[Elecraft] CW Learning Techniques

[David A. Belsley]

Martin:
   After a while, you will just learn to keep the first part in mind.   
Something that may help, is to make use of your current ability to get  
shorter words.  Often you will get several shorter words in a row.   
When this happens, get the first one and then, while the second one is  
coming, try to keep tucked in your mind what the first word was as  
well.  Gang this up for several short words, and that is the equivalent  
of keeping several syllables of a long word.

   I'm not sure what's going on in my head when I'm doing head copy at  
35-40 wpm, but somehow it sticks.  I guess now its almost like the  
letters accumulating on a computer screen as you type: the image just  
sits there.  I don't know if it grows letter by letter or small  
grouping by small grouping: it just grows.  Something will happen to  
work for you just as long as you keep trying.  And dealing with longer  
words is actually easier at speeds much faster than 20 wpm because you  
get 'hit' with and can process more in a shorter period of time.

   Another thing: keep your head wrapped around the code sound.  If I  
can say something that may make no sense at all: keep your head wrapped  
on the code sound from "on top", i.e., where your head is hearing the  
sound while still alive for the sounds yet to come.  Do not try to  
process the sound with your head "from  below", i.e., where you are  
trying to push or burn the code translation of the current letter into  
your head.  It is this processing that distracts from the code coming  
up.

   You will also hear the advice never to stop to try to figure  
something out, just keep going ahead.  This is good advice, and is just  
another way of saying what I just said above; keep your head on top of  
the code, hearing what you just heard but alive for what's coming up.   
Don't get under it to analyze it; you'll then be dead for what's coming  
up.

   Interestingly, once you are able to keep your mind "on top of the  
code" you will find that you can simultaneously keep hearing and  
processing the new code while integrating it (and even further  
processing) the old without blowing your concentration.

    As always when it comes to such matters: YMMV.

best wishes, and good luck -- keep it up and don't give up -- it may  
take a long time, but its well worth it  -- good head copy is the real  
break through for truly fun and satisfying cw.

dave belsley, w1euy



On Jun 16, 2004, at 6:39 AM, Martin.Evans at simoncarves.com wrote:

>
>
>
>
> Hi to all, sorry this is a bit off topic but I know there are a lot of  
> good
> CW ops on this list. I am currently working on CW head copy at around
> 20wpm. I get most of the smaller words (say up to 5 letters) with no
> problem but miss many of the longer ones, I forget the first few  
> letters by
> the time I get to the last few. However, the real question is should I
> "visualise" the letters (like imagining a typewriter with my eyes  
> shut) or
> just sort of recognise the letters in an abstract sort of way leaving  
> the
> brain to piece them together in the background so to speak (hard to
> describe this bit). I am aware of both methods happening but not sure
> whether to force the "visualising" method in case it will slow me down
> later on. The "visualising" does help me to get some of the longer  
> words
> but maybe it's not good in the long term. The  "art and skill of radio
> telegraphy" book doesn't seem to offer any pointers here. Maybe it  
> doesn't
> matter much either way but your expert opinions would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks
> Martin
> M0KWV
> K1 #1534
>
>
>
>
> Why not take a look at our Web site?
> http://www.simoncarves.com
>
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