Posted: 10/30/2007 7:43:36 PM EDT
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I've decided to teach myself morse code. The other night 20, 40, and 80 phone sections of the band were crap because of a G1 storm, but I could hear people going hard at it down in the CW/data portions of the General bands. When I first got my license I didn't think I would want to do code, but now the light has come on a bit. Man, paddles are expensive! Anyone got a favorite keyer? I'm told the one in my Kenwood 480 is so, so at best. |
| I try at times. I only have a straight key. I learned it to get my general and extra class when it was required. I would really like to get into it but i have such a hard time with numbers and that is very necessary to learn for the code. I have the code quick system and it works great. Im me if you would like to check it out. |
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I do off and on. I'm sure I'm rusty now. Glocktiger is into it. I only have a straight key also. I haven't found a paddle that I like but I'm shopping. If you look at the Vibroplex paddles as well as some of the Bencher and other models they can be very expensive. The Bencher BY-1 and -2 aren't too bad. I've also looked at others like the Black Widow. Since I don't have a paddle yet I can't speak to the keyer issue. I've yet to try the keyer in my 718. If you want tips for learning CW I wrote an "article" about the topic that's probably in the archives now. I think I also posted it at eHam. |
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I typically only play cw during contests....I don't have the patience to bang it out, but I don't mind keyboarding....my keyboard makes a much better fist anyway. BTW...ARRL Sweepstakes this weekend... www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2007/novss.html |
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As Jax said, I'm into it. It's one of the most enjoyable things about radio to me. I have a $17 Ameco straight key and a homebrew "paddle." Works great. BTW, I wouldn't worry about the built-in keyer on your radio. They're basic in their operation and they pretty much just work. Although many people use this term loosely, a "keyer" is generally the electronic device (built-in to most modern rigs) that creates the repeating dits and dahs for you. The actual interface / control surface is usually paddles, but can be any device that allows you to momentarily short 2 different leads to ground. I don't know of a good "general" term for such an interface -- which is probably the reason people refer to the paddles as keyers too.  For example, on my homebrew thingy, I use the spring tension in straightened paper clips to create a momentary switch by touching them to a base covered in aluminum foil. The wire lead from the radio connects to the back. But my 857 (as well as other Yaesu and Icom rigs) will let you trigger the keyer via the hand mic's up/down buttons. (clumsy, but a good backup in the field) FWIW I used a Vibroplex Vibrokeyer Deluxe at FD and it was a DREAM!   
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I have used CW off and on. One time was when I was chatting with my brother on 40m LSB, just before dusk. The band went to crap, but we switched to CW and got another 10 minutes before we shut down. Another instance was chatting with a Venezulian (sp?) ham. And my first contact on HF was with a ham in Nagasaki, on 15 meters! CW has its place. I heard that Morse code was being re-emphasized among special ops forces... imagine being within earshot of the enemy and having to call in some important info. On voice you'd give yourself away immediately... on CW, you still have some privacy. On a lighter note: My dad, also a ham, was recovering from bypass surgery several years ago. He still had an air tube in his mouth, but was able to tell us to tell the nurse he was too hot. The look on her face was priceless! Congrats on your decision to learn Morse code! As for paddles, I have a Bencher paddle similar to these, near the top. I love 'em! |
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Glocktiger told me that the only way to learn morse was the Koch method and I believe him. If i just had some spare time....and a PC. KOCH METHOD MORSE TRAINING |
That's the one I have. Very pretty! My suggestion is to buy or make a clear plastic cover for it... keeps the dust off of it. |
That's what I figured. If you don't use it you lose it. How many people become proficient at a language they only listen to and never speak? |
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To increase your copy speed, you need to push your abilities. If you are copying more than about 75% of what's sent, it's time to turn the speed up. Increasing your speed is not the easiest thing to do in conversations on the air, you will miss a lot of the conversation. Just my $.02. Once I had the mindset to upgrade, and mindset is as important here as it is with anything else, I went from just barely doing solid copy at 13wpm to solid copy at 20wpm in under 2 weeks. I listened to tapes at 22wpm to 25wpm in my hour-long commute to and from work every day. When I took the exam, I had solid copy for over three minutes. Since I had been practicing the code without writing it down, my hand developed a really bad cramp and I was unable to continue writing. You only needed one minute of solid copy (65 characters in a row) to pass and I knew I had that covered. Randy |
As a retired 98G, I resemble that remark! 
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As a cryptologic linguist morse code ought to be a piece of cake for you. |
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For the guys who do (did) it professionally, I doubt they ever really "lose" it. My wife's g-pa was a radio op in WWII and hasn't used code since the early 60's. 2 years ago I was learning code and I used a flashlight to send MERRY CHRISTMAS across the dinner table and he picked it right up. A few months later when I had my HF rig and listening to CW, he started asking me questions about some of the abbreviations we were using (QRP comes to mind), so I could tell he was copying. I thought it was a pretty cool connection that we shared once I learned code. I think the flashlight thing was the first morse message I ever sent that was received and understood (it was before I got my ticket). All that's just trivia though. Back on point, I too increased speed during my commute by "immersion" in 20-30wpm practice CD's I made using G4FON's app. I've slipped backwards since then, but at one point, 20wpm of ragchew was pretty easy to copy. |
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Lots of hams seem to hit a 'barrier' at 8 WPM. Here's how I broke that barrier. I learned to 'hold' my pen for one character. So when I hear A, I hold my pen; when I heard B, I wrote A; and so forth. This DOUBLED my character-recognition time! And it helped get my mind off the "perfection" mindset, and lessened the stress involved in trying to improve. When I was just beginning to learn code, I would tune in on some FAST code: 20 WPM or more. I was sure I couldn't copy that fast, and instead made a habit of picking out whatever characters I COULD recognize. |
CW is dead in .mil, with the exception of interceptors. It stopped being taught in the Special Forces Qualification course about 10 years ago.. They stopped teaching it to 25C/31C (radio operator) guys about 13-14 years ago.. SOF sends DATA using laptops; Either over a SAT radio, or using a special little HF ALE (Auto link establishment) radio that transmits at such a lower power that it cannot be detected... Single channel, old school HF is pretty much dead in SOF.. |