On the air, CW operators rely on prosigns — procedural signals sent as single characters without spacing — and common abbreviations to keep contacts efficient. Learning these early prevents confusion during your first QSO.
What Is a Prosign?
A prosign (procedural signal) combines Morse characters run together as one unit. On paper they appear as letter pairs like AR or SK, but on the air they are sent continuously without the normal gap between letters. See our Communication Guide for a full reference.
AR — End of Message
AR (.- .-. sent as one character) means "end of message, response expected." You will hear it before a station turns it over to you: "... QTH IS DENVER AR K" invites your reply.
SK — End of Work
SK (...-.-) signals the end of a contact. It tells the other operator you are finished and signing off. A typical closing: "TNX QSO 73 SK" followed by your call sign.
KN — Go Ahead (Specific Station)
KN (-.--.) means only the called station should respond — useful in pileups or when you want to limit replies to one operator.
BT — Break / New Paragraph
BT (-...-) separates sections of a long message, similar to a paragraph break. Contest operators and net control stations use it frequently.
Common Abbreviations
CQ — General call seeking any station.
DE — From (identifies the sender).
K — Over, your turn.
KN — Over to named station only.
73 — Best regards.
88 — Love and kisses (friendly sign-off).
Example QSO Flow
CQ CQ DE W1ABC W1ABC K
W1ABC DE K2XYZ K2XYZ AR
FB OM UR RST 599 NAME BOB QTH NYC K
K2XYZ DE W1ABC TNX BOB RST 599 73 SK W1ABC
Practice Before Going On Air
Rehearse common exchanges with our Translator and listen to prosign timing on the Audio Generator. Use the Practice Tool to drill abbreviations until they feel natural at your target speed.
Learn More
For a complete prosign and punctuation reference, visit the Cheat Sheet and International Morse Code pages. Pair this guide with our Ham Radio CW Guide when you are ready for your first contact.