A simple CW transmitter and receiver uses continuous wave radio signals to transmit and receive information. It consists of an RF amplifier, detector, and audio amplifier. Transmission is achieved by switching the RF signal on and off using a process called "keying". The detector stage mixes the received RF signal with a local oscillator signal to extract information. This simple design can be used for applications like CW radar to detect objects by transmitting and receiving bounced signals and applying the Doppler effect to determine object properties.