I placed an order for a Begali Adventure key to go with the KX3.  I don't know a lick of code but I figure if I order the key I might as well learn how to use it.  

So now I am pulling out the code practice apps on the phone to start the process.  Wish me luck.  

Very nice key.
I have two of them. I have the mono versions of it. I don't use iambic keying and prefer a single lever paddle.

The craftsmanship is very nice.

I watched a few folks using dual lever keys and Iambic and liked the style.  No matter what it will take some learning.

Learn by sound only

Don't even look at a chart


Don't use any tricks (rhymes etc)

Plan on it.  I downloaded the koch trainer app and a couple others using similar.  I really would like to find a concise training course using audio only.  mp3 download etc so that I am not looking at any guides.  It would really help as I have times like driving, hiking, etc when I can listen.

Very nice! You'll enjoy it, especially after you start making DX contacts running just a few watts into simple antennas.

Check the SKCC operating frequencies for slow speed receiving practice and making contacts. You can also download ARRL practice files.

Chuck Adams, K7QO, has a CW course in mp3 format.

Chuck Adams home page

Chuck Adams Code Course



I forget how I did it, but a couple of years ago I downloaded the whole course into iTunes, on my computer.

Thanks, burning the CD now.

Why could'nt this advice have been dumped on me when I started?!?!?!

This is actually my issue.  The KX3 is a great radio but SSB QRP is limiting.  I am getting into a position to hit some mountains worth some SOTA points.  But I don't want to be lugging huge antennas, amps, etc.  Minimal will be key for several reasons including airline restrictions, my back, etc.  I doubt I will be ready in time for this first trip but If I can learn CW and use the KX3 to its full potential using a decent antenna I will be happy.

Sign up for CW Academy today. You'll get put on a list a year out, but you'll probably get in within the year. I signed up in November 2014, was told I had a slot Jan 2016 and got a spot April 2015. Here's the site. http://www.cwops.org/cwacademy.html

Did they tell you the turn around time for getting one of these in the states? I've been wanting one, but hesitate on the price. Is it really better than the Pico Paddle? If so, how much better?

Same reason nobody told me.

I had so many bad habits to unlearn that really held me back

I have posted this before, but I can't stress enough, the need for someone trying to learn CW to read this book.

It is free. All you have to do is read it.

Zen and the Art of Radio Telegrahy

This book will save you from making a lot of mistakes.
Reading this book with prevent you from doing this the wrong way, getting frustrated and quitting.
Reading this book will save you a lot of time that you would otherwise waste doing things the wrong way.

Thanks, downloaded.

I can lead a horse to water, and hopefully he will drink.

I am not an expert by any means in CW.
But, I have operated CW as my primary ham radio mode for over 30 years.
When I read this book, it was obvious to me from the beginning that this guy knows what he is talking about.  He echoed a lot of througts I have had myself over the years.
I learned CW the absolute wrong way. I know this now.

Don't make the same mistakes I made. Download that book, and then read that book.

While we're at it, here is a classic.

The Art and Skill of Radio-Telegraphy

+1 to CW Ops course and W0UCE's (Jack) course.
+1 to Zen and the Art of Radiotelegraphy as well!

The emphasis is to stay away from farnsworth and learn the most common words (and portions of words) by sound and rhythm at a speed in the 20-25 wpm range. The idea is that you learn many words as words so "the" isn't T-H-E, it's just a word...the.
It works and works very well. I started level II around the first of the year and I'm currently in the level III class and have learned a lot!

I have a Begali Adventure and love it, you will really enjoy that key...and become spoiled by it.

If you need anyone to practice with, drip me a line. There are a few of us ARFCOMMERS that get together on Skype and practice our code.



I have both. They are both great paddles in my opinion.
The pico paddles are perfectly fine for what the KX3 was intended if you ask me, but the Begali feels like using a high end desk paddle. It's not quite as small either which may be an issue for some. Given the choice I'd take the begali every time, but I think the pico paddle wins in the bang-for-the-buck category.

IN!

No timeline given.  I expect a wait but it is a reputable company.  I have no clue if its better than the pico.  I liked the design and the fact that the same paddle can be used for portable as well as desktop ops.  

I looked at a bunch of other keys and liked the Begali designs.  I hope I like it.  Either way, I will learn how to use it.  I bought it as a motivation to learn code.  So far I am using the Ham Morse app and can pick out the first 4 letters pretty good.  It will be a long road but I am determined to see it to the end.

