Freaks Macintosh Archive/Freaks Macintosh Archive.bin/Freaks Macintosh Archives/Ham⁄GPS/NoviceHamTest Folder/Morse Study Ideas

Text File | 1995-07-29 | 18KB | 358 lines

The methods we use to learn MORSE are varied. Here are some different
methods so instructors & students can see, choose, & try various
ways as they practice, practice, practice. If you can think of more,
please send them to WD1V @ WA1WOK.NH.USA.NA. If you know of a class
going on in your area, make a printout of this & pass it to the
instructor/students. Tnx!

From: K1KP @ KA1SRD.MA
This is what got me from 8 to 13 WPM in 3 days (and eventually to 20):
I made a tape of random 5-letter groups, Farnsworth spaced at abt
20 WPM characters. After each letter, I immediately spoke the letter
on the tape. So when I listened to the tape, I heard the Morse character
immediately followed by the english character. I literally listened to
this tape night & day (including sleep) for 3 days and at the end of 3
days I could do over 13. If I heard a morse character, I would hear the
voice in my mind before I heard it from the tape. Try it!

From: WB1O @ K1UGM.MA
Too many Novice classes these days seem to be geared to passing a test
rather than teaching newcomers to get on the air.
As a former cw instructor, I always subscribed to the Farnsworth method
of code .. i.e. .. 13 wpm with 5 wpm spacing .. that way, as each student
gradually progressed his/her speed, the "sounds" of the characters remained
the same.  I guess one of the most important things to instill in your
students is that code can be FUN.

From: N1KGW @ KA1SRD
John, I am presently trying to pass 13 so I know of what I speak.
Do **NOT** let them see the code written out (ie) .-  -.. etc...
The transition from indvidual dits & dahs to letter sounds is very hard.
If they learn didah is A they don't have to translate the individual sonds into
a code and then to a letter.

From: WA1TBY @ K1UGM.MA
I usually send the characters at 18 wpm speed with long spacing in
between letters.  Have successfully completed two novice classes at the
Ward Elementary School in Newton by using this method and the kids are 4th,
5th and 6th graders.  It is surprising how fast they catch on, passed 35 or
37 first year and 16 of 17 second year, all with cw ability.

From: K1TVW @ KA1PEP.MA
 1. Prepare the class to be CW Operators.  Don't just prepare
    them to pass a 5 (or 13 or 20) WPM Morse Code receiving test.
    If Morse Code is presented as something they must learn so
    they can talk on the HF bands, the best you can hope for is a
    bunch of voice operators who just learned Morse Code to upgrade.
    Not everyone will like CW operation and thats fine, but by
    presenting it in a positive manner you'll be encouraging those
    that will eventually discover they enjoy CW operation.

 2. Expose the class to a CW QSO at 25 WPM.  Explain that this is
    their goal for CW operation.  But, before reaching their goal
    they must learn to crawl (5 WPM), then learn to stand (13 WPM),
    then learn to walk (20 WPM).  Do not mistake a slow QSO at 5, 10,
    or 15 WPM for real CW operation.

 3. When the class has sufficient operating privileges, don't
    substitute tape or computer practice for real on-the-air
    operating.  This is like learning how to swim without ever being
    in water.  Form a MCW (code practice oscillator or side tone
    and an HT) net on VHF simplex or through a repeater.  Novice
    and Tech+ operators should try to work HF CW to increase their
    code speed.  Unscheduled QSO's with strangers are better than
    scheduled QSO's with friends.

 4. Sending to a terminal unit with a Morse Code decoder (like a KAM)
    can be good sending practice to assure development of a sending
    style with sufficient character and word spacing.  If the decoder
    can understand the Morse Code sent, then a human can.  NEVER use
    one of these units to decode Morse Code during a QSO.  Use it only
    to develop your sending style.

 5. Of course, use the Farnsworth Method of learning Morse Code.
    I think the ARRL Morse Code tests use 17 WPM characters at 5
    and 13 WPM average speed.  You might consider extending this
    to using 27 WPM characters at 20 WPM average speed, although
    this is not done in the ARRL 20 WPM test.

