[Elecraft] On CW

[Jim Miller]

I use Morse Elmer on my iphone to practice.

I like it.

jim ab3cv

On Tue, Oct 31, 2017 at 4:37 PM, Fred Jensen <k6dgw at foothill.net> wrote:

> Three unanswerable questions:  "What is the meaning of life?";  "Are there
> hams in other star systems?"; "What is the secret to learning Morse code?",
> and, if 50 people answer your question [likely a low estimate], you will
> get 62.87 answers. [:-)
>
> The "secret" really is ... there is no "secret."  There as many effective
> ways as there are aspiring CW operators.  Not every method works for
> everyone.  Here's a partial short-list of things to investigate:
>
> 1.  CW Academy, operated by the CWOps group  cwops.org
>
> 2.  Download Morsegen [http://www.g4ilo.com/morsegen.html].  It will send
> to you in a variety of modes, including text from a file
>
> 3.  Make audio files from Morsegen, write them to a USB stick or CD's, and
> "read" them while on the way to work or a long trip
>
> 4.  Send to yourself.  Put the K3s in TEST mode
>
> 5.  Listen to W1AW practice and bulletin sessions [1]
>
> 6.  Listen to CW contests [2]
>
> 7.  Have "in-room QSO's" with K3s in TEST with a friend
>
> 8.  Put a Morse ringtone on your fone.  Mine sends the name, if in my fone
> book, or the number if not, for calls and SMS.  You may not get much
> practice unless you get a lot of calls/texts but it sure gets attention in
> the checkout line at Home Depot. [:-)
>
> 9.  Put your K3s in TX NORM mode and start making Q's at a speed you're
> comfortable with.  I hear a number of 5 WPM CQ's in the afternoons on 20
> around 14050.
>
> Note:  There is a vast difference between verbatim copy and "head copy."
> In a normal QSO, the probability is 0.9964 that the only elements you'll
> hear will be RST, Name, QTH, Rig, Antenna, Wx, and "WL TNX QSO GUD DX CUL
> 73."  The only one you really need to jot down is name.  The only time
> verbatim copy is needed is in traffic handling.
>
> 73,
>
> Fred ["Skip"] K6DGW
> Sparks NV DM09dn
> Washoe County
>
> [1] A potential issue with the W1AW at increasing speeds is that one can
> become obsessive over one's current speed.  One needs to forget about
> speed, yours is what it is and it will increase.
>
> [2] Speeds in contests will range around 30-35 WPM.  However, all that is
> being sent is call signs and some very small amount of "data" such as 5NN 3
> [fake signal report and CQ zone #].  In the Wed CWT's it's a name [all
> short] and 1-4 digit member #, and knowing what's coming next will improve
> your copy ability and speed dramatically.
>
> On 10/31/2017 11:26 AM, rkruse at johngalt.biz wrote:
>
>> Now that I've given the history, my question to those of you who are
>> gung-ho on CW is; how did you begin the learning process?  Is there some
>> secret that I missed?
>>
>> 73
>>
>> Ray
>> KK4WPB
>>
>>
>>
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