Ch in Morse code

Ch, the letter pair CH, sent as one character, is dash dash dash dash in Morse code, said “dah-dah-dah-dah”. It is a national extension used in German, Czech and Slovak, not part of the ITU standard. It lasts 15 units, which is 900 ms at 20 WPM.

Will the other station understand it?

Only if they expect it. Ch is not in the ITU standard; it is a national extension, understood mainly between operators who share one of these languages.

Other national tables give the same code, ----, to Š and Ĥ. The letter it means depends on the language of the message.

When you are not sure, send CH (C then H) instead. Every operator can copy that.

Ch on a timing ruler

How to remember Ch

Ch is O with one more dash on the end.
---- reads the same forwards and backwards.
Say it as “dah-dah-dah-dah” and learn the rhythm rather than counting.

Characters that sound like Ch

These standard characters are one step away from Ch, so they are the likeliest mix-ups.

Can you hear the difference?

Listen, then pick the one you heard.

Ch on the air

Czech and Slovak treat CH as a single letter of the alphabet, and German Morse gave it one code because it is so frequent.
Four dashes is also the easiest way to tell it apart: no letter in the ITU alphabet has four dashes.

Ch at a glance

Morse code: ----
Sounds like: dah-dah-dah-dah
Length: 15 units
ITU standard: No
Safe fallback: CH (C then H)
Used in: German, Czech and Slovak

Sources: ITU-R M.1677-1, the International Morse code standard (É). Other codes follow the national tables in common use; shared codes and fallbacks reflect on-air practice.

Hear Ch at your speed