I need some recordings of CW / Morse code for use in a project. Most of what I find is either nonsense (it just exists for the 'sound of CW', but doesn't contain a message) or is generated by a computer. Where can I find some audio of real CW operators? I've been scanning the HF bands but have only found beacons, which are obviously computer controlled.
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asked Jul 31, 2014 at 17:25
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4$\begingroup$ Go to websdr.org, pick a server and go to band used for Morse code. After that, do your recording. It's as simple as that. $\endgroup$– AndrejaKoJul 31, 2014 at 21:21
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6 Answers
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Try to find the allocated amateur radio band plans for your country. You will notice that there are reserved sections of the band plan that are for CW only. Usually they are in the first few kHz (i.e. lowest frequency) for the band you're interested in. For instance, in Australia the CW portions for common HF bands are:
band ~freq CW portion
160m 1.8MHz 1810 - 1840
80m 3.5MHz 3500 - 3535
40m 7MHz 7000 - 7030
20m 14MHz 14000 - 14070
15m 21MHz 21000 - 21070
10m 28MHz 28000 - 28200
(These could all differ a bit from country to country)
(Australian band plan for 40 metre band) Source: http://www.wia.org.au/
Then, using the websdr page as AndrejaKo suggested you should be able to tune in to some CW and hear live what is being transmitted.
On the websdr website in a waterfall display, CW appears as a thin, interrupted line, like the one below..
Alternatively (and similar to websdr), you can now also visit http://kiwisdr.com/public/ There, many stations have been brought online using OpenWebRX and a BeagleBone Black shield called KiwiSDR.
I should add that nowadays many people prefer an electronic 'keyer', a microcontroller-based device that corrects slight timing issues otherwise heard when using straight keys. If you're looking for hand-generated (straight key) CW transmissions you may have a hard time finding any these days.
Alternatively.. Learn the Code! For most people it's not too hard to learn how to send Morse. A simple 1kHz sine generator (kit) with a home-built key and a CW decoding program is all you need to get started.
Now, audibly READING the code... That's a different story.. :-)
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$\begingroup$ Thank you. Would you speculate as to what percentage of users use a computer assisted key? Is it pretty ubiquitous now? $\endgroup$ Aug 1, 2014 at 8:06
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2$\begingroup$ @horse hair I'd say more than 80% would be using a keyer and paddle these days. Either for contesting or casual QSO's. I'm sure most would still have a straight key somewhere in a drawer but once you master the straight key there are several benefits to using a paddle over key (minimising carpal tunnel syndrome being one of them). You may increase your chance of finding straight key morse on the radio during CW Learner/Practice nets. Where? Hmmm... yes.. $\endgroup$– captchaAug 1, 2014 at 8:33
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$\begingroup$ Than you captcha. That's really good info for me. $\endgroup$ Aug 1, 2014 at 14:12
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$\begingroup$ Learning the code is irrelevant for my purpose. I am interested in statistical properties of cw as used by hams. I have created software to generate such stats. A noobie will have different stat behavior tjan most seasoned operators. $\endgroup$ Aug 2, 2014 at 10:43
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Wait for a Straight Key Night (http://www.arrl.org/straight-key-night) to record from the CW portion of HF bands.
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Another source of hand-keyed CW is the SKCC ( http://www.skccgroup.com ) 40m calling frequency at 7.050 MHz where you can hear code from straight keys most evenings (US). There is even more activity during their monthly sprints starting at 0000 UTC the fourth Wednesday of each month (Tuesday evening the US).
Regarding CW analysis, you might be interested in the thread which roughly starts here http://ag1le.blogspot.com/2013/01/towards-bayesian-morse-decoder.html . It goes on for over a year but contains excellent insights in several aspects if CW timing, noise reduction and decoding techniques.
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1$\begingroup$ Also: The SKCC Sked page is where SKCC ops advertise frequencies that they are working. Someone posts a frequency, you go listen there. $\endgroup$ Jan 23, 2015 at 21:00
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1$\begingroup$ Be mindful that "straight-key" includes all variations of mechanical speed keys, side-swipers, Vibroplex-like, and so on. If you hear Morse (aka CW) that is 10 to 15 wpm or under, then it is likely (though not always) that it is a regular old-fashioned straight key. But, a lot of SKCC members, especially during sprints, will use a mechanical speed key. $\endgroup$– K7PEHMay 5, 2018 at 16:46
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There are some recordings here of ships and coast stations from the 'olden days' http://coastradio.info/recordings.html
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$\begingroup$ In a similar vein, there's the David H. Smith collection, an undated collection of amateur and ship-to-shore recordings. There's also the N1EA collection, with some overlap but occasionally better metadata $\endgroup$– scrussMay 5, 2018 at 15:06
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Have a look here:
http://www.vlf.it/parmigiani/saq_eng.htm (look for 'Example')
and do a search on youtube for transmissions of the SAQ transmitter, which is an antique VLF transmitter (17.2 kHz!). Several times each year, they crank up the transmitter, and send a test message. Many people are always listening, and frequently publish the reception reports on youtube or dedicated mailing lists.
Appropiately, the transmitter is operated with a manual keyer! Here's an example of a longer message:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMNIpW94IE4
You could probably contact the author for the complete recording too.
Another edit - just found a PDF with the description of the transmitter - yes! it's electromechanical!
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Using WebSDR, you can find people making their receivers and antennas available on the Internet. This avoids any problems your setup might have. You can find live CW QSOs, listen in and even record if you wish.
