As you begin your adventure sending and receiving Morse code on the HF bands you will almost instantly hear a variety of short hand abbreviations. Many are obvious while others aren’t.
CW works well with these abbreviations and may even lend themselves to cell phone text messaging since both systems benefit from sending fewer characters.
Below you will find Prosigns and other abbreviations. The Prosigns you hear a lot and are well worth learning fast.
These are letters strung together in one continuous symbol.
CQ – Calling any station (does any ham *not* know this one?)
AR – end of message
K – go, invite any station to transmit
KN – “(” go only, invite a specific station to transmit
BK – invite receiving station to transmit
BT – Pause; Break For Text
R – all received OK
AS – please stand by
SK – end of contact (sent before call)
CL – going off the air (clear)
ABT – About
ADR – Address
AGN – Again
ANT – Antenna
B4 – Before
BK – Break, Break in
C – Yes
CFM – Confirm
CUL – See you later
ES – And
FB – Fine business
GA – Go ahead
GA – Good afternoon
GB – Good bye
GB – God bless
GE – Good evening
GG – Going
GM – Good morning
GN – Good night
GND – Ground
GUD – Good
HI – Laughter
HI – High
HR – Here; hear
HV – Have
HW – How; how copy
LID – A poor operator
MSG – Message
N – No
NIL – Nothing
NR – Number
NW – Now
OB – Old boy
OM – Old man
OP – Operator
OT – Old timer; old top
PSE – Please
PWR – Power
RIG – Station equipment
RPT – Repeat; report
RX; RCVR – Receiver
SED – Said
SEZ – Says
SIG – Signal
SKED – Schedule
SRI – Sorry
TMW – Tomorrow
TNX – Thanks
TT – That
TU – Thank you
TVI – Television interference
TX – Transmitter
UR; URS – Your; Yours
VY – Very
WKD; WKG – Worked; working
WL – Will
WUD – Would
WX – Weather
XMTR – Transmitter
YF; XYL – Wife
YL – Young lady
73 – Best regards
88 – Love and kisses