Okay, I'm nuts -- thinking of learning Morse code now that I'm retired

This is what I used to learn enough for my 5 WPM novice test:



After that, it was just the school of hard knocks.

 

May I suggest a couple of things that will make your life easier with the process of USING Morse code once you have learned it. Do NOT learn the code using "jingles" or the like. You MUST learn it by sound. When you are ready to use it at a meaningful speed it will be recalled by you by sound. Jingles or counting will seem like a EZ way to go, and at first it may well be. Once you reach 10 wpm or so then your going to have a problem. At 15 wpm your lost and starting over, learning not to count, learning not to associate characters with jingles. Set your character speed at 20, learn the actual sound of the character. Once you have learned the sounds the only thing left to work on is the recall time. No unlearning of counting or jingles. If you feel like you will be forever satisfied at a slow speed, 5 to 7 wpm then learn with jingles or counting. Problem is you will have a very, very limited selection of QSO partners at those speeds. Tune in to 7110-7117 or so and listen to some of those guys who generally run 15ish wpm, mostly with mechanical keys. It will give you some real time exposure. Pick out a letter here and there as you go. If you intend to send with a straight key, you will not be sending at 20. You will be in the 10-16 wpm area. Counting and jingles are still out, learning to copy at 20 makes 15 a breeze! Learning at 10 counting makes 20 impossible. At those speeds head copy is completely out also unless by sound. Great job with your ambition to move into the mode and comradery of CW OP's who respect each other's elite tallants. It's a very different uplift from phone. Looking forward to QSO with you, 73 Rich

 

Go for it

 

Yep. We are all nuts. The FCC issues us a call sign certifying that fact.

 

So hows the code learning going? best, RAC

 

I got to say I have looked at a lot of pages on QRZ over the years but I do not believe I have ever seen one even close to all the stuff you have packed in there! Great job, 73 Rich

 

I actually started, using a regular guide. So far, 9 letters and 3 numbers. Repetition is the key for me.

 

I think the hard part is learning to decode it once you know it in a meaningful way. So even though you know the code...... copying the code is the where the real learning starts. "hard knocks" is exactly correct. 73 Rich

 

Listen to real code on-air whenever you get the chance, pick out what you can. It will help you make the big adjustment from listening to a computer/phone program to listening ON-AIR. I have heard many guys who jumped in from a computer to ON-AIR and were really lost. QSB/QRN/QRM and people listening in change the playing field quickly. If you ready for it a surprise its not. 73 Rich

 

That's what I like about this course. You learn three letters and a number, then have a review where you write down the transmitted code. It keeps building on itself, so I'm decoding 9 letters and three numbers. It is definitely harder than just learning the code. BTW, the course is The Ham Whisperer. I like it anyway.