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