[Elecraft] Farnsworth Method

[Bill W5WVO]

Tom McCulloch wrote:

> I think once we can copy a qso in our heads we are well on our way to 
> increasing our copy speed.

Absolutely.

> A beginner would do well not to right down every letter.  Common
> things like "RST" and "QTH" are a good place to start and then move
> on from there.

This is well said and heeded. IMO, the way I first learned code as a kid --  
the traditional "Novice" way, writing down each letter in block caps -- is 
completely wrong-headed.

I believe I learned proper Morse despite the way I learned it, not because of 
it. During practice, the beginner should not write any decoded characters 
down, but gradually learn to understand what is sent in his/her head. This is 
equivalent to the "immersion" method of learning a foreign language. Once 
fluency has been achieved at a reasonable speed, writing the text down is 
easily added because it is a skill you already have, and the brain can cope 
with it "in the margins".

This was all impressed upon me at a tender age (albeit not before I had 
already learned the code the wrong way) by the legendary Clara Reger, W2RUF 
(SK), where I heard her lecture on CW at a meeting of the Rochester [NY] 
Amateur Radio Association, probably in 1963 or 1964. Google her to get an idea 
of just why she was legendary in her own time, as now.

Bill W5WVO