Re: Copying CW at high speeds (OT to Elecraft)
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Re: Copying CW at high speeds (OT to Elecraft)
 
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Discussions of Morse copying skills are nowadays addressed to casual amateur efforts where complete and accurate hard-copy output is seldom required. Professional Morse skill was measured at the speed that the operator produced complete and accurate hard-copy. An operator who head copies at 50 wpm but hard copies at 15 wpm was a 15 wpm operator.
In the history of Morse for military and commercial service, the ONLY valuable skill was producing accurate hard-copy of both plain language text and code groups. The professional licenses for radiotelegraphy were the Third Class, Second Class, and First Class Radiotelegraph certificates. The Third and Second Class licenses required the following: PLAIN LANGUAGE (including common punctuation) - 20 wpm - Receive and send 100 consecutive characters (1 minute) without error in a 500 character (5 minute) text. CODE GROUPS (5-character groups of letters and numbers) - 16 wpm - Receive and send 80 consecutive characters (1 minute) without error in a 400 character (5 minute) text. Most candidates found that slow-speed code group receiving test to be the most difficult part. (It took me three 200-mile trips to the Kansas City FCC office to finally pass.) All those mental skills that allow an operator to decipher entire words in plain language are of no help with code groups...there's no process of "hearing code groups". There is also no possibility of reviewing copied text and context for needed obvious corrections. Although it's not required for 16 wpm, operators skilled at high speed code groups develop an automatic "unthinking" response to actuate keys on the mill/keyboard as characters are heard. The era of the professional commercial Morse operator essentially ended in July 1999 when maritime Morse operation ceased in the US. In the same era the US military banned use of Morse, even going so far as eliminating it from MARS repeater IDs. It was a great era with great operators. A dear friend of mine (Al, W5KGM) was a professional Morse operator for airlines and in WWII Atlantic merchant ship convoys from 1937 to the 1970s. He could do do everything commercial-quality at 60-wpm or better. He became a silent key at age 102 last year...there aren't many such "real" Morse professionals left. It's unfortunate that the ham bands have been since 1999 the only place that Morse radiotelegraphy may be heard for practice. Before that, the marine Morse bands (especially 400 to 520 kHz) provided far more interesting copy for development of Morse reception skill. (I usually kept a receiver on 500 kHz/600 meters at night.) Morse skill was also reinforced (at least for a while) in the Cold War for radiomen in my squadron of ballistic missile submarines on the logical consideration that if world events ever provoked missile launch, it was unlikely that normal sophisticated submarine communications networks would exist afterwards. But today...Morse is only a hobbyist's or historian's undertaking. I personally found practice at Morse reception to be far more rewarding outside the ham bands...but that option no longer exists. Mike / KK5F ______________________________________________________________ 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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See my QRZ page regarding my USC&GS ... later NOAA ... shipboard
operation. Also "hung out" at WPD, RCA's shore station on the Tampa waterfront. Op there was Al Andres (not a Ham). 73 K0PP ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Mike Morrow <[hidden email]> Date: Sun, Dec 29, 2019, 09:39 Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Copying CW at high speeds (OT to Elecraft) To: <[hidden email]> Discussions of Morse copying skills are nowadays addressed to casual amateur efforts where complete and accurate hard-copy output is seldom required. Professional Morse skill was measured at the speed that the operator produced complete and accurate hard-copy. An operator who head copies at 50 wpm but hard copies at 15 wpm was a 15 wpm operator. In the history of Morse for military and commercial service, the ONLY valuable skill was producing accurate hard-copy of both plain language text and code groups. The professional licenses for radiotelegraphy were the Third Class, Second Class, and First Class Radiotelegraph certificates. The Third and Second Class licenses required the following: PLAIN LANGUAGE (including common punctuation) - 20 wpm - Receive and send 100 consecutive characters (1 minute) without error in a 500 character (5 minute) text. CODE GROUPS (5-character groups of letters and numbers) - 16 wpm - Receive and send 80 consecutive characters (1 minute) without