From: W1OG > K1EA:
The students should think in cw when ever they can ie: while riding or walking
read all the signs to them selves. that is to say the stop sign is
dit dit dit   dah    dah dah dah    dit dah dah dit and so forth. u know the
cars , billboards st signs  etc. its surprising how quickly this sticks
when u think in cw. language classes use this methode, speaking only
in in the language being taught.

From: WD1V @ WA1WOK.NH
Suggest you change your mind and decide to FALL in LOVE with CODE!
Explore it. Not liking it is more of a hinderance to learning it than anything
else. So what is there
to like?
1) It is efficient - BW small and gets thru when other methods can't
2) It takes SKILL - a skill that you can learn and enjoy learning and using
3) It stimulates your brain and your mind works differently when you use it
   for CW - focused concentration
4) It takes cheaper gear to have a CW QSO = more QSOs with the rare ones...
5) It is an opportunity to express your self with a style and recognize
   different styles in others
6) CW ops are faster QSLers and are VERY polite and friendly people...
7) CW is musical and communicative at a primal level...exploring that may
   show us things about ourselves that we didn't recognize before
8) CW means you can operate silently - great for insomniacs that don't wish
   to wake others

From: wa2rcb @ n3foa.#epa.pa.usa.na
Hello! Another Idea I used to get my code speed up:
I would listen to the commercial CW stations when they
were sending ship traffic & WX reports. Beautiful CW
at 20-25 WPM at an hour a crack. One I used was station
CFH, on 8.697 Mhz. When not sending CW marker beacon, they
send interesting WX reports. many many CW from 8.1-9.0 Mhz
Try them on ur general coverage receiver.
In about 5 months, I was copying abt 35 WPM, problem I
had was going from commercial CW, to the cw on the ham
bands was a shock in comparason! Oh well...(*.*)

From: AA2DN @ W2ODV
#1- BEG, BORROW, or STEAL a reciever and listen to code being sent thats FASTER
    copy

#2- Send license plates while standing on a street corner waiting for the
    light to change. Short exposure to nice random groups

#3- Practice sending on a straight key. Put the Bencher away until you're ready
    to go out on 20 and put it to some REAL use. Manually forming characters
    helped me a great deal. Specifically, record your sending as you send text
    originated from sending a newspaper article backwards. It shouldn't be to
    hard to send faster than being able to copy. Play the tape back. Look at
    what you copied and read it backwards from the paper. See how accurate your
    copy is. Learn to send at the same time.

4#- Write down whatever you copy, GO ON WHEN YOU MISS ONE LETTER..

5#- Use the Farnsworth method. Use no visual cues.

#6- Enjoy your education. Learn a new, universal language. Ham radio is a
    hobby. If a hobby isn't fun, why bother with it..

From: KB8GMP @ W8SP
After attaining a rudimentary knowledge of the code by whatever means (arrl
tapes, hand practice, etc.) I got together with another person who was
learning cw.  We would take turns sending a letter at a time at about 13 or
so wpm.  As soon as the 'receiver' spoke the letter, the next was sent.
After a while, we could do the same thing with whole words.  Now to refine
higher speed cw, I personally used 'Super Morse' on a computer and set it up
to send me random  regular words with a character and letter spacing of about
60, and a word spacing of 3 to 5.  Then I blanked my mind and listened to the
code and watched the words appear on the screen.  After about 5 minutes, I
would slow down the character and letter spacing by about 5 or 10 wpm.  This
would continue until I could start repeating the words  which was then about
35 to 40 wpm!  Not bad for a novice, eh?  This method will quickly burn out
your attention span and will fatigue you quickly, but it does work very
quickly.  For times that I couldn't be around a computer, for instance
driving, I would read a roadside sign and then think the sign's text out in
morse.  The goal is to complete the sign in morse before I passed it.  Hope
these tricks help somebody out.  Let me know if you like them.  73 4 now and
happy dit-dahs.    Joff.     <<<Gets More Pizza>>>

From: KN4TD @ WA3ZNW.MD
I've just seen your compendium of learning tips/tricks
and feel compelled to add my 2 cents worth. Certainly
learning Morse parallels learning a language in many
ways but the way we are tested departs.
A student of language is considered proficient when he
can converse fluently which involves compreshension of
what the other spreaker said and the ability to synthesize
a response. To be fluent in Morse in this way is the goal
of every student who plans to use Morse in his Ham activities.
In proving our skills to the FCC, however, we are required to
answer 10 questions correctly (in every detail) or submit 1
minute of perfect copy. The goal in preparation for a test
of this sort is not comprehension but rather to turn oneself
in to a mindless automaton which translates a sound into a
written character on a piece of paper. I did not use "mindless"
to be cute. He who stops to think while copying code near his
speed limit is lost.

