CW - Different learning methods for different situations My call: WA4MQW Ham license Novice Class/Conditional Class 1963 - Memorized "dots and dashes" visually then upon hearing code would play a mental matching game to match the letters and then write the results down. Very difficult time at first but within about 3 months was able to pass the 13 wpm code test for the upgrade.
63 -69 code speed slowly got up to about 15-18WPM 1970 entered US Army Security Agency and was sent to code school. Had to relearn using their method. All copy was done with a typewriter (keyboard to the younger ones). Think everyone had to already know how to touch type (i.e. no looking at the keys). First week was spent learning to recognize the sounds of each letter in morse code and learning to make our fingers respond automatically to that sound so that in a short time we were no longer trying to mentally think of what character was being sent. This process increased our speed dramatically. Think that in some ways my prior cw experience made it harder at first as I had to stop trying to think of what character I was going to type but quickly adapt to using the "Army way". 70 to 73 Copied code 8 to 12 hours a day when on duty depending on our work schedule. During this time most all of the operators could easily copy 24 to 26WPM almost without error. As one previous poster said about their Navy experience, we for the most part never understood the messages we were copying since they were coded groups. The whole cw copying process became so automatic that we even have light conversations with others standing around us while copying the fast cw and I frequently daydreamed. At times I felt like I was in some kind of trance and was removed mentally from what I was doing with my hands. Weird but true. 73 - present: All CW work has been on the ham bands and even though I personally have copied 100% at over 40WPM using the keyboard or what was know in the trade as the "mill". My code learning method had to change again so that I could actually give intelligent responses during a QSO. At first I just wanted to use a typewriter but that meant that at the end of the transmission from the other station I would have to quickly read all that was sent and formulate a normal reply. This was hard to do so I went back to trying to think of the letters as I was copying them and write it all down. I was not very good at higher speeds using this method at first. Now, after all these years, I just try to copy all the code in my head and only write down key items during a qso and this works for me up to about 25 -28WPM which is really my top end for good copy and retention. OK, guess I should have told all this to a shrink but it is the truth. Got to go to theorpy and start building my Elecraft KXB-3080 to expand my newly completed KX1. 73 Bob WA4MQW __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
