 

PKG

 

PSE

 

PT

 

PWR

 

PX

 

R

 

RC

 

RCD

 

RCVR

 

REF

 

RFI

 

RIG

 

RPT

 

RTTY

 

RST

 

RX

 

SASE

 

SED

 

SEZ

 

SGD

 

SIG

 

SINE

 

SKED

 

SRI

 

SS

 

SSB

 

STN

 

SUM

 

SVC

 

T

 

TFC

 

TMW

 

TKS & TNX

 

TR & TX

 

T/R

 

TRIX

 

TT

 

TTS

 

TU

 

TVI

 

TX

 

TXT

 

U

 

UR

 

URS

 

VFB

 

VFO

 

VY

 

W

 

WA

 

WD

 

WDS

 

WKD

 

WKG

 

WPM

 

WRD

 

WX

 

TXVR

 

XMTR

 

XTL

 

XYL,  YF

​

YL

​

YR

​

73

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