Welcome to FISTS CW Club
FISTS supports the use, preservation and education of Morse code. The club is devoted exclusively to CW operators, CW operating and people who are passionate about Morse code.
We have three straightforward goals:- Further the use of CW (Morse Code)
- Engender friendships among members
- Encourage newcomers to use CW (Morse Code)
FISTS UK is the Headquarters of the FISTS Club (International Morse Preservation Society).
Interested in becoming a member?
Find out more about our history.
Latest News:
Also available via RSS-
17 May 13: It's a pleasure to welcome our latest
members:
Shin JR7ASO #15138 Dave G4OTV #16241 Terry MW6TAB #16242 Paolo IZ8SKD #16243 Nick MM0NJC #16244 Mike M3ZZA #16245 Quentin GW3BV #16246 Badger M6BRZ #16247 Dave GM4NFI #16248 Alan G7VNM #16249 -
16 May 13: We have been contacted to ask if anyone has an
RAF Type D Morse key
for sale.
If you do have one available, please email details to members@fists.co.uk and we will forward the information on to the person concerned.
- 16 May 13: FISTS Europe's Exchange Your Age Week 2013 (EYAW) starts this coming Saturday 18th May 00:01 UTC and runs continuously for 7 days. FISTS members worldwide are welcome to join in. QSOs are very relaxed with (at a minimum) an exchange of name, QTH, member number and age. They can be with members and non-members on any band except for 12m, 17m, 30m, 60m and wavelengths higher than 500m; keep an ear out on and around the FISTS Frequencies. It's not necessary to submit a log afterwards, but they are very much appreciated. Even if you're not competitive, it's an excellent opportunity to come on the air and meet old friends and make new ones.
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16 May 13: The European FISTS Spring 2013 Key Note is running very much later than I had hoped.
Apologies for this. On the positive side, the Summer Key Note will follow on all the sooner after it!
73 de Graham G3ZOD -
10 May 13: This weekend (11/12 May 2013) has lots of opportunities for FISTS members.
Activities include:
Sat, 17-21 UTC: FISTS North America Spring Sprint
Sun, 14-16 UTC: FISTS Europe Ladder
Sun, 18-20 UTC: FISTS Europe Ladder
FISTS is a member of the European CW Association, EUCW, so please also support:
Sat, 10-12 UTC: EUCW Fraternizing CW QSO Party
Sun, 18-20 UTC: EUCW Fraternizing CW QSO Party
(Note: the Sunday EUCW Fraternizing CW QSO Party runs concurrently with the FISTS evening Ladder and has very similar requirements for QSOs - entering both is straightforward.)
Finally, for UK VHF CW enthusiasts, it's also the annual RSGB 4m (70 MHz) CW Contest on Sunday:
Sun, 09-12 UTC: RSGB 4m CW Contest -
10 May 13: The European FISTS website
www.fists.co.uk
may be unavailable on Sunday 12th May between 11:30 & 14:30 UTC due to our hosting company performing maintenance.
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06 May 13: The fourth FISTS
International Day
activity, Europa Day, is on Thursday 9th May, 14:00-17:00 UTC (15:00-18:00 BST).
Activity is typically around 7.028 and 14.058 MHz.
The minimum exchange is RST, name, QTH and (if applicable) FISTS member number.
European FISTS Activities are relaxed events with sociable QSOs and everyone, from
those relatively new to CW to experts, is encouraged to join in.
The scoring provides most points for contacting members and non-members outside England, France, Germany, Ireland, Isle of Man, Scotland and Wales.
Log submissions are welcomed but not essential.
The free FISTS Log Converter program can be used to create log submissions for this and all other European FISTS Activities. -
02 May 13: Please join us in congratulating the following
FISTS Awards
winners:
Richard G0ILN #398 Silver Century Robert AA2SM #2434 Silver Century Rien PA7RA #9819 Millionaire 2 Million Sticker
For more information about FISTS Awards, available free to paid-up members worldwide, please see the Awards web page. -
02 May 13: The latest version (2.5.6) of the free
FISTS Log Converter
program fixes problems with creating logs for the
EUCW QRS Week
activity.
The program is available from the download page.
Many thanks to Richard G0ILN for reporting the issues and helping with testing this new version.
