Prosigns for Morse code
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In Morse code, prosigns or procedural signals are dot/dash sequences that have a special meaning in a transmission. They can often be viewed as if they were composed of one, two or three Morse code alphabetic characters. When composed in this way of more than one character, they are sent "run together"; that is, omitting the normal pauses that would occur if they were being sent as letters of text. These ligatures are normally represented in print by the letters with a ligating bar above them.
| Sign | Code | Meaning | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| AC | ·--·-· |
@ symbol used in email addresses | |
| AR | ·-·-· |
Stop (end of message) | Often written + |
| AS | ·-··· |
Wait (for 10 seconds) | Respond with C (yes). AS2 means wait 2 min, AS5 5 min, etc. For pauses of 10 min or longer, use QRX (see Q code) |
| BK | -···-.- |
Break | Often indicates "back-to-you".Used for fast exchange between two stations. |
| BT | -···- |
Separator within message | Often written =. In practice, indistinguishable from TV, and sometimes written thus |
| CL | -·-··-·· |
Going off the air | "Clear" |
| DO | -··--- |
Shift to wabun code | |
| KN | -·--· |
Invitation to a specific station to transmit | |
| SK | ···-·- |
End (end of contact) | In practice, indistinguishable from VA, and sometimes written thus |
| SOS | ···---··· |
Serious distress message and request for urgent assistance (listen ) | Not to be used unless there is imminent danger to life or destruction of property. See SOS |
Although these are not really prosigns, an error may be indicated by some series of Es:
······· |
Error, correct word follows (six or more dots in a row) |
· · · |
Error (easily identifiable by "broken" rhythm) |
K, KN, and SK are also commonly used in text modes such as RTTY and PSK31. Notably, SK is also used by TTY/TDD users, though "GA" is typed rather than "KN".
[edit] An amateur radio conversation in Morse code
The skill to have sensible conversations with Morse is more than knowing just the alphabet. To make communication efficient, there are many internationally agreed patterns of communication.
A sample CW conversation between station 1 (S1) and station 2 (S2)
S1:
CQ CQ CQ DE S1 K Calling anyone (CQ), this is (DE) S1, listening (K)
S2:
S1 DE S2 K Calling S1, this is S2, back-to-you (K) (Now we have a connection)
S1:
S2 DE S1 = GA DR OM UR RST 599 HR = QTH TIMBUKTU = OP IS JOHN = HW? S2 DE S1 K Good afternoon dear old man. You are RST 599 here. (Very readable (5), very strong signal (9), very good tone (9)) I'm located in Timbuktu. The operator's name is John. How do you copy?
S2:
S1 DE S2 = TNX FB RPRT DR OM JOHN UR 558 = QTH HIMALAYA = NAME IS YETI S1 DE S2 K Thanks for the nice report dear old man John. I read you 558. I am in the Himalayas. My name is Yeti.
S1:
S2 DE S1 = OK TNX QSO DR YETI = 73 ES HPE CUAGN S2 DE S1 K Okay, thanks for this conversation, dear Yeti. Best regards and hope to see you again.
S2:
S1 DE S2 = R TU CUAGN 73 S1 DE S2 SK Understood. Thank you. Best regards. (signing off)
With heavy use of the Q code and Morse Code Abbreviations, surprisingly meaningful conversations can be had. Note that very few English words have been used ("is" and "name"), only abbreviations. S1 and S2 might not speak the same native language.
Of course, real rag-chewing (lengthy conversations) cannot be done without a common language. On the worldwide amateur bands this is often English.
Contesters often use a very specialized and even shorter format for their contacts. Their purpose is to process as many contacts as possible in a limited time (e.g. 100–150 per hour).
[edit] See also
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