It is, thus, most important that students write every character
they hear. I remember meeting a fellow at a test session who had
listened to tapes in the car on he way to work each day until
he "knew" the code. He doubtless copied better in his head than
most who passed that day and was thus on his way to being a better
operator but he flunked the test.

My recommendation:
1. Learn the code to the point that you know all the
characters well at a slow speed. Use Farnsworth spacing by
all means. Write every character you hear.
2. Listen to code tapes or code machines (AEA MM-3, your PC etc.)
as often as possible but in short sessions (15-20 min). A commute
is an ideal place to do this as there is usually nothing else to do.
Write down every character you hear. This does not mean literally.
One may take an immaginary pencil and "write" the character on his
knee while driving (don't let other people see you doing this).
3. Listen to both text (QSO's, W1AW) and random groups.
4. Take the test when transcription is mindless. You'll pass.
5. Now you are ready to start learning code. Go back to a slower
speed and work with it until you can comprehend. That does not
mean copying every character. It means understanding what the
guy said. It is here that one starts to hear letter groups and
words instead of characters.
6. Practice, Practice, Practice. You'll never get proficient speaking
Tagalog if you only use it 15 min. per week. Same with Morse.

Everyone is an individual whose learning process is distinct so
this method may not be the best for some. It worked for me.

73, AJ

From: AA7NI @ WB7QEU
Sheesh, Those may work for those with at least some aptitude
for code but for us with no aptitude whatsoever its another story.
I tried 5 times in my life (I am now 58 years old) to learn code.
I tried every method known to man.  In each instance I was not
able to get above about 8 wpm, even though I worked for months at
that speed.  I tried over the air - QSO's, I had a novice back in
1957.  I tried tapes, records, classes nothing worked !!!!!
I retired two years ago and thought I would try one more time.
I had not tried since 1976.  I wrote a program for my computer,
added an audio amp to the computer speaker, attached headphones, and
started !!!!!  I found that having the computer send ten five letter
groups at a time, correcting after each group of ten, and increasing
the speed when I missed less than five letters out of the 50.  I did
this for 4 to 6 hours a day, 7 days a week for 4 months !!!!!!!!!!!!
I was able to consistantly copy five letter code groups at about
18 wpm with only 1 or 2 errors in the ten groups.  I then went to take
the General test (I had had my Novice for 18 days.  They gave the
20 wpm test first, I took it.  I passed it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
At the same time I took the Technician, General, Advanced, and Extra
written tests, passed them all !!!!!!!!!  Hey I am an EXTRA !!!!!!!!
I am firmly convinced that when all else fails, quick short runs
of five letter groups works, at least it worked for me.  I tried longer
runs but they seemed to be more frustrating and were counterproductive.
I struggled at the beginning with longer runs, my speed only increased
with the short quick burst time of practice.  It may not be the best
for everyone but it sure worked for me.

     73 Dick

From: VE2GDZ @ VE2UMS.PQ.CAN.NA

In my last caculated experimentation in teaching CW, I found that being
unpedagogical was very efficient.

We have all heard about not looking at the written symbol to copy morse
code.  Yes, I agree that if time and student motivation permits one should
learn Morse Code simply orally.  This is not what I did....but it worked
quite well.

A proposed an intensive Morse Code training session during last Field Day
June 1992.  I promised the students that they WOULD copy code at 5 wpm and
that the prerequisite was absolutely no prerequisite.

Through conversation with these chaps on radio VHF, I firstly told them that
Code is easier than learning any second language.  I also made sure that
someone else was drumming "business" (talking about the ease).  I told them
that SOMEBODY else made it difficult and that I would make it EASY.

About 10 hams showed up for the session...

