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If you are reading this blog, follow me on social media or follow weather at all you likely know what WX means and stands for. Social media has kinda made WX go mainstream after being mainly confined to weather geeks, ham radio operators, news people and military members. You have likely seen my name wxbrad or hashtags like #cltwx #ncwx and #scwx, if you spend anytime on-line.

If you don’t already know WX is morse code shorthand for the word weather. So it is commonly used as the abbreviation for the word weather.

Brief history lesson here: In 1836, Samuel Morse(pictured left) demonstrated the ability of a telegraph system to transmit information over wires. The information was sent as a series of electrical signals. Short signals are referred to as dits (represented as dots). Long signals are referred to as dahs (represented as dashes). With the advent of radio communications, an international version of Morse code became widely used. Back when the only form of communication was the telegraph and radio. People used morse code and they used lots of shorthand or abbreviations.

Kinda like today’s texting when people use BRB, LOL or the countless other texting and chat shorthand. To save time and characters, telegraph operators would use shorter versions of full words. Imagine trying to wait for whole sentences when each morse code character looks like this in morse code.

So in many ways our modern social media, chat and texting has kinda created a whole new version of shorthand similar to when morse code and the telegraph became the first long-range form of communication. Today morse code and it’s shorthand are still used in the military and among many amateur radio operators.

Even though, not many people use morse code the abbreviation stuck. So WX means weather and my Twitter name and blog are wxbrad which really is shorthand for Weather Brad.

Commonly used morse code shorthand or abbreviations.

AA – All after

AB – All before

ABT – About

ADEE – Addressee

ADR – Address

AGN – Again

AM – Amplitude Modulation

ANT – Antenna

BCI – Broadcast Interference

BCL – Broadcast Listener

BCNU – Be seeing you

BK – Break, Break in

BN – All between; Been

BT – Separation (break) between addr & text; between txt & signature

BTR – Better

BUG – Semi-Automatic key

B4 – Before

C – Yes, Correct

CFM – Confirm; I confirm

CK – Ckeck

CKT – Circuit

CL – I am closing my station; Call

CLBK – Callbook

CLD – Called

CLG – Calling

CNT – Can’t

CONDX – Conditions

CQ – Calling any station

CU – See You

CUL – See You later

CUM – Come

CW – Continuous wave

DA – Day

DE – From, This Is

DIFF – Difference

DLD – Delivered

DLVD – Delivered

DN – Down

DR – Dear

EL – Element

ES – AndDX – Distance

ES – And FB – Fine Business, excellent

FER – For

FM – Frequency Modulation: From

GA – Go ahead; Good Afternoon

GB – Good bye, God Bless

GD – Good

GE – Good Evening

GESS – Guess

GG – Going

GM – Good morning

GN – Good night

GND – Ground

GUD – Good

GV – Give

GVG – Giving

HH – Error in sending

HI – The telegraph laugh; High

HPE – Hope

HQ – Headquarters

HR – Here; Hear

HV – Have

HW – How, How Copy?

IMI – Repeat, Say Again

INFO – Info

LID – A poor operator

LNG – Long

LTR – Later; letter

LV – Leave

LVG – Leaving

MA – Millamperes

MILL – Typewiter

MILS – Millamperes

MSG – Message; Prefix to radiogram

N – No, Negative, Incorrect, No More

NCS – Net Control Station

ND – Nothing Doing NIL – Nothing; I have nothing for you

NM – No more

NR – Number

NW – Now; I resume transmission OB – Old boy

OC – Old chap

OM – Old man

OP – Operator

OPR – Operator

OT – Old timer; Old top

PBL – Preamble

PKG – Package

PSE – Please

PT – Point

PWR – Power

PX – Press

R – Received as transmitted; Are; Decimal Point

RC – Ragchew

RCD – Received

RCVR – Receiver

RE – Concerning; Regarding

REF – Refer to; Referring to; Reference

RFI – Radio frequency interference

RIG – Station equipment

RPT – Repeat, Report

RTTY – Radio teletype

RST – Readability, strength, tone

RX – Receive, Receiver

SASE – Self-addressed, stamped envelope

SED – Said

SEZ – Says

SGD – Signed

SIG – Signature; Signal

SINE – Operator’s personal initials or nickname

SKED – Schedule

SRI – Sorry

SS – Sweepstakes

SSB – Single Side Band

STN – Station

SUM – Some

SVC – Service; Prefix to service message

T – Zero

TFC – Traffic

TMW – Tomorrow

TKS – Thanks

TNX – Thanks

TR – Transmit

T/R – Transmit/Receive

TRIX – Tricks

TT – That

TTS – That is

TU – Thank you

TVI – Television interference

TX – Transmitter; Transmit

TXT – Text

U – You

UR – Your; You’re

URS – Yours

VFB – Very fune business

VFO – Variable Frequency Oscillator

VY – Very

W – Watts

WA – Word after

WB – Word before

WD – Word

WDS – Words

WID – With

WKD – Worked

WKG – Working

WL – Well; Will

WPM – Words Per Minute

WRD – Word

WUD – Would

WX- Weather

XCVR – Transceiver

XMTR – Transmitter

XTAL – Crystal

XYL – Wife

YL – Young lady

YR – Year

30 – I have no more to send

73 – Best Regards

88 – Love and kisses

161 – 73+88=161