error in a 400 character (5 minute) text. Most candidates found that slow-speed code group receiving test to be the most difficult part. (It took me three 200-mile trips to the Kansas City FCC office to finally pass.) All those mental skills that allow an operator to decipher entire words in plain language are of no help with code groups...there's no process of "hearing code groups". There is also no possibility of reviewing copied text and context for needed obvious corrections. Although it's not required for 16 wpm, operators skilled at high speed code groups develop an automatic "unthinking" response to actuate keys on the mill/keyboard as characters are heard. The era of the professional commercial Morse operator essentially ended in July 1999 when maritime Morse operation ceased in the US. In the same era the US military banned use of Morse, even going so far as eliminating it from MARS repeater IDs. It was a great era with great operators. A dear friend of mine (Al, W5KGM) was a professional Morse operator for airlines and in WWII Atlantic merchant ship convoys from 1937 to the 1970s. He could do do everything commercial-quality at 60-wpm or better. He became a silent key at age 102 last year...there aren't many such "real" Morse professionals left. It's unfortunate that the ham bands have been since 1999 the only place that Morse radiotelegraphy may be heard for practice. Before that, the marine Morse bands (especially 400 to 520 kHz) provided far more interesting copy for development of Morse reception skill. (I usually kept a receiver on 500 kHz/600 meters at night.) Morse skill was also reinforced (at least for a while) in the Cold War for radiomen in my squadron of ballistic missile submarines on the logical consideration that if world events ever provoked missile launch, it was unlikely that normal sophisticated submarine communications networks would exist afterwards. But today...Morse is only a hobbyist's or historian's undertaking. I personally found practice at Morse reception to be far more rewarding outside the ham bands...but that option no longer exists. Mike / KK5F ______________________________________________________________ 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] |
Re: Copying CW at high speeds (OT to Elecraft)
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In reply to this post by Mike Morrow-3
On 12/29/2019 8:39 AM, Mike Morrow wrote:
> But today...Morse is only a hobbyist's or historian's undertaking. I > personally found practice at Morse reception to be far more rewarding > outside the ham bands...but that option no longer exists. Check out <www.radiomarine.org> for the schedule of operations of KPH / KFS / KSM Morse press and traffic transmissions every Saturday. 73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane Elecraft K2/100 s/n 5402 From a Clearing in the Silicon Forest Beaverton (Washington County) Oregon ______________________________________________________________ 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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I don't think they use KSM any longer. Both KPH and KFS are active and
assigned to Global HFnet LLC, and I think the museum society worked out some deal for perpetual usage of the calls and working frequencies by the museum site. At least that's what RD told me. KSM is still active in ULS assigned to MRHS. KPH also sends it's wheel on several HF working frequencies. Prior to starting manned operations from Pt. Reyes each Sat, they have KFS on 426 Kc [I think] for an hour or so of 25 WPM "Free Press" at 5 KW sent from the Bolinas TX site. Excellent source of CW practice if you can hear it. Years ago, I practiced by listening to KOK in Los Angeles which was only 10 miles or so from home and very strong. 73, Fred ["Skip"] K6DGW Sparks NV DM09dn Washoe County On 12/29/2019 2:05 PM, Phil Kane wrote: > On 12/29/2019 8:39 AM, Mike Morrow wrote: > >> But today...Morse is only a hobbyist's or historian's undertaking. I >> personally found practice at Morse reception to be far more rewarding >> outside the ham bands...but that option no longer exists. > Check out <www.radiomarine.org> for the schedule of operations of KPH / > KFS / KSM Morse press and traffic transmissions every Saturday. > > 73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane > Elecraft K2/100 s/n 5402 > ______________________________________________________________ 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] |
Re: Copying CW at high speeds (OT to Elecraft)
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In reply to this post by Mike Morrow-3
Guys,
