RESOURCES
Note: CWops provides these resources for the benefit of all members. We take no responsibility for accuracy, content, or objectionable material. If you have a resource that you think should appear on this page, email: Kurt Zoglmann, AD0WE.
Table of Contents
On-Air Practice
CWT
One-hour min-contests sponsored by CWOps! They are held every Wednesday starting at 13, 19, 03 and 07 UTC.
SST
Weekly one-hour slow speed contest sponsored by K1USN Radio Club! They are held every Monday starting at 00 UTC (Sunday 6 pm CST). The contest has a 20wpm upper speed-limit and is designed to help those master contesting.
MST
MST is a medium-speed (20-25 wpm) contest-like event held each Monday/Tuesday at 1300Z, 1900Z and 0300Z. Each session is an hour long. Exchange is name and QSO serial number. Each QSO counts 1 point and multipliers are each callsign the first time it is worked. Score is points times multipliers. Summary scores are posted to 3830scores.com. MST is effectively a bridge between SST slow speed events ( under 20 wpm) and CWT high-speed events (over 25 wpm). These events help pave the way to participation in actual, on-air, contests.
NCCC Sprint (NS)
The Northern California Contest Club sponsors Thursday evening contest practice sessions of 30-minute duration.
SKCC Sked Chat
Create an account and request a scheduled contact. SKCC (Straight Key Century Club) members are friendly and will generally bend over backward to help out guys and gals trying to get started with on-air practice.
ARRL W1AW Broadcast
Code sent at 5 to 35wpm on a schedule. xxxContent taken from QST magazine.
Operating Technique
Many of us have elmered new hams and DXers. The following resources are listed for our members as a library of good publications on the topic:
Interactive Online Resources
CW Academy
Excellent opportunity to get free and personalized assistance in learning Morse code. CWOps sponsor this program! Sessions are held Jan-Feb, May-Jun, and Sep-Oct. Classes fill up fast, so signup early!
Long Island CW Club Training
Classes are held most weekdays and are available at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.
Discord CW WW
Daily practice at 7:30 pm Pacific time (1:30 or 2:30 UTC depending on daylight savings time).
Morse.me
Online Morse code chat channels. The keyboard is used as a straight key.
iCW
CW over Internet Protocol. High quality. Allows hooking up physical paddle/keyer to the computer.
Morse Power
Software uses USB to serial adapter to hook up a paddle/keyer.
MoIP
Morse over IP. Software uses Serial to USB or Bluetooth to hookup a paddle to the computer. Software runs on Arduino, Linux, iOS, OS X, and Windows.
Zoom
General purpose video conference solution that is known to work well for online Morse code practice. For the best audio, disable “Automatically adjust microphone settings.” In addition to a computer and microphone, you will need a paddle, key, and way to generate a sidetone.
Mumble
General purpose audio bridge that is known to work well for online Morse code practice. It is free and open source. In addition to a computer and microphone, you will need a paddle, key, and way to generate a sidetone.
Hardware for learning Morse Code
LICW Haptic Vibrational CW Decoder
A haptic vibrational device with LED lights to deliver decoded CW to palm of the hand and to the eye. The purpose is to give those with hearing impairments vibrational and visual sensations of CW, to facilitate and compensate the decoding of CW. This device will also be an assist to those with normal hearing because it can create alternate white matter pathways to the brain combining aural, vibrational and visual cues for learning and decoding CW. This device is patent pending, thanks to the assistance of Rob (K6RB), and took significant effort to bring to release.
Morserino-32
Full-featured standalone learning tool. It is a multifunctional Morse code device that can be used as a practice trainer, keyer, file player, and Morse code decoder. It has built-in capacitance paddles and speaker. Check out this review video. Also works as a LoRa transceiver on 430MHz!
K1EL Morse Tutor Keyer Kit
Trainer and built-in capacitance keyer. It can be used for standalone practice. Or practice with a buddy by connecting an RCA cable between two kits!
