What next?

Where to go once the basics are in place

You hear the characters. Time to get on the air

Here you learned to copy a clean signal without noise. Once the characters come without hesitation at 15-20 WPM, you can listen to the live air, make your first contacts and find a club.

Your first contact, before you have a radio

Practice Morse contacts in your browser. Send from the keyboard, on-screen pads or a connected key, on channels shared with other operators. Free.

VBand

Keep learning and practicing

Listen to the air

Learn Q codes and prosigns

International clubs

National societies and licensing

High speed telegraphy (HST)

High speed telegraphy is a sport with its own IARU championships. You can get a taste of the disciplines here, but preparing for competitions takes the original programs.

HST championships on the IARU website

  • Copying textsOne minute of five-character groups: letters, figures or mixed, up to 5 errors.
    Try it here
  • Call sign copying (RufzXP)50 call signs in a row, the speed goes up with every right answer.
    Try it hereOriginal
  • Pile-up (Morse Runner)A contest simulation: several stations answer at once (a pile-up), with noise and fading. This app has no such exercise.
    Original

Frequently asked questions

How do you get your own amateur radio call sign?

A call sign is issued by the national telecom authority after an amateur radio exam, and every country has its own rules. The national amateur radio society, a member of IARU, explains how to prepare and where to take the exam. This page links to such societies.

Do I have to buy a transceiver and an antenna right away?

No. You can start for free in the browser: listen to live signals through the WebSDR online receivers and practice sending on VBand from the keyboard or with a real key through a USB adapter. You need a radio once you are ready to go on the air with your own call sign.

What sending speed do operators expect from a beginner?

On the air you answer at the speed of the station that calls. If you send slowly (say 12-14 WPM) or ask for QRS (“send more slowly”), the other operator usually slows down to your speed. Clubs like SKCC are especially glad of unhurried sending with a hand key.

What does a typical contact (QSO) look like?

First contacts usually follow a short pattern: operators exchange call signs, signal reports (RST, such as 599), names and locations (QTH). A few dozen Q codes and abbreviations are enough for them, and no long conversations are needed at first.