Know Code or No Code?

Southern Michigan Amateur Radio Society

This part of the site is here for the purposes of helping to learn morse code. All amateurs interested in learning code may find this page useful. While we believe it is important to know morse code, it certainly doesn't make you any less of an operator if you don't.

Software

Version 4 is here, with added ease of use and new features such as being able to record a session to a WAV file. Session settings are now remembered whenever the software is closed and reloaded at startup. The Farnsworth user interface has been simplified and the granularity of steps reduce. User definable Morse characters have been added and finally, rig control is now available using RTS or DTR so that you can provide over-the-air training.

This time the download is a ZIP file. Open the downloaded file with WinZip and simply double click on Setup.EXE to install the new version.

Download Version 6

W1AW Schedule

Scheduled Transmissions

W1AW transmits on-the-air code practice and bulletins of interest to hams. The bulletins are also available via email and on the Web.

Transmission Schedule

W1AW's schedule is at the same local time throughout the year. The schedule according to your local time will change if your local time does not have seasonal adjustments that are made at the same time as North American time changes between standard time and daylight time. From the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October, UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) = Eastern Time + 4 hours. For the rest of the year, UTC = Eastern Time + 5 hours.

Morse Code Transmissions

Frequencies are 1.818, 3.5815, 7.0475, 14.0475, 18.0975, 21.0675, 28.0675 and 147.555 MHz.

Slow Code = practice sent at 5, 7-1/2, 10, 13 and 15 words per minute (wpm).

Fast Code = practice sent at 35, 30, 25, 20, 15, 13 and 10 wpm.

Code practice text is from the pages of QST magazine, the League's membership journal. The source is given at the beginning of each practice session and alternate speeds within each session. For example, "Text is from July 1992 QST, pages 9 and 81," indicates that the practice session's plain text is from the article on page 9 and its mixed number/letter groups are from page 81.

Code bulletins are sent at 18 wpm.

CW frequencies include code practices, Qualifying Runs and CW bulletins.

World Wide Web: You can also find W1AW code practice here on ARRLWeb, in MP3 format. Other resources can be found on the ARRLWeb Learn CW page.

W1AW Qualifying Runs are sent on the same frequencies as the Morse code transmissions. West Coast qualifying runs are transmitted on approximately 3.590 MHz K6YR. At the beginning of each code practice session, the schedule for the next qualifying run is presented. Underline one minute of the highest speed you copied, certify that your copy was made without aid, and send it to ARRL for grading. Please include your name, call sign (if any) and complete mailing address. Send a 9 × 12 inch self-addresssed, stamped envelope (SASE) for a certificate, or a business-size SASE for an endorsement.

Teleprinter Transmissions

Frequencies are 3.625, 7.095, 14.095, 18.1025, 21.095, 28.095 and 147.555 MHz.

Bulletins are sent at 45.45-baud Baudot and 100-baud AMTOR, FEC Mode B, 110-baud ASCII will be sent only as time allows.

Keplerian elements for many amateur satellites will be sent on the regular teleprinter frequencies on Tuesdays and Fridays at 6:30 PM Eastern Time.

Voice Transmissions

Frequencies are 1.855, 3.99, 7.29, 14.29, 18.16, 21.39, 28.59 and 147.555 MHz.

Miscellaneous

A DX bulletin replaces or is added to the regular bulletins between 8 P.M. Eastern time Thursdays and 8 P.M. Eastern time Fridays.

ARRL Headquarters and W1AW are closed on New Year's Day; Presidents' Day; Good Friday, Memorial Day; Independence Day; Labor Day; Thanksgiving and the following Friday; and Christmas Day.

In a communications emergency, monitor W1AW for special bulletins as follows: voice on the hour, teleprinter at 15 minutes past the hour, and CW on the half hour.

Qualifying Run Schedule