The first exercise was to decode 10 messages written with dots and lines,
the students were to get the answer from a Morse Code Sheet.  Pedagogically,
this is when the students did the real learning.  Each message was
progressively longer yet each message was answered faster.

EACH MESSAGE SENT A POSITIVE MESSAGE STATING THAT CODE WAS EASY AND THAT
THEY WOULD COPY.  ALL CONTENTS WERE POSITIVE ABOUT CODE OR ABOUT THE ABILITY
OF COPYING CODE.

Then what I did is presented code with the aid of an audio oscillator in the
same type of format as the Novice CW cassettes from ARRL.  With the basic
sentence"....when you hear....write...."

The teacher should remember that as a teacher one wants to teach code in the
best possible way.  Contrary to all of that is the learner's point of view
that wants to copy WORDS not code.

So I believe that copying words as quickly as possible is the best way.
Since your in the States, everyone (well maybe) speaks English.  Use English
words but as soon as you feel some competency on your students use words in
other languages.  The other languages will be cypher to the students but you
can tell them that they are words and THEY WILL FEEL THE NEEDED REWARD of
copying words.

I hope that this has been useful for you.  I know it sounds unorthodox but
it is "workodox".  That is what counts.

Here I go again,  before I started all of this I always believed that
copying code at 5 wpm can be done by transfering from visual to oral and
written, there is sufficient time.

The argument against all of this is that someone will say that the learner
will have difficult later at higher speeds...I say to that Bachelor of
Science...The purpose of teaching code is not speed, it is learning and
liking to do code.  Speed is a technicality that can be acquired through
other means.

Well that's it, those are my ideas about code this morning at 6:00 am prior
to my getting ready to go teach Junior High School.  I have been teaching
for 27 years.

73 de Victor

From: W3JIW @ WB4D

However there is another side of the coin in learning code..
    Most persons who claim they cannot learn the code are JUST TOO
LAZY.  I have a friend who used to come to the radio club in 1937.  He
was so lazy he got around to getting a Novice Ticket in the late
fifties and then promptly let it expire.  Then when the Novice lastd
longer he got it again.  He now has a General Ticket and Brags about
being an Old timer.
     Oh Yes he had to have both legs amputated from not taking care
of his Diabetes (Again Lazy).  And now is too Lazy to learn to walk
on the Prosthesis Medicare purchased.  I lost my left leg below the
knee due to Hereditary Vascular Aneurisms. It was about three months
earlier than he.  I get along fine on the Prostjhesis (leg).  However
I know the other leg is going shortly.  It will slow me down but not
stop me.
    I have been able to teach men over 65 the 30 WPM in six weeks!!
However any who did not practice at least 15 minutes per day.  I
would drop them.  I well recall being proud of getting my Ticket in
1937.  Learning the code on my own.  Then I worked W3BAK Jean Hudson
"AGE NINE" who passed the theory "Desertation Type" and 13 WPM.  It
brought me down to earth.  Too many can tell you what they don't
need to learn. This included the "Morally Handicapped" Lawyers and
Politicians.  Who are destroying a fine hobby for MONEY.  And the
sale of Foreigh Electronic Equipment.
    John my Grand Son was on a worker Training Program with Precision
Airways in Manchester last fall.  He graduated from the Florida
Institute of Technology this June.  Three years for a Bachelor of
Science with Honor.
73 Ray

From: W2KVA @ W7AZF.#CENCA.CA.USA.NA

1)    Students LEARNING CW should practice a minimum of 15 minutes
EVERY DAY.  Maximum practice times should not exceed 30 minutes at
one stretch, but two 15-30 minute sessions a day is even better.
The reason for limiting the practice sessions is that students get
tire and discouraged, and the added time becomes counterproductive.

2)   Once a student has a license, he/she should be sure to have
at least one good QSO per day.  Preferably with someone who has a
GOOD fist.  Nothing is more discouraging than trying to copy a fist
that is just a LITTLE off, but nothing will increase proficiency
faster than HAVING FUN CHATTING ON CW.  After all, we all got our
tickets so we could communicate with other hams, doing it in CW is
just as much fun as doing it on SSB, and there's a sense of accomplish-
ment too.

73, Tom



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