Below, please find the list of CW abbreviations that I plan to include in my upcoming book. There are more on the various sites that list CW abbreviations, but some of them are so little used, I decided to leave them off this list. If I’ve missed one of your favorites, please e-mail me.
Also note that there are no Q-signals or prosigns in this list. I’ll be publishing separate lists for those.
ABT: About
ADDR: Address
AGN: Again
AM: Amplitude Modulation, Morning
ANT: Antenna
BCI: Broadcast Interference
BCNU: Be seeing you
BK: Back, Break, Break in
BN: Been
BTR: Better
BTWN: Between
BUG: Semi-Automatic key
BURO: Bureau (QSL bureau)
BUX: Bucks, as in dollars
B4: Before
C: Yes, Correct
CFM: Confirm, I confirm
CK: Check
CKT: Circuit
CL: Call
CLDY: Cloudy
CLG: Calling
CLR: Clear
CONDX: Conditions
CPI: Copy
CQ: Calling any station
CU: See You
CUD: Could
CUL: See You later
CUM: Come
CUZ: Because
CW: Continuous wave
DE: From, This Is
DIFF: Difference
DN: Down
DR: Dear
DX: Distance
EL: Element
ES: And
EVE: evening
FB: Fine Business, excellent
FER: For
FM: Frequency Modulation: From
FREQ: Frequency
GA: Go ahead, Good Afternoon
GB: Good bye, God Bless
GD: Good
GE: Good Evening
GESS: Guess
GG: Going
GM: Good morning
GN: Good night
GND: Ground
GUD: Good
HI: The telegraph laugh, High
HPE: Hope
HQ: Headquarters
HR: Here, Hear
HRD: Heard
HV: Have
HW: How, How Copy?
LID: A poor operator
LTR: Later, letter
LV: Leave
LVG: Leaving
LW: Long wire
MA: Milliamperes
MNI: Many
MORN: Morning
MSG: Message
NR: Number
NW: Now
OB: Old boy
OC: Old chap
OM: Old man
OP: Operator
OPR: Operator
OT: Old timer, Old top
OVR: Over
PKG: Package
PM: Afternoon, evening
PROB: Problem
PSE: Please
PT: Point
PWR: Power
R: Received as transmitted, Are, Decimal Point
RCV: Receive
RCVR: Receiver
REF: Refer to, Referring to, Reference
RFI: Radio frequency interference
RIG: Station equipment
RPT: Repeat, Report
RPRT: Report
RTTY: Radio teletype
RX: Receive, Receiver
SASE: Self-addressed, stamped envelope
SED: Said
SEZ: Says
SIG: Signature, Signal
SKED: Schedule
SN: Soon
SRI: Sorry
SSB: Single Side Band
STN: Station
SUM: Some
SW: Switch, Shortwave
SWL: Short wave listener
TEST: Contest
THRU: Through
TIL: Until
TMW: Tomorrow
TMRW: Tomorrow
TKS: Thanks
TNX: Thanks
TR: Transmit
TRBL: Trouble
T/R: Transmit/Receive
TT: That
TU: Thank you
TVI: Television interference
TX: Transmitter, Transmit
TXT: Text
U: You
UR: Your, You’re
URS: Yours
VFO: Variable Frequency Oscillator
VY: Very
W: Watts
WID: With
WKD: Worked
WKG: Working
WL: Well, Will
WUD: Would
WX- Weather
XCVR: Transceiver
XMIT: Transmit
XMTR: Transmitter
XTAL: Crystal
XYL: Wife
YL: Young lady
YR: Year
73: Best Regards
88: Love and kisses
Walter Underwood K6WRU says
You should probably check the official NTS abbreviations and prosigns to see if they list more:
http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Public%20Service/MPG304A.pdf
tom aj4uq says
I thought CL was clear/closing, as in QRT.
In other words, SK is end of QSO, but CL is “I’m done for the day now.”
Dan KB6NU says
Check out the post on prosigns.