[Elecraft] Learning CW

[Tom Hammond NØSS]

Jerry:

>I am looking for tips to learn how to copy in ones head. I am to the point
>that my hand will not keep up, not to say I get tired of having piles of
>paper laying around.(I already know answer: practice practice)

Well... unfortunately, you DO know the answer... darn it...

For most ops, 'head copy' comes as a natural result of not being able to 
copy fast enough on paper... usually somewhere about 18-23 WPM...

When you copy to paper, do you copy letter-for-letter, as it's sent? If so, 
try copying 1-2 letters BEHIND what's being sent. As you become more 
comfortable with this technique, stretch it out to copying 3-5 letters behind.

Once you get to copying 3-5 letters behind, you have then trained your head 
to retain what you're hearing, to the point that you will begin to hear 
WORDS, even short phrases, rather than merely letters. Once you get to this 
oint, you'll find that it's a lot easier to copy 'in your head'. Now, start 
writing down only the important points of the QSO... and work the guys who 
FORCE you to copy a bit faster than you can copy 100%... this will require 
that you copy in your head and retain what you copy.

But untimately, the answer is PRACTICE... PRACTICE... PRACTICE... as you 
already know.

Once you do get 'into' head-copy, you may find that your copying speed 
increases much more quickly than you ever thought it could... at least up 
to 30-35 WPM, at which point, you may have to work a bit more to cause it 
to increase.

73,

Tom  N0SS