Kanga Products uCPO Universal CPO/Tutor
An Advanced practice Oscillator with built in multi mode Morse Tutor Now with Tutor control button, fixed low level output and headphone socket. CW Academy has recently obtained ‘special pricing’ for our classes. Please contact me directly email: Bob Carter CWA Admin, WR7Q.
MFJ-418 Code Tutor with LCD Display
Pocket-sized and convenient
W8BH Morse Tutor
The W8BH Morse Tutor is a great project for learning programming, for learning about hardware, for beginners to learn the Morse code, and for people who already know the Morse code to increase their speed, both in copying and sending, with either paddles or a straight key. You can build the Morse code tutor for $20 in parts. Check out Bruce’s website for other interesting projects. If you wish to use the Mega2560 instead of the ESP32 or STM32, check out KM4NFQ’s port of the code. Here is a short video clip demonstrating how to use two of them for practice with two people across the room.
K3NG CW Keyer
Open source Arduino-based CW keyer that has an incredible amount of features and flexibility, including K1EL’s WinKeyer compatibility. It can be used as a keyer and to learn Morse code. It can be used for send practice, and receive practice with Keyboard or Receive/Transmit Echo Practice.
CW Trainer
A combination of Windows software and firmware that runs on the Begali CW Machine. It also supports connecting to another user over the internet.
OZ1JHM Timing Keyer
An open hardware and open source keyer that allows you to precisely diagnose any timing errors in your keying. Check out the review video. The software for it can be found here.
Resources for software and hardware developers
K3NG CW Keyer
It is open source and would make a great platform to further develop and extend. It is Arduino-based.
morse.py
Python program used to translate text to Morse code
Moserino-32
Keyer and tutoring tool built on ESP32. It is open source and written using the Arduino IDE. It is a complete platform.
MOAK (Mother of All Keyers)
Based on Arduino with supporting Java application. Interesting and detailed write-up along with provided hardware schematic and source code.
Games
Morse C.O.D.
Target enemies by tapping out their designation. Runs on Windows, OS X, and Linux.
Morse (The Game)
Break the bitter attribution of the Great War using timing, tactics, and telecommunications in Morse code. Runs in a Web browser.
Morse Mania
A game designed to help you master Morse code while advancing through a number of levels. It teaches one letter at a time. Runs on Android devices.
Morse Code Books
The Art and Skill of Radio-Telegraphy by William Pierpont (N0HFF). This is a free book available for download as a PDF. It is filled with practical advice and history. And it is a great read!
Zen and the Art of Radiotelgraph by Carlo Consoli (IK0YGJ). Another free book available for download as a PDF. It has a recommended approach to learning Morse code.
How To Learn Morse Code and Make Contacts by David Gonzalez (EA7HYD). Step-by-step manual with example QSOs. (Also available from Amazon.)
Morse Code Operating for Amateur Radio by Rob Brownstein (K6RB) and Jim Talens (N3JT). Covers the basics. Well rounded introduction to operating CW and learning Morse Code. Available from the ARRL Store.
Morse Code for Radio Amateurs by Roger Cooke (G3LDI). Published by the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB). Written to show how to learn Morse code and get the maximum enjoyment from using it. (Also available from Amazon.)
The CW Geek’s Guide to Having Fun with Morse Code by Dan Romanchik (KB6NU). Practical guide to learning and using Morse Code. Available from Amazon as a Paperback or Kindle edition.
DITS and DAHS: The ABC’s of Morse Code Operating by Ed Tobias (KR3E). Sold by CQ Magazine.
The FOC Guide to Morse Code Proficiency by Gary Hinson (ZL2IFB). Longer PDF that covers timing, pitch, swings and fists, a morse quality metric, and more!
The Road to CW by Christian Bravo (W4ALF). Free book on how to learn Morse code.
Compendium of Automatic Morse Code by Ed Goss (N3CW). It is an excellent hardback book with informative text and over 1,100 high-quality photos covering Morse code devices from the early 1800s to today. (The link provided goes to Amazon, but it is available from other retailers.)
CW Academy
Official Facebook group for CW Academy
CWOps Members
Facebook group for the members of CWOps
Dit Dit Podcast
Popular podcast focused on Morse code
Learning CW Code
Facebook group. Great for connecting with others learning Morse code.