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29 Apr 13: It's a pleasure to welcome our latest
members:
John VK7JB #14163 Jack W2JWP #16196 Jim KK6BCU #16197 Stephen AG2J #16198 Ray AB9HT #16199 Juan EA5BLP #16232 Gerry EI4GD #16233 Svein LA6IKA #16234 Ildefonso EA5HEU #16235 David G0FKX #16236 Barry G4PCL #16237 Mario OR4K #16238 Liam G4UWP #16239 Stuart M6VGE #16240 Kent KG7CPR #16301 Joe KJ8O #16302 Tommy KC2WXP #16303 Jeff N4JSG #16304 Neil KJ4CIA #16305 Bob W0ZPE #16306 Mike W1AWG #16307 Dale K3OET #16308 George K8ZER #16309 Bruce AA5CO #16310 Bob KB0KXL #16311 Derek K3XD #16312 Norm N7JOE #16313 Sam WE5EE #16314 Jyrki AG6SN #16315 Dave KB1WOD #16316 Bob KD8UNJ #16317 - 28 Apr 13: The EUCW QRS Activity Week takes place this week 29th April - 3rd May. The maximum speed is 14 wpm. For more information and a list of recommended frequencies, please see the EUCW QRS Activity Week web page. (The FISTS Log Converter program for Windows supports creating log submissions for the QRS Activity Week.)
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26 Apr 13: The FISTS Down Under
May 2013 newsletter
is now available.
FISTS Down Under is the Australian & New Zealand Chapter of the FISTS CW Club.
- 26 Apr 13: Ladder Sunday: The next FISTS Eu Ladder sessions are on Sunday 28th April, 14:00-16:00 & 18:00-20:00 UTC. These involve relaxed, conversational QSOs. Call CQ or call other people at a speed of your own choosing. Activity is typically around 14.058, 7.028 and 3.558 MHz, and QSOs must include exchange of name, QTH and (if applicable) FISTS member number. Members worldwide are encouraged to join in.
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22 Apr 13: The third FISTS
International Day
activity, St. George's Day, is tomorrow, Tuesday 23rd April, 14:00-17:00 UTC (15:00-18:00 BST).
The minimum exchange is RST, name, QTH and (if applicable) FISTS member number.
European FISTS Activities are relaxed events with sociable QSOs and everyone, from
those relatively new to CW to experts, is encouraged to join in.
The scoring provides most points for contacting members and non-members in England.
Logs are welcomed but not essential.
The free FISTS Log Converter program can be used to create an entry for this and all other European FISTS Activities. -
22 Apr 13: Please listen out for
GB4RPI,
CW-only, 11 April - 8 May 2013 on 160m, 80m, 40m, 30m and 20m.
GB4RPI commemorates the loss on 18th June 1972 of the British European Airways owned Hawker Siddeley Trident aircraft G-ARPI and 118 passengers on a scheduled flight from Heathrow, London to Brussels. Shortly after take off the Aircraft suffered a deep stall, crashing on the outskirts of Staines. For more information, please see http://qrz.com/db/GB4RPI. Geoffrey M1EDF.
Interested in becoming a member?
FISTS HQ welcomes new members who have a passion for Morse Code.
Benefits of membership include:- Our popular Quarterly A5 News Booklet
- Free use of the FISTS QSL Bureau
- Access to our members-only area
- Help and support from like minded people
FISTS History
The FISTS Club, (International Morse Preservation Society) was founded in 1987 by the late Geo Longden G3ZQS of Darwen, Lancashire England, after recognising a need for a club in which veteran operators would help newcomers and less-experienced operators learn and improve CW proficiency. During the first year, membership reached 300, most of whom were in Great Britain and Europe. The original Introduction to FISTS by Geo holds as true today as it did when he wrote it. Geo also explains how he chose the name FISTS.
The North American Chapter was formed in 1990 to assist 11 members in the USA receive the newsletter and as a banking convenience. Nancy Kott WZ8C of Hadley, Michigan was named US representative, a position she still holds but she now handles the affairs of over 7,000 members in the Americas.
The Down Under Chapter (New Zealand / Australia) was formed in 1998 to provide a similar service to Australasian members, with Ralph Sutton ZL2AOH as the VK/ZL representative. From a VK/ZL membership of four, there are now over 100 members "Down Under", principally in New Zealand. The New Zealand membership is the largest in any country outside England, Wales and North America.
The East Asia Chapter was formed in 2004 by a few Taiwanese and Japanese members to provide East Asian members with various services in their native languages.
Worldwide, FISTS members number over 10,000 members, growing each month.
Why not join us?Acknowledgements: Thank you to Dennis K6DF, Bill NT9K and Billy AB4RH for permission to use photographs from their key collections.


