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The Finish Line - CW Ops & Learning Morse Code

Discussion in 'Amateur Radio News' started by KH6OWL, Feb 19, 2017.

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  1. KH6OWL

    KH6OWL Guest

    [​IMG]

    So what were your expectations with CW Ops Academy?

    Was your expectations that you would have an instructor with you and you would be in a class type environment during the Skype sessions? Was it that you would be proficient at Morse code once the class ended? That you only needed to practice 30 -45 minutes a day? Was your expectation that you would be able to get on the air at the end of the class and have contacts at 20 WPM?

    I had some of those but in realty none of those were feasible. The instructor was there to make sure you stayed on topic and to answer any questions and to send you some code over Skype to see how you were doing. He also had us send code and gave us feedback on how we were doing. We are sort of proficient at code but it will take a lot more work to get comfortable enough to get on the air with someone that you don't know. You really do need at least 45 minute's a day but most likely you will need much more. It takes you 60 minutes just to get through some of the lessons. I don't think the time is as important than just working your way through the lesson at a pace your comfortable with and hat you retain it. Sure you can get through a lesson in 30 minutes but I found myself listening to some letters or words 10 or 20 times to get it to sink in and that adds to the time.

    It is important that you listen to the letters and words at 20WPM but slow the Farnsworth down to 5, then to 8, then 10 and higher as you get better. Just don't slow the WPM down so much that you can count the dits and dahs. You will get frustrated and think you will never get this and just want to stop the waste of time. DON'T GIVE UP! You are investing time in yourself and you are important.

    I have recapped all the tips I came up with during the class: (some are still valid for me and some are not - Practice and Patience are the main themes)

    1. You have to practice at least 30 minutes a day, and for me I need about 60 minutes or more. You don’t have to do it all at once but find a quite place and put in the time.
    2. I put a 3×5 card over the computer screen where the next letter or word would show so I could not see it. (You can also just scroll the screen up so you don't see the text) This made it harder but I was able to concentrate more and not knowing what was coming next is like being on the air and not knowing what the other operator would send.
    3. Make practice a priority.
    4. When you get tired and lose concentration, stop practicing for a while.
    5. Practice sending after each word. It helped me! (I would not do this until about lesson 3 or 4, learn the sound of the letter, not the dits and dahs)
    6. Find something that motivates you and do it! It could be a saying you tape to the wall or it could be a friend that challenges you, whatever works. This blog helps as well. I have to keep going so I can finish this series.
    7. Go back and repeat the past lessons until you have them down and do not miss any letters or numbers.
    8. Wear computer headphones when practicing.
    9. Don’t get frustrated! If you find that happening then I recommend you take time to walk away and come back 10 or 15 minutes later. Frustration will hinder you from learning.
    10. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you have to put in the time to get better. I don’t think I could do this if I was only doing 30 minutes a day. I would not get through a session in a day. You have to make it a priority.
    11. Try something new in your practice session to change things up. I tried to not write down what I was hearing and the results were interesting. I bet Alan would be happy to hear that.
    12. A day of rest is a good thing!
    13. As a newbie I found it was helpful to warm up by sending before getting started. I don’t know if you need to do that but it seemed to have helped me.
    14. We can all use encouragement at times. Doesn’t matter what we are trying to accomplish. Reach out and encourage someone that you might think needs it. I know I have needed it during this course.
    15. Don't give up!
    I hope this blog has helped you to think about getting started or encouraged you to keep going. It doesn't matter if you are learning Morse Code or doing something else that is hard. You are doing it for a reason, when times get tough, remember that reason and keep at it.

    I hope to work you on the air and be kind to me, I am extremely slow and if you repeat the words a few times, you will not hurt my feelings but you will be helping me.

    [​IMG]

    Aloha and 73!

    Read Part 1

    Read Part 2

    Read Part 3

    Read Part 4

    Read Part 5

    Read Part 6

    Read Part 7

    Read Part 8

    Read Part 9

    Read Part 10

    Read the entire blog here

    Ham Radio Hawaii Facebook Page
     
    K9PLG likes this.
  2. AE4JB

    AE4JB Ham Member QRZ Page

    thanks for such a great blog and insight of whats to come ive been useing the trainer program and am at lesson 4 now and pushing forward each day i have it on my phone to since our shop has wifi and i have earbuds hihi hope to work you on air soon 72/73/44 N0NEE SKCC15252 NAQCC8295 100WAAW 892
     
    KH6OWL likes this.
  3. AG6QR

    AG6QR Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    I've been reading these with interest. I have been learning the code myself for the past few years, not via CW academy, but using many of the same techniques, with the help of a few local elmers, and a lot of self-study.

    I hate to break the news to you, but there is no finish line.

