[CW] methods to increase code copying speed

[K-ZERO-HB]

>
> Realizing the copying code at faster speeds (25 + wpm) requires copying
> the words and not letters, how does one go about doing this?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Bill, WB9CAC
>

In my experience "copying the words and not the letters" as a way to high
speed code is a myth.

I learned Morse as a kid, just trying to decode all those beeps and boops
around 4MC and 8MC on our 6V Zenith farm radio.  (Yeah, I know, I'm old!)  
First I learned the letters, and pretty soon (like you say) I started
recognizing words.  By the time I was draft-eligible I could copy about
18-20WPM with a stick.  Being draft-eligible, and knowing I didn't want to
tote an M1 carbine around for fun, I hitched a ride down to Fargo and
talked to a Navy recruiter who assured me......

So uncle sent me off to Radioman School and sat my skinny butt down in
front of a Remington mill and said I could leave when I turned in 30
minutes of perfect copy at 24WPM (2 uncorrected mistakes allowed).  Well,
to my surprise and humble-ment, it turns out that I had completely
mistrained myself by presuming that I ought to THINK about those beeps and
boops.

First, uncle didn't need me to "understand" what I was copying, just copy
it with accuracy, so they trained us on gibberish --- 5-letter "coded
groups", and the repetitive drill was designed to completely eliminate any
"conscious" recognition of a letter, but rather sub-concious translation of
a sound pattern into a muscle reaction, sort of a short circuit between
your eardrum and your fingertips.  You got so you could read a book and
copy the fleet broadcast at the same time.

Where you got into trouble was when the traffic was plain language and you
fell into consciously copying it in your conscious brain.  Invariably you'd
anticipate a word based on the first characters and then get all farkled up
when "the" turned into "therefore" and you had to rethread your mental tape.

To this day, I have two completely different Morse skills --- unconcious
copying "traffic" for transcription as above, and copying "conversation" in
my conscious brain.  I'm good up to about 30WPM in "conversation" and last
time I timed myself, about 42WPM in "traffic" mode.

73, de Hans, K0HB/W7
"Just a boy and his radio"