[Elecraft] Johnson SpeedX printed Morse

[Wes]

To expand a bit.  In high school (circa 1958) some kids tried to start a radio 
club.  The sponsor was the electronics shop teacher (interesting enough I never 
took any electronic courses) who I don't believe was all that interested.

The school principal was also a Lt. Commander in the Naval Reserve and IIRC was 
in charge of the local Navy Reserve operation.  I remember that they had a 
couple of 100' telephone poles and an open-wire fed antenna, that I always 
drooled over.  Permission was arranged for our club to tape record (reel to 
reel) the Navy's code records.  We started listening but only met once a week, 
which meant that by the second week we had forgotten last week's letters, so we 
started over.  After about a month I had enough and broke out the Scout 
handbook.  I was the only one to get a license. I did meet one older kid, Luke 
Russell, who had an expired Novice license, other than that I was on my own. 
There was one ham (W7UVR-SK) about two blocks away from our house who I didn't 
know but I knocked on his door and asked whether he would sign off my Novice 
paperwork.  These guys are mentioned on my QRZ bio (https://www.qrz.com/db/N7WS)

Wes  N7WS


On 12/27/2019 10:54 AM, KENT TRIMBLE wrote:
> Well, not exactly the /worst/ thing you could have used, but you're right, 
> visualizing a chart is adding an extra step in the learning process toward 
> aural copying.
>
> And Wes is also correct.  A whole generation or two of amateur radio operators 
> had nothing at hand but charts printed in the Boy Scout Handbook and 
> Signalling Merit Badge booklet.  However, no one told us it was the wrong way 
> to go.  Those charts got many of us a Novice license in addition to Merit 
> Badges.  Later, I studied from Ameco vinyl records which got me a 13 wpm 
> General.  Nightly work on the National Traffic System got me a 20 wpm Extra.
>
> The bottom line is that many of those Scouts who learned by charts are today's 
> 30 wpm and higher operators.
>
> W4RK and I have taught code classes every Saturday morning (sometimes three) 
> for many years.  We do not allow charts in class.  What students use at home 
> is anybody's guess.  But with today's online Morse programs there is no reason 
> to complicate (and slow) the learning process by consulting a printed chart.
>
> 73,
>
> Kent  K9ZTV
>
>
> On 12/27/2019 7:00 AM, Charlie T wrote:
>> OH, yeah.....I can see it in front of me now, a little Johnson SpeedX Morse 
>> Code chart.
>> WORST thing I could possibly have used........YUGE plateau at 7 WPM !
>>
>> 73, Charlie k3ICH
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Please don't let him learn code by sight.  I taught myself from the list in 
>> my Boy Scout Handbook (still have it)  and I've never overcome doing it the 
>> wrong way. Passed a 20 WPM Extra exam but it was a struggle.  Still my 
>> favorite mode though.
>>
>> Wes  N7WS