If you want to experience the thrill of operating HF radio and making friends around the world on the air then you need to know the five words. In the United States the General class license is the minimum requirement for an amateur to have HF privileges. Under the current regulations a candidate must demonstrate a proficiency in Morse code at the rate of five words per minute as part of the requirement to obtain a General class license.

Hi speed CW operators use electronic keyers or mechanical "bugs" like this Vibroplex model.

But how proficient does this candidate need to be? Not everyone wants to be a high speed CW operator. A lot of hams don't even care to use CW at all after they pass their exam. This is a personal choice and one that should be respected. That is why there are 31 flavors of ice cream. However, if a ham wants HF privileges then he or she needs to pass the 5 wpm code test. This is why they have to know the correct five words.

Follow The Bouncing Ball

The Element 1, CW exam follows a specific format much like that of a QSO heard on the air. So it is best if the candidate practices copying the code in this format rather than code groups or clear text. Being familiar with the way the information is being sent makes copying it easier. This is similar to the way that traffic handlers use radiograms or contesters become familiar with the exchange format used in a particular contest. Knowing how this information will be coming at you will make you feel comfortable during the exam and increase your opportunity for success.

Know The Code

First one needs to learn the code. Learning the basic CW rhythms for each character is not much different than learning a nursery rhyme. dah-di-dah-dit dah-dah-di-dah Say it. Hear the rhythm? That is Morse code for the letters C Q. It should take but a few hours in a week to pick up the code rhythms for the twenty six letters of the alphabet, ten numbers and some punctuation.

The best way to learn the code is using the Farnsworth method. This method sends the characters at a faster speed but leaves a longer space in between characters that equates to five words per minute. After learning to recognize the characters at this higher speed, proficiency increases by simply shortening the space between characters.

Learn the basic 26 letters, 10 numbers, three punctuation marks (period, comma, and question mark) and don't forget the slash bar because it will be part of the exam. Next learn the procedural signs AR, BT and SK because these will be on the exam as well.

A Little Help, Please

If you have a mentor that is proficient in CW and can help you this is great. A good mentor will not only be your teacher and coach but this person should also be your cheerleader to motivate you to keep going should you get discouraged.

Although your mentor may provide you with motivation and inspiration, it is still up to you to have the discipline to accomplish the goal. Develop a schedule and stick to it. Twenty minute each day is a good approach. Don't get discouraged and don't skip a day. Remember the reward at the end and stay focused.

Even if you have a mentor who will take time to send code to you, you are still going to need some materials to assist you in learning the code and to send you practice text.

There are many free Morse code programs available for your computer. A list of these programs and other resources can be found on the ARRL Web site.

With the help of a good tutor and a program like Ham University

or Morse Academy, a motivated individual should be prepared for to pass the Element 1 exam in a relatively short period of time.

In addition to CD's and tapes, the ARRL also provides on-air code practice daily from the Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial StationW1AW.

Two Ways To Cross The Finish Line

There are two ways to pass the Element 1 Morse code exam. One way is to get one minute of solid copy. At 5 wpm this equates to copying 25 characters in a row correctly. Numbers, punctuation and procedural signs count as two characters. Assuming that this is part of the text that is sent and you copy "my antenna is a yagi up 41 feet" then you passed. This sentence has 25 characters in it. The 25 word count can begin anywhere in the copy, even in the middle of a word, and as long as you have 25 characters in a row correct then that qualifies as passing.

Basic key used to send Morse code.

If you don't copy 25 characters in a row correctly you may have copied enough information to answer some questions about the QSO. A passing score would be 70% or 7 out of 10 questions answered correctly.

Don't leave any blank answers. A blank answer is a definite wrong answer but an educated guess has a chance of being correct.

Decipher Your Copy

Be sure to examine your copy thoroughly. Often during the exam people get nervous and will write letters close together and may not be able to recognize a word. You may have copied enough of a word to be able to figure out the message. If you copy Y A_ _ _ it would be a good guess that the operator's rig was a Yaesu or the location is Jacksonville if the copy read J _ C K _ _ _ I L L E.

As we said earlier, the exam is given in QSO format. Following this format the station callsigns will be given twice during the QSO, once at the beginning and once at the end. This means that you two opportunities to copy this information. If you miss it in front then you can get it on the back end.

There is nothing wrong with filling in the missing letters. If you missed part of a callsign at the beginning of the test use some logic. If the QTH is Illinois and you missed the number in the call then 9 would be a very good guess.

Learn to recognize the word is because there is information after it that you can use.

But What About The Five Words?

The Element 1 Morse code exam is designed to test all twenty six letters of the alphabet and 10 numerals, 0 through 9, as well as the punctuation marks period, comma, question mark and slash and prosigns AR BT SK. The slash is also called prosign DN. The test will not contain abbreviated text like ES for and or TU for thank you or other shortcuts that you would use on the air. The exam is a typical QSO that will have all of the standard information that is normally exchanged on the air.

Relax. You can do this. It's only five words.

But which five words? Okay, here are the five words that you need to know to successfully pass the exam; antenna, rig, name, location and RST. If you can copy these five words and the information that follows them in the test along with the callsigns of both stations you should be able to answer 7 out of 10 questions about the QSO in order to pass the exam.

Let's look at these five words a little closer and see how you can sharpen your skills in order to pass the exam.

Antenna. Here are some common antennas that you should learn to recognize. They are dipole, yagi, quad, longwire, zepp, beam and vertical.

Rig. Know your radios. Icom, Kenwood, Yaesu, Heath, Collins, Drake and Ten Tec are very common brands.

Name. Copy the name as you hear the letters. Don't try to guess at it after the first two letters. What you think is going to be John can easily be Jorge or Joanne.

Location. No abbreviations are used and names of US States will be spelled out.

RST will be sent as numbers and will never be spelled out, nor will it be sent in cut numbers, such as 5NN.

Why Bother To Upgrade?

Becoming a General class Amateur Radio operator does more than grant you privileges on our HF bands. Holding a General ticket also means that you are a rounded operator who understands more than the basics of electronics and radio communication. As a General, if you want to, you can qualify to be a Volunteer Examiner and be able to administer exam element 2. As a General class operator you have much more to offer when you volunteer to help out during an emergency. In general (pun intended) you are a full service Amateur Radio operator.

Many new digital modes like PSK 31, Hellschreiber, all of the TOR (Teleprinting Over Radio) FSK modes, and digital voice are available to hams today. These modes invite hams that are computer enthusiast to use their skills on the air. Having a General class license allows hams to use these modes.

Many folks are waiting to see what the FCC is going to do about license restructuring. If you plan on waiting to see what will happen then you will be missing out on a lot of fun ham radio activity. The fact is that the FCC is a government agency and their wheels turn just as slow as any other government agency.

ARRL is committed to support Affiliated Clubs in their efforts to mentor new hams. [Full Story]

If you care to roll the dice and see what happens in the future, it would be best to hedge your bet and acquire more qualifications. This way you will be prepared for any additional privileges that could possibly be granted to Amateurs who already hold higher class licenses prior to any FCC changes.

These tips are provided to ease the fears that anyone may have about passing the Element 1 CW exam. Many hams may have been thinking about upgrading and this may be the push that they needed. Hopefully for all of the Technician class operators that are motivated to learn the code and upgrade there are plenty of General class and Amateur Extra operators out there that will mentor these hams and help them get to the next level.

Good luck to all.

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