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Learning Morse Code

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Jim Danehy

Learning Morse Code

Everyone has an opinion on how to learn Morse Code. My skill with CW probably comes from longevity. Closing in on 70 years of using Morse Code. Certainly mostly hit and miss. I once wrote here that I could copy quite fast. Then the posts of bragging. That was not my intention. Credibility counts. You establish that with facts.

We all start with a blank sheet. We learned to talk as babies. That takes a good year plus. There really is no difference between learning to decode speech and CW. They both are sounds. They both are methods of communication. Reflect on that for just a moment or two.

Converting sound ! When I hear 2 people conversing in a language that I do not know it is just sound. That also occurs when CW is heard by someone who does not know CW.

A baby does not learn to read for about 5 years after they learn to converse in a language. That is why I do not recommend using sight to learn CW. You may disagree.

I can not recall how long ago it was but I do not write down CW. I do not write down my conversations in spoken language.

Most people learn CW at slow speeds. They need to write so that they can retain what the sender is attempting to communicate. At 5 wpm you would lose the flow of the attempted conversation unless you made notes.

So writing is OK at slower speeds. The goal is to increase your speed to a point where you do not lose what the conversation is about. That occurs differently for all of us. I would opine that above 20 wpm you should wean yourself off of writing down what you are hearing.

The ARRL has archived their Code Practice files that have been sent over the air. They start at 5 wpm. The increase in 5 words per minute I recall. They go up to 40 wpm too. They are archived in MP3 format. They also have a companion text file. Check their website.

It took me a long time to reach where I find myself today. In the 1st paragraph I wrote 70 years. Yes I am going to be 82. All I use is CW. I have software that allows me to convert text to CW. I have a library of MP 3 files that start at 40 and go up to 60. I practice several times a month. At QRQ Speeds you learn to copy entire words.
Most can not copy QRQ but that is just a fact. It takes practice. I believe using the ARRL archives a normal Ham should be able to reach copying 20 wpm in a few months. Get rid of the pencil and paper at some point. You don’t converse with others writing down what you hear from someone. If a baby can learn to talk in a year you can do CW at 20 in a year.

Just do it

73
Jim W9VNE/VA3VNE

Sent from my iPhone
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Tom McCulloch

Re: Learning Morse Code

I agree, we all learn by the method our Elmer taught us. Mine was the
A,W,J method at 5 WPM.

I've been a CW guys almost exclusively and found 15 wpm to be my
personal comfort zone...However I have a question for those higher speed
guys out there. At what speed would you say you start hearing complete
words rather than the individual letters and as a result you could
pretty much copy in your head (Jim said he doesn't write anything over
20 WPM). To me that's aweome (also unachievable..hi)

Thanks

Tom WB2QDG

K2 # 1103 (I think)

On 12/28/2019 12:08 PM, Jim Danehy wrote:

> Everyone has an opinion on how to learn Morse Code. My skill with CW probably comes from longevity. Closing in on 70 years of using Morse Code. Certainly mostly hit and miss. I once wrote here that I could copy quite fast. Then the posts of bragging. That was not my intention. Credibility counts. You establish that with facts.
>
> We all start with a blank sheet. We learned to talk as babies. That takes a good year plus. There really is no difference between learning to decode speech and CW. They both are sounds. They both are methods of communication. Reflect on that for just a moment or two.
>
> Converting sound ! When I hear 2 people conversing in a language that I do not know it is just sound. That also occurs when CW is heard by someone who does not know CW.
>
> A baby does not learn to read for about 5 years after they learn to converse in a language. That is why I do not recommend using sight to learn CW. You may disagree.
>
> I can not recall how long ago it was but I do not write down CW. I do not write down my conversations in spoken language.
>
> Most people learn CW at slow speeds. They need to write so that they can retain what the sender is attempting to communicate. At 5 wpm you would lose the flow of the attempted conversation unless you made notes.
>
> So writing is OK at slower speeds. The goal is to increase your speed to a point where you do not lose what the conversation is about. That occurs differently for all of us. I would opine that above 20 wpm you should wean yourself off of writing down what you are hearing.
>
> The ARRL has archived their Code Practice files that have been sent over the air. They start at 5 wpm. The increase in 5 words per minute I recall. They go up to 40 wpm too. They are archived in MP3 format. They also have a companion text file. Check their website.
>
> It took me a long time to reach where I find myself today. In the 1st paragraph I wrote 70 years. Yes I am going to be 82. All I use is CW. I have software that allows me to convert text to CW. I have a library of MP 3 files that start at 40 and go up to 60. I practice several times a month. At QRQ Speeds you learn to copy entire words.
> Most can not copy QRQ but that is just a fact. It takes practice. I believe using the ARRL archives a normal Ham should be able to reach copying 20 wpm in a few months. Get rid of the pencil and paper at some point. You don’t converse with others writing down what you hear from someone. If a baby can learn to talk in a year you can do CW at 20 in a year.
>
> Just do it
>
> 73
> Jim W9VNE/VA3VNE
>
> Sent from my iPhone
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to [hidden email]