    There is a point at which you're comfortable getting on the air, and you no longer sweat bullets when transmitting. There's a point at which you're comfortable answering someone else's CQ that isn't coming in really clearly. There's a point when you're comfortable sending out your own CQ. There are lots of speed thresholds to cross, and you'll cross most of them when you're not really concentrating so much on speed. There are lots of other mini-milestones.

    But none of them is a finish line. You'll forever keep practicing and improving your skills.

    Have fun!
     
    K3RW, KH6OWL and N8DAH like this.
  4. KB9CFH

    KB9CFH Ham Member QRZ Page

    Now go back to part 6 and down load MORSE CAT 2 and the first 1000 word file and learn how to use it for practice on letters, numbers, call signs, pro-signs, CRYPTO style groups to keep from memorizing anything. and use the editor part for word practice from the 1000 list and ANY TEXT style file that can be cut and pasted into it. IT IS A GOOD PROGRAM !!!!!
     
    KH6OWL likes this.
  5. KH6OWL

    KH6OWL Guest

    Great point! I guess when we think we are finished then we quite learning.
     
    K3RW likes this.
  6. K3RW

    K3RW Ham Member QRZ Page

    Thanks for the series!

    Now if we can just get people to QRS so we can catch up! At least for my setup, I rarely hear CW under 15wpm. It helps to train to listen at this speed, but that's still pretty fast for a new sender. We'll get there eventually :)
     
    KH6OWL likes this.
  7. K7EVM

    K7EVM XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    Thanks for blog Darren. I hop eto answer your CQ one of these days!

    de KJ7XJ
     
    KH6OWL likes this.
  8. VE7JBX

    VE7JBX Ham Member QRZ Page

    I think it's useful to remember if you're going to send out a CQ, to try not to do it at a speed faster than you can copy. I guess I am like a lot of us, I can send quite happily (perhaps even comprehensibly, hihi) at ~13-15 wpm but I really only copy reliably at about 7-10 wpm at this point. So, I have to intentionally slow down when I call CQ. This tells someone listening what speed to come back at me, and has proved pretty successful.
    Of course I use this the other way around, too. I listen for slow, wobbly CQs and reply! I know I don't have to feel self conscious about my lack of skills, when the person on the other side is about the same.

    Interestingly, I was listening to some of the CW contesters this weekend going by at who knows what speed.... but I realized that I was picking out the "CQ", "5nn", "TU", "73" without any problems. Then it hit me, other than call signs, that was about all some of them were saying! Achieving 35 wpm isn't that hard if you only need a vocabulary of 10-15 "words". (Callsigns remain the challenge, admittedly).
     
    K3RW, KH6OWL and AG6QR like this.
  9. AG6QR

    AG6QR Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    Absolutely! And here's another dirty little secret: if you hunt and pounce, you can listen to a running station as many times as it takes you to copy his call sign. You'll hear a few exchanges, get the pattern, and have a good idea for exactly what he will send when it's your turn. You can do contest-style exchanges at well above your rag chew speed.
     
    KA0HCP and KH6OWL like this.
  10. AB9YC

    AB9YC XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    Great job making it to the end of Level 1.

    As has been mentioned, this is just the beginning of your journey, and there will always be more to learn.

    While you can learn CW in a relatively short amount of time, say a few months, you'll spend the rest of your life mastering it - improving speed, mastering head copy and getting comfortable. As with any such skill, you'll get out of it what you put into it. Stick with it, always strive to improve, and will end up a life-long, enjoyable endeavor.

    Anthony/AB9YC
     
    KH6OWL likes this.
  11. WH7W

    WH7W Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    Hi Stacy--

    I have not read all portions of your CW experience or the comments, so sorry if my suggestion has already been mentioned or is part of the CW Ops curriculum.

    You can practice CW almost anytime. I still recall as a teenager learning code. As we rode to school on the bus, I would convert street signs and license plates to CW. It is best if you actually say the DITS and DAHS out loud. I almost guarantee that as you find your yourself getting faster converting that which you see visually to verbal DITS and DAHS, your receive (and transmit) will both improve. License plates work very well as they are almost a call sign. Even walking around the house and looking at any object you pickup with writing on it or a paper that you are reading----convert it to verbal CW. This tip will help if you really want to catch the CW "bug".

    73 and Aloha!

    Mark WH7W
     
  12. W8BFT

    W8BFT Ham Member QRZ Page

    My advice is that once you get to the point you can reliably copy all the letters and characters at whatever speed, that's the time to get on the air. Just call CQ at whatever speed you're comfortable at copying--if it's only 5 WPM, then CQ at 5 WPM. Any time I hear someone doing that, I match speeds and reply. We've all been there, so don't be bashful. The best way to build proficiency is to get on the air and use it. I used code tapes (yes, tape--it's been a while) to get to 5 WPM and get my novice ticket, then never listened to another tape. Six months later, I was proficient enough to pass the 13 WPM test with ease and get my General ticket. So quit dithering and get on the air, already! We're waiting.
     

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