Using DM780 to decode morse

[MW3YMY]

Hi,

I'm good with morse up to about 12wpm but any faster and I get a bit lost. I was wanting a program to help me out. I've tried CWDecoder and MRP40 but as I use DM780 for PSK-31 I thought it would be nice to use it for CW as well.

I've got a US Interface Navigator as my interface box.

How can I go about getting DM780 to decode it?

Many thanks,

Matt
MW3YMY

[AG3Y]

You just click the CW button on the GUI. Is it any more complicated than that? I'm not sure where you are having a problem.

Good luck , Jim

[G7TPL]

I use MCW on DM780, TX and RX.

[MW3YMY]

Thanks for the replies.

Hmmmm.... something does seem to be going wrong.

So on the bar at the top of the waterfall, I press CW and then select WinKey from the dropdown. I subsequently successfully connect to WinKey.

I then click on a nice strong signal on the waterfall and.... nothing happens!

Where am I going wrong?

Thanks very much and gd dx!

Matt.
MW3YMY

[GW0NSR]

Are you certain that your output from the rx is getting into the comp? check that the plug is in the correct socket(s) in your comp. If the above OK, then experiment with the audio levels. Check for continuity in the leads and that the contact surfaces are clean, a quick squirt of switch cleaner might help.If all the above fail, kneel and pray!!!!! Good luck, Tony in Conwy.

[KM5QF]

my dm780.. cw is the one mode i dont use it for. it doesnt decode anything but gibberish 99 percent of the time. if i sit and copy an entire qso i may end up with one or two actual words.

are there some cw settings i need to tweak? it works fine in all other modes.

[AG3Y]

CW is one of the modes that is the most difficult for a machine to decode. The reason for this is the varying length of the elements making up the code, as well as the varying length between the spaces of the elements, the letters the elements make up, and the words the letters make up.

"CWGet" is probably one of the better programs out there for decoding CW.

Have you tried your program on the W1AW code practice and bulletin sessions? Unless there is a squelch level set wrong, you should be getting some kinds of results, even if there is a lot of "gibberish" thrown in !

Using the narrowest filters in your radio will help, and making sure that you have the indicator directly on top of the data stream display should help, too.

Sorry I am not being a better help here. I am one of those guys that advocates that the best way to decode CW is to use the "computer between your ears". And I have just started playing with HRD and the other digital modes.

Good luck! 73, Jim

[K8JD]

With a little practice most of us could copy CW without a machine helping (other than a decent CW filter) ! :D

[MW3YMY]

Thanks very much for the replies.

I've had a look at DM780 but still no joy. I definitely agree that decoding without a computer is the best way to go and out on 80m today I was pleasantly surprised by how much I could copy and work back to.

Tony, GW0NSR: Nice to meet you. I'm just up the coast in Meliden, nr Prestatyn. We'll have to have a QSO sometime.

Thanks again everyone and I hope to meet you all out there,

Matt.
MW3YMY

[AG3Y]

ATTABOY ! ! ! Work diligently at your CW skills, and you will find the speed and accuracy coming up at a very satisfactory rate.

Just remember, a good operator will slow down to a speed you are comfortable with. Just don't send faster than you can receive. That is a common mistake made by many that are starting out in the mode.

73, Jim

[G0HKC]

You just click the CW button on the GUI. Is it any more complicated than that? I'm not sure where you are having a problem.

Good luck , Jim

Ah, but when I press CW on the GUI all the options are greyed out despite being slected in the options
BTW winkeyer works ok on HRD, any suggestions please
Keith

[VE3FMC]

Thanks for the replies.

Hmmmm.... something does seem to be going wrong.

So on the bar at the top of the waterfall, I press CW and then select WinKey from the dropdown. I subsequently successfully connect to WinKey.

I then click on a nice strong signal on the waterfall and.... nothing happens!

Where am I going wrong?

Thanks very much and gd dx!

Matt.
MW3YMY

Hi Matt
In order to select WinKey you need to have a Winkeyer from K1EL hooked up to your computer.

