[Elecraft] Farnsworth Method

[Gary D Krause]

The Koch method may be why I've noticed a change in CW over the last few 
years.  To me, it used to be very smooth and flowing and now it seems to be 
very choppy.  The letters are faster but, the spacing between the letters 
seems to be wider.  I've noticed that the ARRL code practice isn't like this. 
 They still have that nice flow to the code even at the higher speeds.  I use 
to teach code at a local community college for ham radio licensing.  I noticed 
that people with any kind of musical ability picked it up very quickly.  In 
other words, you've got to have the rhythm ;-)  Perhaps the Koch method is 
good for those that lack that ability.

Gary, N7HTS


On Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:50:06 -0500
  "R. Kevin Stover" <rkstover at mchsi.com> wrote:
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
> 
> You are correct.
> 
> The Koch method is about learning morse at full speed 25wpm characters
> spaced correctly for 25wpm overall speed. With the G4FON software you
> can choose any speed you want. Learn two characters to 95% then add one
> or two till you get those "mastered".
> 
> I was also a Farnsworth victim. I could copy characters pretty well but
> if you messed with the spacing to speed it up or slow it down I went in
> the tank. I actually flunked my first code test because of it. They
> started with the V's which I copied perfectly then the test started
> 13wpm characters, 13wpm spacing. I went into brain lock. I couldn't make
> my hand write anything. Before I snapped out of it totally the test was
> over. I was so mad I didn't even sit the 5wpm test.
> 
> That was an early volunteer examiner session and it was a mess from the
> start. The room they chose for the CW testing was a 60ft long conference
> room with 12 ft ceilings at a local hospital. The "sound system" was a
> worn out portable cassette player at the front of the room. I did have
> two opportunities to copy what was being sent, the first as it passed my
> ears from the front, and the second was the echo off the back wall.
> 
> After intensive on air copy with my fathers rig, no Farnsworth anything,
> I did finally pass my 13wpm test, then 20. I didn't start to build speed
> till I discovered G4FON's software.
> 
> I'm convinced newby's should be using the Koch method rather than
>Farnsworth. It forces you to recognize characters rather than individual
> elements of characters and translating. You don't have time to translate
> so you never get into that bad habit. When someone has learned code with
> the Farnsworth method, reducing the spacing to increase the overall
> speed takes away precious milliseconds that they were using to translate
> what was being sent into characters then finally stitching those
> characters together into something meaningful.
> 
> 
> David Ferrington, M0XDF wrote:
> | My understanding is that the Koch method is about learning code at full
> | speed from the outset, but starting with just two characters and
> | building up from there. I'm using G4FON's Koch program, but kinda mixing
> | the two; koch & Farnsworth - I'm learning characters at 20 wpm , but
> | with Farnsworth spaceing which reduces the actual speed to about 10 wpm.
> |
> | And I'm working up from there. The one problem is trying to understand
> | chars sent at 10 wpm - all the timing of each character seem wrong.
> |
> 
> - --
> R. Kevin Stover, AC&#344;H
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
> Version: GnuPG v1.4.7 (MingW32)
> Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org
> 
> iD8DBQFH6kZ911jxjloa2wsRAjBXAJ9MBcQT/6oBjs4NhkdVQtHTjcWIUQCeJAUP
> zFXB0hb4ROQluhZMdwCzsPQ=
> =foHg
> -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
> _______________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Post to: Elecraft at mailman.qth.net
> You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
> Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft    
> 
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm
> Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com