W1AW calling CQ and no one is answering

Morse Code
1

After a full year of building my station, I am close to being ready to get on the air. CW is my interest. Returning Ham CW operator after 30 years, previous Novice license 1984-1994. Now with a FTDX10 and a Comet CHA250HD. Doing a lot of listening while I continue to try to get my copy speed up and also be able to head copy. I can send at about 12-13 WPM but I can only copy at less than 10-12. Been a long time.

Currently listening to the following code constantly calling with no replies or at least none I can hear. There must be some replies because I heard the operator make only a very few short replies.

1300 CT, 21.035.180

I looked up the call sign on QRZ…W1AW. Cool! Can someone tell me what the following is all about? So much I don’t know.

CQ CQ W1AW/7 W1AW/7 repeated many times. All of it only lasted about 20 minutes and now silent.

Reeder Smith K4HLS

2

Hi Reeder, welcome back.

The W1AW/7 (or /4 or /5 or any of the others) is part of the America 250 in which the ARRL has challenged operators to make a W1AW portable contact in each of the 50 states (WAS - Worked All States) during this anniversary year of the country.

More details are here. America250 WAS

You can also reach out to the ARRL club in your state that’s handling the coordination for this and see if you can get on the list to be a part of the W1AW/ in your state. I did it last month here in AZ and had a blast, and I have signed up to do it again when it rolls back around this fall.

You can really make the day of some POTA Activators when you call in with that call and they realize who/what they are talking to. :wink:

1 Like
3

WOW! Thank you, Brian.

I will look into those details. I gotta get my CW copy speed up before I can particpate at speeds above 8-10WPM. Been a long time since my last CW and Novice license.

Thank you for the reply and info.

73

2 Likes
4

Hi,

I know exactly what you are talking about! The thing is, you need to participate in actual CW QSOs to get better.

Actually, when I started with CW, I used special call signs such as W1AW/x to get some practice. In most cases, they only send a quick “5nn tu” exchange, so nothing to worry about not catching up with their speed (missing some words and so on).

When they call with e.g. 25 or even 30 wpm and you respond with 13 wpm, and if the operator is a nice OM or YL, they sometimes even QRS to match your speed (real contest stations don’t, as they want to collect as many QSOs as possible, so speed counts).

So, for anyone reading this:

Casually participating in a CW contest will get you back into the hobby really quick! When you find a station calling CQ TEST, listen for a while to see how they do their exchange, then give it a try when you feel comfortable enough. It takes a few attempts, your hands might get sweaty, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes when trying to send with a higher wpm count.

We have all been there, and I still struggle with copying after listening for some time. A quick “agn qth?” or so never hurts.

Also, hunting POTA is a good idea as well. POTA ops use a typical QSO template in most cases, e.g. “gm ur 5nn bk”. Just add a 73 or gl and you are ready to collect many QSOs in a short time, which - at least in my case - really helped with getting better (sending and head copy), and with each exchange, I could increase my own speed!

I can also recommend the “Ham Radio Duo” channel on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HamRadioDuo

They have a playlist with videos about their journey of learning morse code, and one of them displays apps for your mobile phone. After seeing this, I immediately installed “Morse Mania” on my phone, set the speed to 30 wpm, and that’s the way it should be done! Don’t start with lower speeds, don’t use any mnemonics, don’t use morse code charts, just listen and get the characters into your brain at a really high speed! When I was a kid, my uncle would write down the morse alphabet on a piece of paper, and this is the worst thing you can do! Don’t use your eyes, use your ears :slight_smile:

By the way, Reeder, I checked out your QRZ profile and read about your keys. Nice shack! You should really use the Vibroplex or other paddles, they will increase your speed a lot.

73 and see you on the air! dit dit

5

Hey, Daniel.

I just received your reply via my email. Thanks for all the great advice and information.

I have progressed some since I made this post. Made my first QSO on May 13. I will be following your recommendations seriously. Thanks very much. I will hope I can catch you on the air as well.

Best Regards!

73’s!