Go to YouTube and search for "Goathiker". That's exactly what he's doing. He uses pack goats for his SOTA activities.

If you are on top of a mountain, QRP SSB works fine.

True but I don't always make it to the top. :-)   Last year I ended up throwing a wire into a tree behind the resort we stayed at.  The weather limited my play time so I did not make it to the top.  Lightning stuck the golf course 100 yards away about 5 minutes after I got the antenna down and packed.  

I still want to learn CW.  Don't give me a reason not to learn it.  

+1000000. Never use rhymes. You will have a heck of a time copying in your head if you do.

OP, did you get an optional base with the key? Everyone recommends getting a base for that particular key model.

I did order the base.  I figure I can use it here at the house with the IC-7200 if needed.  

I am not even looking at any charts.  Sound only.  The app shows the letters as they are played and I got hung up on looking at them for a bit.  Now I am turning the phone over so that I don't see the screen.   I can pick out the letters pretty consistently.   I have varied the tone a little but keep the WPM at 20.

If I was you, in addition to reading that book I posted earlier; once you learn all the letters and all the numbers, I would get on the air and start working people. Keep doing the practice that you are doing now, but also throw in a QSO a day or so. It's fun, it adds a new dimension to the whole thing, and it ought to encourage you to keep at it.  Because after all, getting on the air is the goal of the whole exercise.

I have posted in a lot of these learning CW threads, and I have mostly posted the same thing over and over. But, at the risk of pissing people off: Learning CW isn't the big deal that some people make it out to be. For most of the time that ham radio has existed, every licensed ham in the world learned CW. In addition, in the military over the last century, many many thousands of GIs learned morse code.

Also, operating CW on the air isn't some kind of exclusive group where you have to know the secret handshake or anything. There are people of all skill levels on the air. And, back when CW was mandatory, people learned the alphabet and the numbers and then got on the air. Not only are there other people at the same point in the learning process as you are, but there are thousands of people who would love to help you get started. The people that are at the same point as you will be grateful for someone else to help them learn and the guys who are already active on the air will get a great thrill in helping you out. I can tell you that on groups like the SKCC Sked page mentioned earlier; if someone gets on there and says they have never made a CW contact before, people scramble to be their first contact. And after the fact, they can't wait to post that they were someone elses first CW contact. I have actually been a couple people's first CW contact and I actually called my old elmer to brag about it. It gives that guy a great feeling, and in my case I wanted to let my elmer know that I was carrying on the tradition and also wanted to thank him for doing the same for me years ago. When I got a QSL card in the mail that said thanked me for being someone elses first CW contact, it was proudly displayed in my shack.

My point here is to not over think this. Keep a positive attitude about it and as you progress just keep in mind that countless people before you have done it and you can too. Not so much in learning CW, but in other things I have done in my life, it really kept me going to know that so many other people did what I am trying to do that it can't be as hard as it seems at the time.

444 I really do appreciate the help and advice from everyone.  

My situation is a bit different in that I was diagnosed with several learning disabilities as a kid.  

My handwriting sucks due to a kindergarten teacher that insisted I switch from left hand to right because "she could not teach a lefty". The school phycologists I had to see later were convinced that it screwed some wiring in my brain.    I compensated early teaching myself how to type and can now type ~75+ WPM.  But a typing instructor would be disgusted by my style.  To the average typist it scares them because its like my brain and hands are direct wired.  I actually learn better from using my hands.  That is one reason I wanted to order a key to learn with.  I will probably learn better if I send as well as hear the letters.    

Language Arts has always been a problem for me.  The schools were so focused on my handwriting that I failed to get a good foundation.  It's taken me a lifetime to repair what was screwed up.  While I can type really fast, I have to spend time going back to repair spelling and grammatical errors.  

I am not trying to make excuses. This was more to explain that sometimes it may seem like I am tackling things from a different angle than most.  I just have to find the method that works for me.  If I try the way most people learn and it does not work I can usually modify things some and find a different way to make it click.    

This, In a very big way, this.

To anyone learning CW, follow the lesson plan and you'll be on the air in just a few weeks. It's the plan I followed to learn code. Take the lesson plans, plug them into Just Learn Morse Code and you'll be there. Trust me. I'm the guy who has utterly failed at learning code before yet with this software and the Zen lesson plan I did learn code. All it takes is 15 minutes a day.

As a slight hijack, many people find it easier to send than to receive. Work on your sending between now and your SOTA trip and:

1) head copy will get easier
2) you could always use the KX3 to send PSK31 with the key for SOTA

I've had great luck with mountaintop SSB with 10W on 20m and 40m, but if you are worried about your activation then you could always program the memory keyer and send PSK with that! It is a great low QRP mode and users are expecting canned responses anyway.

I read through the Zen book and was a bit frustrated that no iPhone app existed to replicate the list used in the book.  That was until I found the settings in the Ham Morse app.  You can reorder the letters in the Koch section to replicate the Zen book.  I am liking this character set better already.

Some teachers should have never chosen a teaching profession. I doubt your teacher could teach a "righty" either. Most likely it was not due to your learning disability but your teacher's teaching disability.
You know, I grew up and went to school overseas. I have never seen anyone write with a left hand until I moved to the US. Several of my friends were left handed but they all wrote with a right hand.
It's funny that you mentioned your typing ability.  I'm complete opposite and unfortunately never learned to type properly. Computers were just coming out when I graduated from school (10th grade) and typing was not even in the curriculum. Typing was not in the curriculum at the university I went to either. I learned to use 2 fingers and a thumb on each hand  and I can't type without looking at the keyboard. I tried to learn to type properly but my brain is just not wired that way. Old habits are hard to break too. I can write as fast as someone talks though, even without looking down at what I'm writing.

One thing I am having trouble with is the spacing between letters.  I am still trying but 20WPM in the app compresses things a bit making it hear to hear.  I slowed it down to 10 and it is a bit easier.  

I did some digging and found a pretty neat video that has helped a bit for me.  Leave it to the .mil to break it down for the average joe to understand.  

One thing to try:

When you start listening to the code at higher speed, it sounds REALLY fast and you immediately think it is too fast for you to copy.
Give it a few minutes.
Don't push yourself. Don't even make a real big effort to copy it. Just let it flow.
You will find yourself copying letters after awhile. Later, you will start putting the letters together. At first maybe just two, but as time goes on more.

This was just one big thing I got out of the Zen book. The part where he had CW playing in his car and he wasn't even paying attention to it. He was thinking about other things. At some point he realized that he was copying the code without really thinking about it. This is completely contrary to the way I learned the code initially. I sat there totally focused on listening and then copying down on paper an exact duplicate of what was being sent. Striving for 100% copy. This held me back for decades.  Just one of the many downsides to this is that if I missed a letter, I paniced which caused me to miss the next 3-4 letters.

I think that when code was required to pass a ham radio license exam, the way people learned code was largely a product of the early telegraph industry and the military. One thing both of these share is that the message you were copying, was not intended for you. In other words, you were copying the message and the information was to be given to someone else. Absolute accuracy was mandatory. However for most ham radio CW operation, this is not the case. It is the case in traffic handling/ARES type of senarios, but for rag chewing or working DX, this isn't how it works. In ham radio, the message is usually for you. You don't normally have to have 100% accuracy. You just need to know what the other guy is saying. You are having a conversation. It is no different than if you are talking to someone and there are distractions going on. You might not get every single word that he is saying, but you know what he is trying to communicate. This is why head copy is so important in ham radio and why writing everything down is a mistake. Writing everything down requires a lot more thought and effort. It adds an additional step to the process that often isn't needed.

When I broke myself of writing everything down, I started listening to CNN Headline News in Morse Code while I drove to and from work. It went exactly like it should have. At first it was just sounds. It was fast. I didn't think it would ever work.................. But, I had been operating CW for years so I could pick out letters and that was all. Then I started stringing the letters together into words. Then I started getting partial sentences. It helped that I knew about the news stories that they were talking about. It didn't take all that long before I could listen to this and know what was being said. I wasn't copying 100%. I missed whole words. But I could follow what was being "said". If you quizzed me on the content, I could have answered the questions. And so it remains to this day: when I am working someone on the air, it don't usually get 100% copy. In fact sometimes I don't get 3/4 of what they are sending. But, I can follow the conversation and that is all that really matters.

One thing that I have talked to people about over the years is working DX. They want to learn CW because it is a much better way to work DX. But they listen to DX pileups on the air and they hear the guy sending at 25 or 30 wpm and say that the guy is sending too fast for them to copy. They did what I am advising you not to do. They listened for a minute and then quit because they thought it was too fast. I tell them to understand that the DX station is 99% of the time sending a callsign and 599. That's it. That is all you have to copy. That is all you have to be able to send at that speed. He isn't sending a book that you have to copy with 100% accuracy.  He is sending something like W1AW 599. W4ABC 599 W9AR 599..................................  It's vital that the person gets over the mental block they have with speed.

I also believe firmly that you should be listening to complete sentences. Plain text that actually means something rather than random characters. Yes, you will guess at what is being sent. So what ? This is how real life communication takes place. So why not practice it like it is real life ?

I am probably getting ahead of myself here, because you first have to learn the letters. But as soon as possible, make the letters into words. Words are where it's at.

I learned the code in a military school and had experienced the same issues. They used mnemonics method and it worked. We learned to copy everything on paper without thinking about the context. I could easily copy 30+ WPM with a 100% accuracy. I later passed the 20 WPM Extra test with flying colors. I simply wrote everything down in groups of 5 characters, just like we were taught. I had no clue what I just copied and had to read my writing to be able to answer the test questions.
This backfired big time when I tried using code on the air. It took me many years to be able to copy in my head. I'm still having a hard time to copy everything and often use pen and paper if it gets beyond a typical QSO.
OP, It's hard to break old habits. Learn on our mistakes and try to do this the correct way. Do not use mnemonics! Learn to hear the music of each character at a minimum of 15 WPM (character speed) but use much longer pause between the characters. Switch to copying real text, QSOs or W1AW transmissions as soon as you master all the letters and numbers. Try to hear the whole words instead of individual letters. This will take time. It's like learning a simplified foreign language.

Yes
When I took the Extra Class CW test, I didn't go in there expecting to take the test. I wasn't even taking the Extra Class test. I was taking the Advanced Class text. But, they gave the CW test first and they said I might as well give it a shot in case I wanted to take the Extra test.

So I sat down and copied on paper, what was sent at 20 wpm. I ended up with a solid block of text. Just letters strung together to form a paragraph. A solid block.
I thought to myself, well this was a waste of time.
But when I started looking at what I had copied, it was all there. I had copied most of it perfectly.

The point being, I had no idea what I was copying. They wern't words. There was no meaning. I was just copying. I was copying correctly, but it meant nothing to me.
This would be fine if I was copying a telegram for someone else or something, but this isn't ham radio communication where I am supposed to be having a conversation with someone.
That got me thinking that this was what I actually did on the air. I copied everything down on paper. Then when he turned it over to me, I sat there for a moment and read what he has sent, then replied.

Not the way to learn code for ham radio.

This is not to mention that you can only write so fast. At 20 wpm it was everything I could do to write that fast. So, had I kept writing down everything, that is as fast as I could ever go on CW. I created an artificial barrier to my code speed by adding an unnessary step to the process. This barrier was overcome by commercial and military operators by typing on a manual typewriter called a mill. It typed in all caps and was otherwise just like a manual typewriter but it was made for copying CW.

In ham radio where you don't need a hard copy of everything, this barrier is overcome by copying in your head and having an actual conversation.

It's interesting to note that when W1AW transmits their high speed practice sessions, they start at the highest speed and work downwards. It works. For instance, if you're trying to achieve 15 WPM, start at 25 WPM and by the time they drop down to 15, it seems slow.

You can do the same thing with their downloadable practice files.

I have been working on learning CW using LCWO.  What I am finding, is my brain is associating the sound of each letter with a position on the keyboard.  If the site plays the letter N, I will automatically hit the N key in response, but my mind doesn't say "hey, that was the letter N".  I am sure it will all come together soon, but it really points out how interesting the learning process is.

It is very interesting.
We have been messing with this for a century and we are still trying to figure out the best way to do it. Lots of people have done it using all kinds of various methods. But when we try to figure out the fastest and easiest way to do it, we are still guessing. You bring up a very interesting point: are you really learning the letter or are you learning what key to hit on the keyboard ?  I am guessing that you know how to type, so subconsciously you associate the letter N with that key on the keyboard, so I am going to say that you really are learning the sound of the letter N, your brain knows it's the letter N, and you are hitting the key on the keyboard your brain associates with the letter N. Note that this adds an additional step to the process that isn't absolutely nessessary for ham radio, but I still think it's all good. Using this type of software adds an extra step to the learning process, but the software is such a great tool that I wouldn't worry about it. And, as an added bonus, if you ever start contesting, this is a valuable skill to have. You can sit at your keyboard, copy a station's callsign using the keyboard. Then you hit a macro to go back to them and the software inserts his call into what it sends and logs at the same time.

I had a very difficult time doing what you are doing. I knew CW. And, I knew how to type. I wanted to get one of those ARRL Code Proficiency Certificates. You copy the W1AW code practice transmission off the air, and then you submit your copy to the ARRL and you have to have so many minutes of perfect copy to get the certificate. So I figured I would just sit there and type on my computer as I listened to the radio. But I had some difficulty associating the keys to the letter even though I know how to type. Plus, I made typing mistakes. Not mistakes in copying the code but just typing mistakes. Well, the copy is graded and  a fine line exists if you go back and correct your mistakes to give you a perfect copy. In my mind it would be OK to correct typing mistakes when I copied the code OK. But it wouldn't be OK to correct mistakes in the code I copied. In the end I got sidetracked and never followed through with trying to get the certificate. The point is that typing added another layer to the process that I had to learn and this would have taken practice.

As stated many times before, I have come to the conclusion that the best way to learn to copy code is to learn it the way you are going to actually use it.


Here is a very cool piece of software for learning to copy callsigns quickly: RUFZ  There are actually competitions for CW. They are a lot more popular in Europe than they are in the US, but there is even a world championship. This software is used in those competitions for one phase of the competition. You can go on YouTube and watch some pretty amazing operators in action. These competitions are the  IARU High Speed Telegraphy Championships.

Another cool piece of software is Morse Runner.  It simulates working a contest and is a lot of fun to play with.

It has a lot to do with the fact that everyone learns differently.  Even the basics, it comes down to different ways that people take in information.  I am fascinated by the learning process because mine is so fracked up.  Its interesting to me to see how others can absorb info that I have trouble with.  Similar to test taking.  Some people struggle with tests even though they know the information.  Some folks, like me, can usually walk in and take a test with minimal studying.  

I have spent the last couple days working through most of the letters.  Still a bunch to go.  I can pick out letters when listening but I am not yet putting them into words.  10 WPM is my sweet spot right now but I am working on trying to get back to 20.  I did find that using one of the sending apps on my iPhone helped a great deal with memorizing the letters I worked with.  I wish I could find a way to hook my key up to my phone or similar to practice with and get a read back.  I think the KX3 might do this but not sure.  I know it works for receiving decode.  

It does.  
- Hook up your key, set transmit level to 0.0 watts.
- Set mode to CW
- Hold VOX so that PTT is displayed
- Hold TEXT to enter he text decode dialog, rotate the VFO B knob to select RX THR3
- Tap DATA to exit the text decode dialog
- Set the CW keyer for the desired speed by rotating KEYER/MIC
- Set transmit power to 0.0
- Key away and monitor in the VFO B window  or use the KX3 Utility to monitor an extended display of characters.

Wonderful, I will give that a try.

Update:  Got an email from Bruna today.  She was in the US at Dayton so did not reply to my order right away.  Not a problem.  She says that there is someone in the US that  has the stock and handling the processing of the orders.  That way you are not waiting for each individual key to ship from Italy, make its way through customs, etc.  She said It should arrive a few days after its shipped.

SHE

Piero's Daughter

Ok thanks.  Running on a lack of sleep.  Had a stressful evening when the 5 year old got bit on the hand by a dog.

Yeah, I think she handles most of the day to day operation of the business. I am basing that on the fact that any correspondence I have had with them, has been with her.

You may even get a Christmas card from her. I have in the past, but I don't think I got one this year. Maybe it is just the year you buy something ?

I hope the kid is OK and doesn't develop a fear of dags because of that incident.

I actually hope it gives her more respect for dogs.  We have been trying so hard to get her to be careful.  I am not even sure it was a full bite as there were no other marks other than an avulsion on the palm.  I saw it happen but did not see the actual contact.  

I have been listening to the morse apps and she has asked what the sounds are.  So I started teaching her some of the alphabet.  Her little mind is like a sponge.  She might learn it faster than daddy does.

I just got email confirmation from the US person that is handling the order.  So I should have it in a few days.  For anyone that is worried about ordering and the delay, It does not appear to be a problem at all.  I cannot wait to get the key.

And when she does, you have a little key for her to use.

Yep, I also ordered an American Morse Equipment  paddle kit to play with.  I wanted a spare to keep with the IC-7200 if the Adventure is packed with the KX3.  It should be a good size for her.

The Begali Adventure arrived today.  Wow this thing is so nice.  Now I have to learn how to use it.  :-)

What a coincidence, my Bencher arrived in the mail today.