[CW] Copying CW

[David J. Ring Jr - N1EA]

Hello Bill,

You're going to run into TWO SCHOOLS of thought in this subject.

One school will say that if you don't hear "letter" by "letter", you will
never be able to really copy code - you will start imagining what you hear,
and think you're copying.  Also by guessing, you will probably think that
errors are ok, because the other person will only be guessing also.  This
school will say - use a FAST pen (Sanford makes some fast rolling writers,
Uniball also. - I used WriteBros ballpoint in 1982 to copy my 25 wpm
commercial morse test - I couldn't manage 25 with another writing
instrument - this one just smoked.

The other school will say "just get the gist of the matter".  Copy in the
head.

I have a compromise which works excellently and it will not end your ability
to "write what you hear" in fact, it will improve it.

This does work best if you have a "visual memory".

Imagine a "TIMES SQUARE NEWS LIGHT BOARD TICKER" - the old box that was
perhaps six feet long and the words light up with small light bulbs in a
matrix.  The words would scroll from the right to the left, and they would
"fall off" the news ticker when they got to the left edge.

When copying in your head, visualize the LETTER you hear - whatever it is -
and put it on the extreme right edge, then visualize the NEXT letter, and
see the two letters on the light board, when you hear a letter SPACE,
visualize the SPACE on the light board.  This is important.

When sending, do the same thing in your mind.  But when you see the letter
being added, send it with your key.  When you see a space - SEND the space.
This will help you space correctly.  Many hams don't space correctly, and
without spaces the copy is terrible and you HAVE to guess!

You can see how this system bridges the writing or head copying system very
well.  You can actually "write" it in your head, and if you were to use a
computer TEXT editor or word processing program, pressing CAPS LOCK would
give you text just like the old telegraphers used.

It is a great system - and won't hurt either your ability to copy by hand or
by head - they will merge.

I think it is a perfect system!

73

David J. Ring, Jr., N1EA
Former Chief Radio Officer, U.S. Merchant Marine
Also operator at Coastal Station W-S-C, Tuckerton, NJ

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Brannick" <wmlb@attbi.com>
To: <cw@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Saturday, February 22, 2003 4:12 PM
Subject: [CW] Copying CW


> First .. let me say I am new to this list and I suspect this subject may
> have already been discussed more then once. My apologies.. if that be the
case.
>
> I have always found that a limiting factor for me in copying CW is my
> inability to write fast enough.  I can copy CW around 13-15 WPM , but I
> sure cannot write that fast.  I passed the 13 WPM  test several years ago
> and probably was lucky to sort out enough key words to pass that test.
>
> I would like to "validate" my current Extra Class License by increasing my
> code speed to at least 20 WPM but I just can't get that pencil to move
> quickly enough and once I get behind.. concentration goes "out the
window".
>
> One BIG issue is that, a number of year ago, I took a engineering drawing
> class and got into the habit of printing everything.. Now.. when I try to
> write something in longhand (script).. there are some letters that I
cannot
> even form in a legible way.. Maybe I need to go back and repeat the 3rd
> grade......(60 years later)
>
> Could it be that I will just have to accept the fact that 10 WPM or so is
> my limit???
>
> Any thoughts would be appreciated.
>
> Bill,  W6WLB
>
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