[Elecraft] KX2 CW tx decode for practicing

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

Back when I and my buddies were learning CW we had to pass 5, then 13 wpm sending tests at the FCC to get our license. That provided reassurance that our fists were readable. The same was true for my commercial radiotelegraph license using a straight key at 20 wpm. 

 

But, IMX, the best decoders still require CW sent to far more exacting standards for clean decoding than are necessary for easy, readable copy by a human operator.

 

What I sometimes do to check my fist is to record myself sending practice using a smartphone, tablet, or whatever is handy placed near the speaker, then play it back later and see if it’s a fist I’d enjoy copying. Yes, I still practice from time to time. My goal is to send decent CW using a page from a telephone book (remember those? Hi!). My goal is to get through one full page of names, addresses and phone numbers without a flub. (It’s harder than it sounds.)

 

Also, after 65 years of pounding brass, I’ve never aspired to competitive, high-speed CW. It’s rare that I’m QSOing above 25 wpm and I keep my straight key hooked up for the occasional QSO at 10 wpm or less – whatever the other station is comfortable with. 

 

If you want to work at very high speeds, it is probably necessary to have special training in the techniques involved such as hearing whole words instead of letters. In the military we had to copy 5-letter code groups at 100% accuracy. Since no real “words” were involved, the emphasis was entirely on learning to automatically write down the exact letters being sent without trying to make sense of the message. That was also valuable in commercial traffic handling to avoid stumbling over numbers and foreign or other unfamiliar words.  I still copy letters even when puttering around in the shack copying CW “in my head”, recognizing each word after the letters are sent. 

 

73, Ron AC7AC

 

 

From: Jim Ewing [mailto:ewinginator at gmail.com] 
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2017 10:25 AM
To: ron at cobi.biz; raysills3 at verizon.net; bpehrson at kth.se; Elecraft at mailman.qth.net
Subject: KX2 CW tx decode for practicing

 

FWIW, I started back into CW at start of 2015, and agree getting on the air is essential.  But, I have also found that if I use a code reader to read out what I send with straight key or bug in particular, in addition to getting on the air, it really helps with weighting and rhythm.  I find that if I just send without paying attention to that, I have no idea what I am sounding like, even if I try to listen.  Could be just me.  I use a reader on my Android phone called Morse Code Agent - just put the phone near the speaker and it reads out what I am trying to send - or does not read it out if my weighting or rhytim is off.  Useful feedback, especially when you are just getting into it, in order not to develop habits that can hurt later.  Or so it has seemed to me.  73, Jim Ewing N4TMM  

 

 

 

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