Morse Code Abbreviations, Q Codes and Prosigns

Common Morse code abbreviations

These are the shortcuts you will hear in an everyday amateur radio contact. Each one is sent as normal letters or digits, with the usual gaps between them.

The meanings come from Ethics and Operating Procedures for the Radio Amateur, a guide by John Devoldere ON4UN and Mark Demeuleneere ON4WW, hosted by the ARRL.

That guide also corrects a common slip. 73 already means best regards, so "best 73" and "73s" are both wrong.

Q codes used on air

Q codes are three-letter signals that each stand for a whole sentence. The table uses the wording on the ARRL's Q signal chart.

Add a question mark and most of them turn into a question. QTH means "my location is", while QTH? asks "what is your location?".

Everyday use has drifted from the chart. Operators use QSO as a noun for a contact, and QSL for a card confirming one.

These are the amateur radio meanings. Police and aviation radio have their own habits, and this page does not cover them.

Morse code prosigns

A prosign, short for procedural sign, joins two characters into one by removing the gap between them. It is written as two letters but sent as a single signal.

SOS is the best-known signal sent this way, with its nine dots and dashes run together.

Removing the gap often lands on a character that already exists. AR (.-.-.) is the same pattern as the plus sign, and BT (-...-) is the same as the equals sign.

Rec. ITU-R M.1677-1, the international Morse standard, lists these patterns under its own names. It calls ...-.- "end of work", .-... "wait" and eight dots "error".

Two common signals are not prosigns, according to the operating guide above. KN (-.- -.) means over to you only, and BK (-... -.-) means break. Both keep the gap between their letters.

Why operators abbreviate

Mostly it saves time, because every character has to be sent by hand and copied by ear. BEST REGARDS takes 93 dot-lengths to send. 73 takes 29.

They also cross language barriers. Two operators with no language in common can still swap locations and signal reports, because QTH and RST mean the same thing to both of them.

What a short Morse contact looks like

Put together, the shorthand reads like this. The call signs are made up.

1. W1ZZZ: CQ CQ DE W1ZZZ K. A general call, then an invitation to answer.
2. G3ZZZ: W1ZZZ DE G3ZZZ K. A reply, naming both stations.
3. W1ZZZ: G3ZZZ DE W1ZZZ TNX CALL UR RST 599 K. Thanks, and a signal report.
4. G3ZZZ: W1ZZZ DE G3ZZZ TU RST 579 73 SK. Thanks, a report, best regards, and the end of the contact.

You can paste any line into the Morse code translator to see and hear it. To learn to recognise these by ear, the Morse code trainer drills you on individual characters.

Questions people ask about Morse code abbreviations

What does CQ mean in Morse code?

CQ is a general call to any station, sent as -.-. --.-. An operator sends it to ask whether anyone is listening and wants to reply.

What does 73 mean in Morse code?

73 means best regards, sent as --... ...--. It closes most friendly contacts. Its partner 88, sent as ---.. ---.., means love and kisses.

What does CW mean?

CW stands for continuous wave, the kind of radio signal that is switched on and off to send Morse code. Amateur radio operators use it as their name for Morse.

What is the difference between a Q code and a prosign?

A Q code is three letters sent normally, and it stands for a sentence. A prosign is a control signal with its letters joined, and it manages the contact itself.