Why the name “CW QRS”? The abbreviation QRS is just an invitation to send the code slower. We know it well and certainly it is not our aim, rather a middle step for further goals. Our Group chose this name in order not to intimidate the beginner, but to catch him/her, invite to join us, introducing himself/herself to other people who share the same same passion and the same issues.
Those who joined the CW QRS Group knew that this was a place where no one would judge, mock or dismiss them, but they would have been helped to improve their skills. Thus the CW QRS Italia Group was born in 2018.
Telegram’s choice as a platform for instant messaging was immediately seen as an opportunity and in a short time, enthusiasm infected many other OMs and our members increased day by day.
On the bands, as in the Group, the number of those who wanted to learn or resume the study of Telegraphy began to grow. A large group of friends was born from a small number of people, so close that they gave the impression of having known each other for years. How magic radio and telegraphy are!
Three years have passed and now the CW QRS Italia Telegram Group is composed by over 500 members now. Without fear of appearing immodest, we can say that many operators got caught by our passion and even those who were not licensed yet.
With the passing of time, our Group is started logging a total of hundreds of QSOs per month, we even invaded the Snakes & Ladders ranking with our operators. Over time, what was a chat group to give a sked to meet on air has now turned into a very different and more differentiated reality. The growth required the filtering of the discussions, so the subgroups were set up: Main Group, Basic Course, Intermediate Group, Activity, Sked, Media, Mag Loop & HF Antennas. We created channels on Mumble VOIP platform for those who did not have the possibility to install a radio station and in this way they could practice CW.
We planned Basic Telegraphy Courses which trained new Radio Telegraphists and Intermediate Courses which were dedicated to those who, having passed the first stage of learning, had become able to perform the first QSOs.
We then moved on to videoconferencing meetings dedicated to HST (High Speed Telegraphy) with dedicated software to increase receiving (Morse Runner, RuzXp, QRQ, CWFreak) and sending (HST2006) skills. Never has the activity on the bands been neglected, indeed we can mention our first QRS Contest (only straight an manual keys allowed), in 2020.
Several times a year we arrange our Radio “Activities”, which are rag-chewing competitions lasting a couple of months each. We make trips from one end of our country to another, participating in Amateur Radio fairs to meet, know each other in flesh and bones, train, test different keys, discuss, but also to promote our aim of spreading the passion for CW. Obviously, our Facebook page could not be missing, so we created one.
Some of us were invited to participate in commemorative events that were also relevant to the world of radio and telegraphy. Our presence on the bands has become continuous and now the Group is made of members of every level of competence in sending and receiving Morse code.
From QRS to QRQ: if you look for us on the bands you will be able to meet us at 15 or 50 wpm, it only depends on the operator you have the opportunity to meet, always happy to answer your calls and happy to have a chat with you.
On CW, of course.
73 everybody and HPE CU ON AIR AR VA
Sal, ik7ukf.