CW abbreviation · Greetings & sign-off
GM in Morse code
Standard CW greeting for morning hours.
Morse rendering
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Sent letter-by-letter with standard inter-letter gaps.
What it saves you on the air
This is the whole reason CW abbreviations exist. Sending GM instead of spelling out “Good morning” cuts 84% of the airtime — 100 dot-units of keying saved every time you send it.
| Speed | GM | “Good morning” | Saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 WPM | 1.8s | 11.0s | 9.2s |
| 20 WPM | 1.1s | 7.1s | 6.0s |
| 25 WPM | 0.9s | 5.7s | 4.8s |
Timed with standard spacing: dit 1 unit, dah 3, letter gap 3, word gap 7. Work out any other speed on the timing calculator.
Meaning
GM — Good morning
When this is used
Greeting choice tracks the operator's local time. Hams often open with the appropriate G* greeting after exchanging call signs. On long DX paths the greetings may not match (GM here, GE there).
Examples
| On the air | Plain English |
|---|---|
| GM OM TNX FER CALL | Good morning sir, thanks for the call. |
| GM ES WELCOME | Good morning and welcome. |
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