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David Bunte

Re: Learning Morse Code

Tom -

I can't handle the higher speeds at which Jim is comfortable, but his
suggestions are excellent. I think I stopped writing down stuff by the time
I approached 15 wpm... except, of course Callsigns, names and QTH because I
wanted those in my log... sometimes I will make other notes in the log to
recall in future QSOs. By the time I got to 20 WPM I had to look for a
paper and pencil if I wanted to write something down... as I put all the
other stuff right into my logging program.

Just getting on the air and making QSOs has helped my speed more than
anything else. Finding someone with whom to chew the rag... not only helps
code speed, I think it makes the hobby even more enjoyable.

Best of luck es 73 de Dave - K9FN

On Sat, Dec 28, 2019 at 11:26 PM Tom McCulloch <[hidden email]> wrote:

> I agree, we all learn by the method our Elmer taught us. Mine was the
> A,W,J method at 5 WPM.
>
> I've been a CW guys almost exclusively and found 15 wpm to be my
> personal comfort zone...However I have a question for those higher speed
> guys out there. At what speed would you say you start hearing complete
> words rather than the individual letters and as a result you could
> pretty much copy in your head (Jim said he doesn't write anything over
> 20 WPM). To me that's aweome (also unachievable..hi)
>
> Thanks
>
> Tom WB2QDG
>
> K2 # 1103 (I think)
>
> On 12/28/2019 12:08 PM, Jim Danehy wrote:
> > Everyone has an opinion on how to learn Morse Code. My skill with CW
> probably comes from longevity. Closing in on 70 years of using Morse Code.
> Certainly mostly hit and miss. I once wrote here that I could copy quite
> fast. Then the posts of bragging. That was not my intention. Credibility
> counts. You establish that with facts.
> >
> > We all start with a blank sheet. We learned to talk as babies. That
> takes a good year plus. There really is no difference between learning to
> decode speech and CW. They both are sounds. They both are methods of
> communication. Reflect on that for just a moment or two.
> >
> > Converting sound ! When I hear 2 people conversing in a language that I
> do not know it is just sound. That also occurs when CW is heard by someone
> who does not know CW.
> >
> > A baby does not learn to read for about 5 years after they learn to
> converse in a language. That is why I do not recommend using sight to learn
> CW. You may disagree.
> >
> > I can not recall how long ago it was but I do not write down CW. I do
> not write down my conversations in spoken language.
> >
> > Most people learn CW at slow speeds. They need to write so that they can
> retain what the sender is attempting to communicate. At 5 wpm you would
> lose the flow of the attempted conversation unless you made notes.
> >
> > So writing is OK at slower speeds. The goal is to increase your speed to
> a point where you do not lose what the conversation is about. That occurs
> differently for all of us. I would opine that above 20 wpm you should wean
> yourself off of writing down what you are hearing.
> >
> > The ARRL has archived their Code Practice files that have been sent
> over the air. They start at 5 wpm. The increase in 5 words per minute I
> recall. They go up to 40 wpm too. They are archived in MP3 format. They
> also have a companion text file. Check their website.
> >
> > It took me a long time to reach where I find myself today. In the 1st
> paragraph I wrote 70 years. Yes I am going to be 82. All I use is CW. I
> have software that allows me to convert text to CW. I have a library of MP
> 3 files that start at 40 and go up to 60. I practice several times a month.
> At QRQ Speeds you learn to copy entire words.
> > Most can not copy QRQ but that is just a fact. It takes practice. I
> believe using the ARRL archives a normal Ham should be able to reach
> copying 20 wpm in a few months. Get rid of the pencil and paper at some
> point. You don’t converse with others writing down what you hear from
> someone. If a baby can learn to talk in a year you can do CW at 20 in a
> year.
> >
> > Just do it
> >
> > 73
> > Jim W9VNE/VA3VNE
> >
> > Sent from my iPhone
> > ______________________________________________________________
> > Elecraft mailing list
> > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> > Post: mailto:[hidden email]
> >
> > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> > Message delivered to [hidden email]
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to [hidden email]

Jim Brown-10

Re: Learning Morse Code

On 12/28/2019 8:45 PM, David Bunte wrote:
> Just getting on the air and making QSOs has helped my speed more than
> anything else.

