[CW] Learning Morse Code - N0̸GM

Sat Feb 5 21:06:44 EST 2022

I was in  Radioman "A" school , Class 6738 NTC San Diego.  I already had my
General, my ARRL  20 wpm Code Proficiency certificate and  I could touch
type 70 wpm before I enlisted.  They still made me sit through the whole
program for six months.  Then they sent me to "C" school  to "officially
get the speed up to 18 wpm."  I graduated at the end of the first week of
the six week "C" school.  I could have graduated the morning of the first
day but the exam was only held on Fridays.   My reward was being assigned
to a Marine Corp amphibious squadron where we used CW supplemental to
encrypted RTTY (Orestes - KW7s and KLB47s). 73, Stan WB2LQF

On Sat, Feb 5, 2022 at 8:25 PM George Merkle <grmjunior at sbcglobal.net>
wrote:

> 1968 RM school in San Diego (USN), we would copy at a speed we were
> comfortable with most times, and then have high speed test twice a day; our
> instructor said, don’t worry about errors this is to raise your speed. It
> really worked!
> George N0̸GM
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Feb 5, 2022, at 6:44 PM, Chris R. NW6V <chrisrut7 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> 
>
> Hi Danny.
>
>
>
> I'm inclined to agree. It is not that the plans as laid out in the
> military system were wrong, or harmful, but they were designed in an era
> when modern ergonomics and sports training were virtually unknown. It is
> "a" system that will work. Not “the” system.
>
>
>
> One aspect is that modern training is "focused" - that is, not just "sit
> and do 5-character groups all day" - but sets goals and breaks performance
> down into its components, so the components can all be polished
> individually. It is much more effective.
>
>
>
> In sports training, we find three different neuro-muscular systems which
> are trained individually: endurance, strength, and power. A cyclist will,
> for example, spend many miles and hours just pedaling along at an easy (for
> them) high-rpm pace. But several days a week, will do "interval training" -
> sustained efforts of 2-3 minutes duration at a power level that cannot be
> continued longer than that – and then spend an equal number of minutes.
> recovering at an easy pace. Then do it again. And again. For a number of
> sets. It hurts. It will tear you down. But it makes you strong - repeats
> that test the limits build strength. The final system trained is raw power
> – by doing all-out sprints – defined as work efforts that can only be done
> for 10 seconds – they leave you spent, unable to continue. But it will make
> you fast.
>
>
>
> The actual time spent in various training drill will vary with the drill.
> A sprint is just ten seconds. But that is not the session.
>
>
>
> Thus, saying “only practice for 15 minutes twice a day” very clearly
> doesn’t make sense – practice what? Do what? Before and after what?
>
>
>
> We are a volunteer army today, with differing goals and needs and more
> personalized learning plans are practical.
>
>
>
> I had the great good fortune to learn from a master – my dad - who had
> taught many in the Navy before and after WW2, and started me early. At 12 I
> could copy 5-character groups at 18wpm. When I started in, Morse was added
> to life the same way the ABCs were added to life in the first grade. They
> were up on the wall in plain view, so to speak – a subject of constant
> interest and speculation. And discussion. Morse was made a part of my
> everyday life.
>
>
>
> How much time was spent practicing? The only time it felt like a “session”
> was later, when I sat in front of an Instruct-o-graph copying 5-character
> groups off punched tapes. We already “talked” code at the dinner table –
> but those sessions were intense – always pushing the speed – pushing -
> doing a tape - resting – doing another – and writing everything down
> perfectly, of course - very much like the cyclist’s interval training.
>
>
>
> So, suggested time limits need to be understood in the larger context of a
> complete training program.
>
>
>
> 73 Chris NW6V
>
>
>
> On Sat, Feb 5, 2022 at 3:48 PM Chris R. NW6V <chrisrut7 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi Danny.
>>
>> I'm inclined to agree. It is not that the plans as laid out in th
>> emilitar system were wrong, or harmful, but they were designs in an era
>> when modern ergonomics and sports training were virtually unknown. It is
>> "a" system that will work.
>>
>> One aspect is that modern training is "focused" - that is not just "sit
>> and do 5-character groups all day" - but sets goals and breaks performance
>> down into its components, so the components can all be polished
>> individually.It is much more effective.
>>
>> In sports training, we find three different neuro-muscular systems which
>> are trained individuals: endurance, strength, and power. A cyclist willfor
>> example spend many miles and ours just pedaling along at an easy high rpm
>> pace. But will then do "interval training" - sustained efforts of 2-3
>> minutes at a power level that cannot be continued longer than that. You
>> then spend an eq
>>
>> On Sat, Feb 5, 2022 at 3:19 PM n7dc <n7dc at comcast.net> wrote:
>>
>>> Not sure about that.  We had initially 4 hours a day learning, then
>>> increasing speed.   An additional 4 hours spent getting typing speed up to
>>> 25 or so wpm.  That was all with 5 letter and then number groups.  Since I
>>> went in, having dome code knowledge, and was a high school  champion typist
>>> (120 wpm) I had also asked in a question period " what happens is you do
>>> not pass the required 5 wpm in the first two weeks "  the answer was "We
>>> will give you a different job ---- cook, security guard, poleman."  I went
>>> back in and passed t wpm in the next 15 minutes minutes.
>>> I also passed typing on that afternoon's session.  I no longer had to
>>> take typing. So wound up in CW all day long.  Consequently passed one speed
>>> after another in a month till they ran out of speed tapes. (1960).  Left me
>>> a lot of free time studying frequency, antennas, formats, etc.  And came
>>> out as number 2 in a class of about 125.  The guy who was first had been a
>>> ham since about age 12.  Soooo I taught CW to kids and adults for many
>>> years, using hand key and sessions of about an hour weekly.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Sent from my Galaxy
>>>
>>>
>>> -------- Original message --------
>>> From: Richard Knoppow <1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com>
>>> Date: 2/5/22 3:15 PM (GMT-05:00)
>>> To: cw at mailman.qth.net
>>> Subject: Re: [CW] Learning Morse Code - Thanks to Bob, K4RLC
>>>
>>>     Thank you for the definite information. I had read the
>>> recommendation not to practice much longer than 15 minutes at a
>>> time and my personal experience is that fatigue sets in after that.
>>>
>>> On 2/5/2022 11:48 AM, D.J.J. Ring, Jr. wrote:
>>> > -Based on the American research of training CW ops in the
>>> > military, at least 5 days a week of practice is needed.
>>> >
>>> > -And, at least two sessions of practice, usually one in the AM
>>> > and another in the PM.
>>> >
>>> > -Length of time should be at least 15-20 minutes. Some say to
>>> > practice til you get tired.
>>> >
>>> > The American research showed that prolonged practice (like an
>>> > hour or more at a time) did not help with learning.
>>> >
>>> > -Reward yourself for practice. And record your efforts, time and
>>> > date, as this will reinforce you and let you see your progress.
>>> >
>>> > -Go to for further info and the neuroscience implications:
>>> >
>>> >
>>> https://groups.io/g/LongIslandCWClub/files/INTERMEDIATE%20CLASS%20BOB%20K4RLC
>>> > <
>>> https://groups.io/g/LongIslandCWClub/files/INTERMEDIATE%20CLASS%20BOB%20K4RLC
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > 73
>>> >
>>> > DR
>>> >
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>>> > =30=
>>>
>>> --
>>> Richard Knoppow
>>> 1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com
>>> WB6KBL
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>>
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