The Winkeyer allows you to send true CW by using the key jack on your rig. Without that Winkeyer hooked up you need to select MCW to decode your incoming CW signals. MCW in the send mode only works on SSB as it sends modulated CW on SSB.

I have a Winkeyer USB here which works well.

As others have said CW is hard to decode with software. Unless it is well sent, spaced properly DM780 will not decode it properly. Instead of seeing O you might see T T T if the O is not sent properly. Forget decoding anyone using a BUG! ( I can't do that in my head either, no matter how slow they go :D)

A little story. Years ago I had a Commodore C64 and an AEA PK64 modem that did RTTY and true CW. I ran across an oldtimer late one night on 80 M sending high speed CQ's.

The PK64 copied that CW just fine. So I went back to this guy who was sending at approx. 50 wpm. During the QSO he told me he copied in his head but sent with a keyboard. The reason for this was that he and his buddies could all copy code up to 60 wpm if it was perfect CW. So they used keyboards and modems to send and copied in their heads. That way everyone sent perfectly spaced CW with the proper spacing etc. Made sense to me.

We rattled along at about 45 wpm, he copied in his head, I copied with the software and we both used keyboards to send. No way I can copy speeds like that in my head!

Hope this helps.

[K2XT]

Here's the answer to the original question -
You have it working for PSK31 you said. Ok, right where you select PSK31 you click and a drop down box appears with all the various modes to choose from. Select CW. Then when you have a cw signal visible on the waterfall select it just like you do for PSK31. Then notice right below where you selected CW there is a horizontal blue bar that moves when there is a signal tuned in. It is like a threshold level indicator. Make sure that when there is cw being heard that that bar goes past the marker - to the right. If the signal is not strong enough, move the bar till the blue part goes past your marker, suddenly you will see cw decoded.

You might also try FLDIGI. For me it worked much better, faster, easier. It copied W1AW at 35 wpm error free for me yesterday. How do I know? Because I copy the cw with my other computer (in my head) as well, but it doesn't have a display or a printer !

Rick K2XT

[AG3Y]

Another thread resurrected from the dead !

However, since I had quite a few posts in it, I think I will mention some additional thoughts. "CW-Get" is one of the better programs out there for receiving CW. And it has a companion program, appropriately called "CW-Send" if I recall correctly !

The program also has a threshold line, and the square waves formed by the tones ( you will understand when you see the GUI ) have to cross above that line, which is, of course, variable.

Good luck ! 73, Jim

[N0SYA]

my dm780.. cw is the one mode i dont use it for. it doesnt decode anything but gibberish 99 percent of the time. if i sit and copy an entire qso i may end up with one or two actual words.

are there some cw settings i need to tweak? it works fine in all other modes.

I wonder if an app that used a software "pll" to detect the presence and absence of a cw sig would eliminate the false detection?

[K0RGR]

DM780, CWGet, and FLDIGI all do a fairly good job on machine sent code under decent conditions. Most of the time, I can let any of them copy W1AW at any speed, just fine. People sending with keyboards are also usually pretty easy.
The problem with hand sent code is the spacing. Spacing between characters, words, and even the elements of the characters varies, and it takes that special quality of the human mind to be able to overlook the 'garbage in' to avoid getting 'garbage out'.

[2E0RPS]

Not sure if this has been covered. On CW decoding you need to lower the squelch. much lower than PSK.




Thanks for the replies.

Hmmmm.... something does seem to be going wrong.

So on the bar at the top of the waterfall, I press CW and then select WinKey from the dropdown. I subsequently successfully connect to WinKey.

I then click on a nice strong signal on the waterfall and.... nothing happens!

Where am I going wrong?

Thanks very much and gd dx!

Matt.
MW3YMY

[G0GQK]

FLDigi seems to decode Morse without any problems, try that.

G0GQK

[MW3YMY]

Thanks for the extra replies everyone.

Since originally posting this thread in March 09, I've taken the time to learn CW properly and am loving it.

Thanks again!

[KR6ER]

AG3Y: what did you mean when you said the GUI button?


KR6ER