CW contesting is also great for building CW copying skills.

73, Jim K9YC
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Barry

Re: Learning Morse Code

Jim Brown-10 wrote
> CW contesting is also great for building CW copying skills.
>
> 73, Jim K9YC

Yup. Like the old joke, "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?" Practice!

I also suspect age has a lot to do with it. I was licensed at 12. Upgraded
at 13, but couldn't afford a SSB radio for 2-3 years, so did CW only. Found
the QRQ guys (in the early 70s) at the low end of 40 CW and programs were
available, I found I hit a wall at ~100 WPM, despite practice. Other than
contesting, I really haven't been active for the last 5-10 years and my
speed has significantly dropped.

Barry W2UP

--
Sent from: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/
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Charlie T, K3ICH

Re: Learning Morse Code

For some interesting reading on age related hearing/comprehension, search
for:

"Phonemic Regression Syndrome" (NOT a joke !)

A quote from one of the pages:" In a "nutshell, these impairments are
certainly characteristic of a central auditory processing disorder. We've
all heard the term "phonemic regression" defined as a disproportionate
inability to understand what others are saying when compared to the
individual's degree of hearing loss."

Typically, an audiologist at your favorite hearing center can test you for
this.
It's quite depressing to consider this coming on.

It basically affects audible speech, but MAY affect Morse copy as well.

73, Charlie k3ICH

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email] <[hidden email]> On
Behalf Of Barry
Sent: Sunday, December 29, 2019 8:06 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Learning Morse Code

Jim Brown-10 wrote
> CW contesting is also great for building CW copying skills.
>
> 73, Jim K9YC

Yup. Like the old joke, "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?" Practice!

I also suspect age has a lot to do with it. I was licensed at 12. Upgraded
at 13, but couldn't afford a SSB radio for 2-3 years, so did CW only. Found
the QRQ guys (in the early 70s) at the low end of 40 CW and programs were
available, I found I hit a wall at ~100 WPM, despite practice. Other than
contesting, I really haven't been active for the last 5-10 years and my
speed has significantly dropped.

Barry W2UP

--
Sent from: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/
______________________________________________________________
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delivered to [hidden email]

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k6dgw

Re: Learning Morse Code

In reply to this post by Tom McCulloch

I'm fairly certain it's an individual thing. In head copy, it starts to
sound like reading somewhere around 25 for me. If I'm making record
copy on a mill or keyboard at around 25-30, I'm not really aware of
anything I am copying. It seems to be a direct connection between ears
and fingers, and I cannot tell you afterwards what I copied. In my very
brief 10 months as the "station kid" at a coastal marine station in the
mid-50's, the Company tried to enforce an 18-20 WPM speed limit while in
traffic, they believed that was the sweet spot in terms of overall
throughput [circuit chatter usually ran faster].

Ted McElroy [SK] held [and may still hold] the record set in the 30's I
think, at 76 WPM with text taken from a newspaper. That he set the
record is certain although some have said he may have had the chance to
see the paper ahead of time. He also won typing contests which were
popular at the time. What may be apocryphal is a rendition that the
code began, he poured a cup of coffee and lit a cigarette, finally
sitting down and starting to copy maybe 5 mins later, and continued
typing for several minutes after the code stopped.

Code groups are said to be much harder than plain text ... the 2nd
Telegraph in the 50's was 20 plain text and 16 groups. For some reason,
I find groups easier and less work, no idea why. And, after close to 70
years with Morse, I agree with Tom ... there are lots of ways to learn
the code with varying efficiency for different people but they all work.

73,
Fred ["Skip"] K6DGW
Sparks NV DM09dn
Washoe County
K2 #4398
K3 #642
ex KX1 #697

On 12/28/2019 8:25 PM, Tom McCulloch wrote: