Is there a "How To Learn Morse" reflector?
-W4SK
----- Original Message -----
From: "KT5X" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <elecraft@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2006 9:59 AM
Subject: [Elecraft] How Morse is learned
Background: I am a teacher. I learned Morse at 12 years of age, now 61. I
use Cw exclusively.
Not everyone can learn Morse for a variety of reasons. Some people,
especially a high percentage of those with dyslexia, can not discern as
separate sounds which do not persist for relatively long periods of time,
typically 200 ms. That is the speed of a dit (or a space) at about ten wpm
which is why some people get stuck forever below ten wpm.
Morse, like all languages, is easier to learn while language areas of the
brain are developing, but it can be learned later not so much with hard
work, as consistent practice several times a day, day after day.
Here are the neurological steps involved in the process of traditional
learning. Some of the newer approaches of listening to high speed early try
to skip some of these steps with varying degrees of success for some people,
and failure for others.
Traditional approach:
Step # 1 is to memorize the cipher. Dit-Dah is an A. You generally learn
the letters in groups of five letters at a time. Making words of the few
letters learned, rather than code groups, may encourage moving into language
interpretation later on rather than neurological auto-response. Code is
then deciphered from a "look-up table" residing in short-term memory. With
practice, short-term memory can interpret the cipher up to about ten wpm.
Step # 2: Regular use across days and weeks and sometimes months eventually
leads to the mind committing the look-up table to long-term memory. Once
the look-up table is moved into long-term memory, something that occurs in
your sleep by the way, access and retrieval is faster. Response time is
reduced such that with further practice, speed will rapidly rise from the
previous plateau of about 10 wpm, to a new plateau of about 18 wpm. Hence
the old General test was 13 wpm. You may not have full privileges until you
have located Morse in long-term memory.
Step # 3: What happens next may vary with how one is trained.
Many old timers moved the look-up table into a reflexive response literally
governed by the spinal-column. This op could copy code groups the same as
words. this op typically typed the copy, and did not know what was typed
unless they went back and read it. Constant practice with code groups (or
just contest call-signs) will lead to this result. I know several contest
ops who can copy calls, but can not carry on a conversation in Morse.
Most ham ops would prefer to move the code from a memorized look-up table
into the language area of the brain. It is almost an instantaneous
response. At first it is letter by letter. Eventually it is by syllables,
then sometimes even words. the first "word" I learned to interpret
instantly with the language center was "and" or "dit dididit" which I
thought was "ES" as a kid, but now know is American Morse for the & sign.
How to get it there? Invariably, when you are copying with the look-up
table, you print, even if you never print normally. Once you have been at
18 wpm for a while, and feel stuck there, it is time to move on as it were.
You can do so by forcing yourself, and it is difficult, forcing yourself to
change to script. Script runs the letters together into syllables and words
and that is what accesses the language area of the mind.
Step # 4: Early on in the language center, you are hearing the op spell to
you. You will generally comprehend this up to around 28 wpm. this "plateau
is less hard than previous ones. to go on past, put the pencil down, and
just listen. In no time at all you will copy 30, 35, 40, 45 wpm. You don't
copy "behind." you simply hear the person speaking. You either hear it or
you don't (QSB, QRM, loss of concentration).
As the speed rises, you will struggle more and more, concentrating to
actually hear what happened. It isn't the speed of it, but the hearing of
it that is limiting now. You lean beack in the chair, eyes closed, and
words materialize in your head, you simply know what was said.
Step # 5: If somewhere between 45 wpm and 60 wpm the dits and dahs seem to
blur into one another, you are normal. For me the limit seems to be 56 wpm.
I know precisely because when I copy calls from the contest simulators, it
always settles on that speed.
What's it all about, Alfie?
It's about your built in "echo-suppressor," also known as the Haas Effect.
The normal person does not discern as separate sounds which do not persist
for at least 20 ms (the speed of a dit or space at 60 wpm). It is theorized
this came about to make speech understandable in an echoing environment
(caves?).
Surround sound capitalizes on this effect by the way. The same sound as is
in the front speakers are fed to the rear speakers 7 ms later. You can not
discern it, but the ear hears it, the mind interprets it as an echo, and
this provides the full sensation of "live."
People who copy 70, 80, and 90 wpm, and there are a few, are among the small
percentage of people who are abnormal in a special way. They do not have
built-in echo-suppression. If you have it or if you don't, you have no idea
what the other one perceives.
But you CAN beat it! The echo suppressor is active up to about 1,500
cycles. Echoes are weak at high frequencies, hence our echo-suppression is
poor or non-existent there. Those "stuck" between 50 and 60 wpm may wish to
experiment with adjusting your radio to listen to high speed Morse at
extremely high frequencies.
I have done it, and had no trouble copying 75 wpm for the first time. I
calmly say, no trouble. Truth is, the ear-piercing frequency was such an
unpleasant screech, that I have never bothered again ;-)
Experimentation with learning code by listening to Morse characters at 35
wpm right off the bat skips the lower stages of interpretation and attempts
to jump into the language areas of the mind. One might wind up jumping into
the auto-neurological response instead of language, however, and be able to
type it without actually understanding it. You also may not have the
interpretive capacity at slow speeds since you don't even know the code your
copying. so it has to be realized that the short-cut is a mixed bag.
Choose your method, enjoy the challenge, have fun. But if after months of
consistent practice, you can not get past ten wpm, especially if you know
you are dyslexic, feel no guilt, and don't let anyone put you down. We each
have our special abilities, or lack of them. So what.
I can't dance to save my life!
72 Fred - kt5x (aka W5YA when QRP)
K2 # 700
P.S. origin of "HI HI" for laughter. You will note everyone sends the I by
spacing the two dits of the I. they do not send, didididit didit. they
send didididit dit dit. slightly spaced dit-dit is the letter "O" in
American Morse. You are actually sending American Morse for "HO HO".
Saying, "HI HI" on phone is, well, pathetic. Laugh, for crying out loud ;-)
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