[CW] Thoughts on receiving CW

Wed Apr 27 19:44:11 EDT 2022

This is a really interesting topic, and it's interesting and valuable to
hear others experience with CW.

The "cruel paradox" is a fact. Regardless of which way we learned,
certainly none of us learned it in such a fashion to optimize our
transition to high speed  (I'm still hoping!) later in our radio careers.

The one "second chance" I got was to put down the pencil and head copy.
That was a real breakpoint, as I had a really hard time trying to write
everything down much about 13-14 WPM.   If I *didn't* write it down, I
panicked thinking I was going to lose the content.  It was only when I
started copying ARRL code practice on my drive home from work where I was
able to make relatively quick progress to 25 WPM or so pretty comfortably.
I'd been stuck at the 13-15 range for decades with no progress.

I've come to learn that:

Copying and writing down is one skill.
Copying and interpreting / demodulating in one's head is another skill.
Copying and typing is yet another skill.

Being able to do one, absolutely for me, does NOT mean I can do another
(especially the typing)!

It's a fascinating topic with lots of linkage to language learning

John K5MO

On Wed, Apr 27, 2022 at 4:13 PM Richard Knoppow <1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com>
wrote:

>     The training in the old (meaning a century ago) taught to
> write in long hand, i.e. cursive writing. Not sure kids are
> taught that any more but I was a victim of Palmer Method. I think
> the block letters (with little arrows on the lines of the
> letters) came originally from the ARRL publications on how to
> learn code. However, it is SLOW. If you can switch to long hand
> it will probably double your speed. This was the requirement for
> operators in the days before typewriters became common.
>     I am also a good touch typist but taking code on a typewriter
> requires two simultaneous skills. Perhaps if you are already a
> fast code reader you can just sit down and type. I find I can't
> do it for very long. Im not a particularly fast typist but have
> been doing it long enough for it to be all kinetic memory. I
> don't have to think about my fingers, they just go.
>     I have reached the age where my ears prick up when medical
> stuff is mentioned. Good luck with whatever ails you. I think
> perhaps the main thing (for both medical and code) is not to get
> discouraged. Persevere, as an old friend used to say.
>
> On 4/27/2022 1:01 PM, Ron W4BIN wrote:
> > Richard WB6KBL Knoppow:
> >
> >> Some of the advice in the old books really does not make sense,
> >> makes me wonder if the people who wrote them could actually
> >> read code.
> >
> >    I learned to whistle the code by looking at signs at one or
> > two w. p. m.   I could do nothing else.
> >
> >    I took a class in "Tom's" kitchen with three other blokes (in
> > 1973) and the first thing he said was:
> > I will send the letter "A" and you must visualize the letter "A"
> > as it is printed.  Beep  Beeeep.  I could visualize nothing
> > I knew right then that I was in trouble.  I wrote down the letter
> > "A" without visualizing anything.  In the end I got 100% of the
> > test correct.
> >
> >    After two more code classes I could write down (block letters
> > - kindergarten style) over 20 w.p.m. with no errors
> > from W1AW.  About 22 or 23 w.p.m. was my printing limit and man
> > was it a lot of work.   That's it, it was no fun.
> > After about ten years (when the local weekly cw net ended) I
> > stopped wring and I listened to W1AW in the car* to and from work
> > 99% of the time.  I only attempted to learn head copy, mostly at
> > 20 to 35 WPM.  I have learned many short words and signals, but
> > not the larger words.
> >
> >    I have tried to copy on a keyboard, but I have not been
> > trained to do it, and I am a trained touch typist.
> > I have a tendentious long term memory, but almost no short term
> > memory.  I cannot look in a telephone book and memorize the local
> > seven digits long enough to dial them, I have to go back and get
> > the last four or a bit less.
> >
> >    Recently the captain taught us to word space and I have
> > downloaded everything he offered, as soon as my major medical
> > problem is handled I will start working with that system.
> > I will only give up trying by dying.  (getting close)
> >
> >   * 40 meters with a 10 meter antenna
> >
> > --
> >     Ron  W4BIN - Understanding is much better than
> >                                        knowing how.MX
> >
> >
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> > =30=
>
> --
> Richard Knoppow
> 1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com
> WB6KBL
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