[CQ-Contest] Learning Morse

[Clive Whelan]

Rusty

What you're missing here is what K5ZD pointed up in a slightly different 
context recently, viz Practice, Practice and lastly Practice.

I was licenced in the radio bronze age and fancy things like Koch and CW 
trainers wouldn't be invented for another 20 or 30 years. I didn't 
realise that I was chronologically challenged, so I just got on the air 
and made some real live QSOs outside of contests ( didn't even know they 
existed then). Funny thing is that I didn't realise I was practising 
because I was having so much fun! By the time I realised what was 
happening to me I could hold my own in a contest I stumbled upon. Of 
course in the radio bronze age ( ca. 1960) even the best contest ops. 
only sent on bugs, so I didn't need any more than 25wpm. Funny thing is, 
by the time electronic keys were used ( early to mid sixties) I cold 
copy those as well, and then even later computer sending at 35wpm +  
wasn't a problem. This all happened by practising.

I don't know how effective Koch and the like are, as I never used them, 
but what I can say is that whatever method you use will not succeed 
unless you practise. Another way of putting this is that there are no 
free lunches.


73


Clive
GW3NJW

Russell Hill wrote:
> Hello, All:
>
> I have been unable to get past 15 or 16 WPM.  I can't hand print fast 
> enough, and trying to type without error which would create busted calls 
> hasn't been any faster.
>
> Copying in my head is a little better, but I can't get the characters into a 
> log any faster.
>
> It seems to me that copying in my head is not much use in a contest, since 
> it all has to get from my ear to the paper to count.
>
> What am I missing here?
>
> Thanks and 73.
> Rusty, NA5TR
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Chris Kantarjiev" <cak at dimebank.com>
> To: <cq-contest at contesting.com>
> Sent: Monday, November 10, 2008 2:49 AM
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Learning Morse
>
>
>   
>> I used the G4FON software to learn Morse a few years back (I got
>> my General when the 5WPM test was still a requirement). I
>> wrote up my experiences here:
>>
>> http://www.dimebank.com/cak/k6dbg/k6dbg_cw.html
>>
>> The recommendation at the time was to start at 20/15 - 20WPM symbol
>> speed, 15WPM character speed. I found that frustrating while
>> learning the alphabet, and dropped back to 20/7.
>>
>> I wouldn't recommend that you do that. It got me past the test,
>> it got me on the air, but it took me a long time to get to be
>> functional at 20WPM on the air; the "mental spacing" provided by
>> the 7WPM character speed left me lots of time to build the
>> dreaded "lookup table" in my brain. I recognize the symbols at
>> higher speeds, but I can't necessarily make them make sense.
>>
>> Since you're interested in doing this for contesting, I'd say that you
>> should start at 25/25 and just keep at it until you make progress.
>> Don't write by hand, but instead keyboard while copying.
>>
>> Once you're comfortable with the alphabet, work on head copy.
>>
>> And, by all means, get on the air. That's where the real learning happens.
>>
>> 73 de chris K6DBG
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>>
>>     
>
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