I think all the comments are very good but would like to add this PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE... I know lots of hams that would like to learn the code but not enough to put the time in. If a person just puts in 15 or 20 minutes each day to practice, it will keep them from slipping backwards on their copying speed IMO. In today's world with phone APS it's easier and more convenient than ever. I encourage hams to at least give CW a try because it can be very rewarding. Happy New Year To All! Best 73's Bill N3WM EX Navy RM2 Vietnam Era On Sunday, December 29, 2019, 11:41:41 AM EST, Mike Morrow <[hidden email]> wrote: Discussions of Morse copying skills are nowadays addressed to casual amateur efforts where complete and accurate hard-copy output is seldom required. Professional Morse skill was measured at the speed that the operator produced complete and accurate hard-copy. An operator who head copies at 50 wpm but hard copies at 15 wpm was a 15 wpm operator. In the history of Morse for military and commercial service, the ONLY valuable skill was producing accurate hard-copy of both plain language text and code groups. The professional licenses for radiotelegraphy were the Third Class, Second Class, and First Class Radiotelegraph certificates. The Third and Second Class licenses required the following: PLAIN LANGUAGE (including common punctuation) - 20 wpm - Receive and send 100 consecutive characters (1 minute) without error in a 500 character (5 minute) text. CODE GROUPS (5-character groups of letters and numbers) - 16 wpm - Receive and send 80 consecutive characters (1 minute) without error in a 400 character (5 minute) text. Most candidates found that slow-speed code group receiving test to be the most difficult part. (It took me three 200-mile trips to the Kansas City FCC office to finally pass.) All those mental skills that allow an operator to decipher entire words in plain language are of no help with code groups...there's no process of "hearing code groups". There is also no possibility of reviewing copied text and context for needed obvious corrections. Although it's not required for 16 wpm, operators skilled at high speed code groups develop an automatic "unthinking" response to actuate keys on the mill/keyboard as characters are heard. The era of the professional commercial Morse operator essentially ended in July 1999 when maritime Morse operation ceased in the US. In the same era the US military banned use of Morse, even going so far as eliminating it from MARS repeater IDs. It was a great era with great operators. A dear friend of mine (Al, W5KGM) was a professional Morse operator for airlines and in WWII Atlantic merchant ship convoys from 1937 to the 1970s. He could do do everything commercial-quality at 60-wpm or better. He became a silent key at age 102 last year...there aren't many such "real" Morse professionals left. It's unfortunate that the ham bands have been since 1999 the only place that Morse radiotelegraphy may be heard for practice. Before that, the marine Morse bands (especially 400 to 520 kHz) provided far more interesting copy for development of Morse reception skill. (I usually kept a receiver on 500 kHz/600 meters at night.) Morse skill was also reinforced (at least for a while) in the Cold War for radiomen in my squadron of ballistic missile submarines on the logical consideration that if world events ever provoked missile launch, it was unlikely that normal sophisticated submarine communications networks would exist afterwards. But today...Morse is only a hobbyist's or historian's undertaking. I personally found practice at Morse reception to be far more rewarding outside the ham bands...but that option no longer exists. Mike / KK5F ______________________________________________________________ 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] |
Re: Copying CW at high speeds (OT to Elecraft)
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Administrator
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Hi Folks,
Great thread, but we're past the single OT posting limit. Lets wind this and its related threads down now in the interest in respecting our other readers and relieving them of email overload :-) 73, Eric Moderator from time to time.. /elecraft.com/ On 12/30/2019 7:33 AM, Bill Mellema via Elecraft wrote: > Guys, > I think all the comments are very good but would like to add this PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE... > I know lots of hams that would like to learn the code but not enough to put the time in. If a person just puts in 15 or 20 minutes each day to practice, it will keep them from slipping backwards on their copying speed IMO. In today's world with phone APS it's easier and more convenient than ever. I encourage hams to at least give CW a try because it can be very rewarding. > Happy New Year To All! > Best 73's > Bill N3WM EX Navy RM2 Vietnam Era > > ______________________________________________________________ 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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