CW Morse Code Fans
Perhaps the largest and most active Facebook group focused on Morse code.
Straight Key Users of Morse Code
Facebook group
Open UZ2M Morse Runner contest
Facebook group with friendly competition. See who can get the largest score in Morse Runner in 10 minutes.
Historical
CQ-Serenade
Produced between 1965 and 1970. It is a delightful music video about morse code. Words and music by the late Maurice Durieux, VE2QS, symphony conductor, arranger, and violinist, VE2BR, Noel Marcil. Vocals by Ms. Joyce Hahn.
Morsum Magnificat: The Morse Magazine
Archive for Morse code magazine that ran from 1986 to 2004
Society of Wireless Pioneers
Program of the California Historical Radio Society. Lots of high-quality historical pictures.
Morse Code Is Back
Great article from the 2023 Jan/Feb Smithsonian magazine
Distant Writing
A History of the Telegraph Companies in Britain between 1838 and 1868
Telegraph History
Stories about the men and companies of the old landline telegraph days.
Portishead Radio – GKA
Interesting stories & history of coastal station GKA
J-38 Keys
More than you ever wanted to know about the venerable J-38
Sparks Telegraph Key Review
Info and pictures of old keys. Check out The Virtual Spark Transmitter for a nice explanation of how the old spark gap transmitters worked.
Essays
Iambic Keying – Debugging The Myth by Marshall Emm (N1FN). Iambic or “squeeze” keying is one of the “Great Expectations” in CW operation. Good or Bad idea?
Go with the Flow by Nancy Kott WZ8C (Silent Key) on why hams fall in love with CW.
Instant Recognition by Nancy Kott WZ8C (Silent Key) on A Better Method Of Building Morse Code Speed
Using a Dual–Lever Paddle by Chuck Adams, K7QO
QRQ Course by Kurt (AD0WE), Jack (AA0IZ), Terry (WB0JRH) on A Learning Approach to Achieve QRQ
Key Manufacturers (Active)
Begali
Clubs
Essex CW Amateur Radio Club
Mission of “Encouraging CW Use on the Amateur Bands”
FISTS
The International Morse Preservation Society
FOC
First Class CW Operator’s Club
HSC
High Speed Club
ICWC
International CW Council
NAQCC
North American QRP CW Club
SKCC
Straight Key Century Club
YOTA
Youth on the Air
The Robert F. Heytow Memorial Radio Club
Since 2004, the Robert F. Heytow Memorial Radio Club has published its general interest amateur radio eZine, “K9YA Telegraph”, read by hams in more than 100 countries.
Misc
K9YA Telegraph
The K9YA Telegraph is a free, monthly, general interest amateur radio publication read by hams in more than 100 countries.
FCC Exams
Morse Code FCC Exams from 2001 (Direct download as a ZIP file – MP3 files and PDFs)
Sign Man of Ohio
Order your CWOps member badge.
Morse Code Ring Tones
Making Morse ring tones for any cell phone that uses MP3 files.
Morse Code Translator
Excellent online CW training resource. Text-To-Morse Code or the reverse. Fun learning tool.
Morse Code Ninja
Modern, mobile-friendly site with many Morse code resources and references. Quick access to 300+ Morse code practice videos.
PA3WBK’s Ultimate Morse Code Website
Collection of links to other CW sites, including many EU CW clubs.
Steampunk Workshop
This guy builds his own sounder, then builds an interface to send Morse from an RSS feed coming into his computer.
techtooler
Order your CWOps edgelit On The Air sign.
Telegraph Keys, Clockmaking and Modelmaking – William R. Smith
Restoration of Telegraph Keys
General
A Simple and Effective Approach to Station Grounding
Every station needs a grounding plan — here’s one approach.
(Author: Jim Talens, N3JT).
Cycle 24 Aluminum Tubing
Aluminum tubing and antenna-related products.
HamQTH
A new ham radio callbook server database by Petr (OK2CQR), Dan (OK1HRA), and Martin (OK1RR).