Going on Air even though I have not gone through the entire course yet has REALLY boosted my confidence also, which frees my speed up a bit already. Loosens ya up.
While you're learning to receive, make sure you're also developing your sending skills. This can be done by recording your sending and comparing it to properly-sent CW from a training program or W1AW. Start with a straight key, then add paddles and/or a bug to your skill set. A poor fist will chase off potential QSOs like salt on a slug.
Join the SKCC (it's free) and hang out around their frequencies, especially 7.114 MHz.
FWIW I started on CW in 1954, briefly dabbled with AM, SSB, FM, RTTY, Packet, etc., but always returned to CW. Now the TUs have been sold and the microphone is buried somewhere in the bottom desk drawer. The mode IS addictive.
Once you become proficient, you'll find it's much easier to send CW than to talk.
__________________ If your ship hasn't come in, swim out to it!
Some good advice already. One thing not mentioned is the G4FON (free) downloadable Morse training software. It is one of the best ways to learn Morse on your computer. You can insert text files so you are not always dealing with the same text over and over. Check it out.
It's good to see your interest in CW. Learn it well, and use it well.
I always strongly recommend starting with a straight key, not a set of paddles and keyer, for sending. If you don't copy code at 15 wpm, the keyer will send too many dits or dahs and you won't even know it, because you don't 'hear' the character. If you send on a straight key, your mind will copy the correct number of dits and dahs until you get the characters correct. Using the paddle in the learning stages WILL cause you to learn characters wrong, with too many dits, mostly. And you will be a bear to copy on the air.
As someone noted, send into a tape recorder. Then play it back and see if you can copy it. If YOU can't copy it, no one else can, either. This is the mistake many learning the code make, sending unreadable code because they don't know what the code actually sounds like themselves. Send a paragraph from a newspaper and record it (tape recorder, your computer sound card software, whatever) and wait until the next day!! Then try to copy it.
Once you know the basic characters, get on the air, if you have radio equipment, and make some slow speed contacts. You can find them.
Can't thank you enough!!! The only problem is How do I get the full message not knowing the sound some letters make. (EX: cannot tell you K from W.). I will contact some local clubs about offering some classes. Again thanks for all the help
Practice for 30 minutes a night and you will be there.
Also on the missing letters 95% of your QSO's will follow this format so you can see there is time to think what letters were missed. Leave a blank when you miss a letter and fill in the blank when he starts to sign. I still use this trick.
CQ CQ CQ, DE WA4OTD WA4OTD WA4OTD AR K
WA4OTD DE K4KJM K4KJM AR KN
K4KJM DE WA4OTD GM ES TNX FOR CALL
UR RST 599 599,
NAME IS Leroy Leroy,
QTH IS Carmel, IN Carmel IN,
SO HW CPI? AR K4KJM DE WA4OTD KN
WA4OTD DE K4KJM FB Leroy ES TNX FER RPT
UR RST 599 599,
NAME IS MIKE MIKE,
QTH NR Indian Land, SC Indian Land, SC
SO HW? AR WA4OTD DE K4KJM KN
K4KJM DE WA4OTD FB MIKE ES TNX FOR RPT,
Rig here is ICOM 746 at 100 watts ES ANT is dipole,
WX is SUNNY ES about 70
SO HW CPI? AR K4KJM DE WA4OTD
WA4OTD DE K4KJM R R FB AGN Leroy
RIG HR is Yaesu FT857 at 100 WATTS ES ANT DIPOLE UP 50 feet
WX WET ES COLD ABT 25 so how cpy? WA4OTD DE K4KJM KN
K4KJM DE WA4OTD FB MIKE ES UR RIG DOING FB. QSL Sure. Tnx for QSO 73 73 Mike ES HPE CUAGN AR K4KJM DE WA4OTD KN
WA4OTD DE K4KJM R R QSL FB, TNX FOR QSO 73 ES CU AGN AR WA4OTD DE K4KJM dit dit
dit dit
The only problem is How do I get the full message not knowing the sound some letters make.
Good luck, but I cant stress enough that Code Quick 2000 software cures that EXACT problem and it is its complete purpose. Hope ya find what your looking for though.
There is another self-study course out there that's very popular from K7QO.
It free and it's all on MP3 files. so you can copy it to your iPod if you want, and take it with you, or listen on your car's CD player during the drive to work. Like G4FON, the goal is to learn to copy "at full speed" right from the start, jumping over a lot of the pitfalls of learning at very low speed and struggling to get faster.
As for Code quick, every time a question about learning code has popped up here 1992, somebody pops up and swears that Code Quick was carved into stone tablets by God Himself. Then, 6 other people jump in to say that Cide Quick is a bad idea. In truth, I've never used it, and anything that helps people learn the code is great. However, Code Quick was developed more to help people get past the 5 WPM tests than to prepare them to actually use it on the air. I think K7QO or G4FON can help you more if you actually intend to use it, as there is a transition needed to get from the nmemonics used by Code Quick to medium or high speed CW. It's similar to getting over the habit of counting dots and dashes. K7QO and G4FON will teach you the sounds of the letters at full speed.
But, as someone who memorized the code and went through all the plateaus and hurdles to get up to high speed, I can say that either way works . I believe K7QO's method works faster.
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RE: CAN'T THANK YOU GUYS ENOUGH
Can't tell "K" from "W"
Linear Mode
