Lately, I’ve found a few telemetry signals, and at certain points in the morning, I can get what I think are either ‘GZO’ or ‘GLO’ on a random signal. The problem is, is that I don’t know Morse Code enough to tell a short dah from a dit. I realize that I gotta get fluent at Morse Code.
So, how’d y’all learn it? Was it just through rote memorization? Did you have a pal to signal to ya? Did you just do it through practice? Hopefully, I’m looking for a web program that’ll teach it to me, but I haven’t found one yet. . .
Tripler
I ain’t got a dit about a dah yet. . . but I wanna learn.
CQ, CQ…I learned code well enough to get my General at age 13. The test was 13 WPM and I passed without a Novice or Tech license (5 WPM) first. I used records (LPs) with code at various speeds, and the turntable could be boosted from 33 to 45 or 78 to go even higher. There must be better tools today where the pitch wouldn’t rise as the code got faster.
The ARRL had some good books and other materials that tried to get away from the “dot, dash” terminology to one that sounded more realistic like “Dit, Daaaah”. You have to practice until it is second nature. After 15WPM or so, you don’t have time to recognize a character before the next one arrives. Good fisters listen in words, not letters. Practice makes perfect.
I also practiced by listening to ham bands and later, doing it myself with first a standard key then a semi-auto bug. Might be harder to find CW on RF nowadays. Then, all the serious DX was CW, not SSB or AM.
I work for the Royal Fleet Auxilary and hav to use morse code quite often, however we use flashing light morse code, for short range tactical comms with other Aux ships and the Royal Navy (Your navy sometimes too)
To be honest I foud learning morse really difficult and still have to have zen like concentration to read it at a decent pace. To be honest practice is the best policy!
I would argue against using this method. The problem is that you learn a “double conversion” in your head that is next to impossible to overcome later. You reach a plateau that limits your head copy speed. What you are doing when you learn morse code is learning a new language and you want it to become as natural and automatic as your native language. Another mistake when learning morse code is learning by counting the dits and dahs. The goal is to learn the complete sound of each letter and to have your hand reflexively write it down. Later, you won’t even need to write as you will be copying in your head like a real conversation. Mneumonics and counting both interfere with this process.
When I was cramming for my General license, I used the Gordon West tapes to go from 5 to 15 wpm. For the Extra exam, I spent a few weeks listening to the code practice sessions from W1AW. It got to the point where the white noise in my head was sending at 20 wpm… and I couldn’t copy it!
The problem I ran into was that I originally learned Morse as a visual language, not an audial language, and I still have trouble hearing complete words - I’m still stuck at processing each letter or each sound.
No but reading a book is totally different from reading Morse. In a Book the words are there waiting for you, reading morse is more like reading a Tele-printer issuing football scores, pointless to try and predict.
For example:
._ _. is A N
If you try to predict the next letter and hence the word then you could end up with
Any or And (A simple example I know, but it is better to read an idividual letter, rather than predicting a word)
You need to learn it by the rythem of the letters only. Try very hard NOT to think at all about dots and dashes. For example, the letter V (didididah) sounds sort of like the start of Bethoven’s 5th…which was used on the old tums commercial where they also made the V for victory sign.
I origionally tried to learn using an Ameco course on LPs. Never got it. Finally I got a Wayne Green (AKA W2NSD, AKA 73 magazine) tape that taught me to copy 5 wpm in an afternoon. He started with just E, and T, Then added A, and M (IIRC), then N and I, then S and U, etc.
That progression will make sense if you look at the code.
A saturday spent with the 6 WPM follow-on tape had me ready for my novice test. Unfortuantly, I passed those tapes on to a kid I elmered…still have a 25+ wpm tape when you get ready for that though!
My favorite sending exercise:
BEST BENT WIRE TREE
It has a neat rythem to it when sent properly.
If you listen to the ham bands, you will hear the following quite a bit:
cq - calling anyone
de -precedes callsign of station transmitting (from french I think)
es -and
73 -best regards (has a peculiar rythem)
dahdidididah -a dash punctuation. most often the code equivilent of saying “umm”.
didididididididit -I made a sending mistake, scratch that last word/partial word.
If you learn those, you will be able to pick SOMETHING out of almost any ham QSO (conversation) you tune into.
Oh by the way, the reason a lot of us are typing di(t) and dah instead of dot and dash is that by using those sounds, you can actually speak the rythem of the code. The di gets the t sound only when it is the last element of the letter…S is dididit . One exercise I did a lot was to mentally encode every traffic sign I passed…out loud if I was alone in the vehicle. When you get good and fast, you can start doing the billboards and buisness signs too.
I learned while I was in the AirForce - like anything practice is the key - and start slow - speed will ‘happen’ and cannot be forced. As the other poster said, one letter at a time - do not anticipate anything -
One big hint - DO NOT GO ON A DRINKING BINGE THE NIGHT BEFORE A CLASS - the hangover and headphones and “dah ditty dah” in your ears will be a memory you will not forget - ever - its as bad/worse as opening up a seafood resturant hung over…
Quit drinking altogether after that second one. (18 years ago - that’s how the memory stays with you!).
