đ W5IAS CW Group â A Friendly Place to Build Your Morse Skills
Monday & Thursday CW Nights â 7.033 MHz at 7:00 PM Local If QRM creeps in, simply slide up to 7.036 MHz or anywhere clear in between .
Our CW group is growing â and thatâs fantastic. To keep things moving so everyone gets a chance to make the log within the hour, we keep QSOs short and simple. Think of it as a relaxed, lowâpressure miniâcontest designed to help you get comfortable sending your callsign and making contacts on CW.
đ§ What We Exchange (The âBig 3â)
To keep the pace friendly and manageable, we stick to the essentials:
- Callsign
- RST
- Name
You may add your QTH, but please keep it to state only â no full city/state combos .
If you prefer to send only callsign + signal report + state, thatâs perfectly fine too. The CQ station will match your style and speed .
SKCC numbers? Sure. Totally optional and welcome .
đŻ What This CW Night Is (and Isnât)
This is not a traditional net with complicated Qâcodes or rigid structure .
Instead, itâs simple:
- Someone calls CQ CQ NNN looking for contacts
- You answer
- You exchange the basics
- You enjoy the rhythm of CW without pressure
Itâs intentionally contestâlike, but friendly and slow enough for beginners . Speeds are as slow as you need â the CQ station will come back at the speed you send your callsign. Speeds are as slow as you need..
đ» Example QSO Flow
A typical exchange looks like this (short, simple, and beginnerâfriendly):
CQ CQ CQ de KI5EGH KI5EGH KI5EGH K
WA5MA
WA5MA de KI5EGH GE/TU/FB â RST 5NN â Name Mike BK
KI5EGH de WA5MA GE/TU/FB â RST â Name â State BK
TU ES 73 SK EE
Thatâs it. Clean, quick, and confidenceâbuilding .
đ New to CW? Youâre in the Right Place
This weekly activity is designed specifically to help new operators get comfortable sending their callsign, making contacts, and easing into contesting without pressure. Itâs a welcoming environment where mistakes are expected and learning is encouraged .
đ§ Experienced CW Ops â We Need You Too
If youâre an old salt, your presence helps set the tone, demonstrate good practice, and keep the energy high. Youâre part of what makes this a homeâgrown, communityâdriven CW activity .
đ Logging & Tools
All contacts are logged in QRZ, which automatically uploads to LoTW .
Recommended shack tools:
- HamRS â simple, flexible logging with ADIF export and contact maps
- HamAlert â great for checking RBN spots and seeing how your signal is getting out during CW nights
đĄ Why 40 Meters?
Two years ago we chose 40m for two reasons:
- Technicians in our CW class have CW privileges on 40m
- Itâs excellent for local contacts during daylight and often stretches out nicely after the grey line passes
đ Want to See How Busy It Is?
Monitor the Net Logger 5 WPM net to get a feel for how many operators are waiting to jump in .
đŹ Have Suggestions?
Weâre always improving this page and the CW group experience. Send your ideas to ki5egh@yahoo.com
In leisurely Fashion YouTube channel
Send me an email with your suggestions on equipment or additions to this page.
