Posted: 9/30/2010 4:57:20 PM EDT
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Not to get all nostalgic, but I think it is important that the ham community learn and use CW, morse code. When you read some of the books about the role of communications during WWI and WWII and just the history of radio development... CW is one of those special and unique art forms that will be lost, if we, the ham community don't insure it is continued....
I understand why the code requirement was dropped from testing... it is better to keep the new ham numbers up as technology and times change, than hold onto an antiquated requirement that is viewed as a hurdle to many... but, that decision results in an even higher degree of importance on those who are willing to learn CW... in another generation or two... who knows... So, even though I am a relatively new ham... I do understand the historical value of learning code... I have been making a less than “active” effort over the past couple of months... I understand that getting over the “hump” requires a commitment... Currently, I am stuck at the predictable head reading phase.... I can paper copy 10 to 15 wpm... with measured and variable success... If I try to head copy, one or two lost letters and you fall behind and the whole message goes to hell... So, for you more advanced CW guys... are there “hints and kinks” for getting through this hurdle? Did you find a particular approach or method helpful in getting past the fledgling to functional rate? |
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While CW is old and antiquated, it has it's place. The new digital modes have stolen some of CW's thunder by being so good at weak signal decoding compared to RTTY or HF packet of the past. However, when and if the SHTF, CW will again be needed. I also think CW should be learned by all capable hams, no matter how fast or slow you can go. Not just because it's a "lost art" but because it is was the Amateur's bond. Kind of like a secret handshake.
Let me know if you find a way past the 15wpm barrier...I tried back in '91 but had to settle for 13wpm for General. Some CW ops I knew told me to listen for words, not letters. The words like and, the, and name I can pick out at 20wpm, but not much else. |
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I suck at code. I started learning via the Koch method, which starts and stays at 20 WPM, IIRC. I found I copied the best when I relaxed and just copied the best I could. Sometimes I'd copy a couple of characters, sometimes the entire transmission. When I freaked out about every character I usually wouldn't make it very far, and once I screwed up it was pretty much over for that transmission. Also, it's easy to make the mistake of trying to memorize the alphabet. In that case you'll hear a character and then try to go through a chart in your mind to match up the dits and dahs with the character. That works to some degree, but you'll never make it anywhere doing so. You really just have to make it a second language, as weird as that seems. |
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Quoted:
I can paper copy 10 to 15 wpm... with measured and variable success... ^ This. If I don't paper copy, I get lost and then it's game over for that part of the QSO. Also, if I don't practice nearly every day, which I don't, it takes me awhile to get back to even this level. Maybe if this was the only method of getting the message through it would force us to become more proficient. 
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I made the switch from 13 to 20 in about a weekend.
What I did was to hold my pencil back for 1 to 2 characters. When copying code, listen to A, and don't write anything. Listen to B, write A. Listen to C, write B. I found that this doubled my character recognition time, and the discipline I had to learn to do this helped a lot, too. |
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Special Forces is re-emphasizing the code. There are excellent reasons for them to do so.
One: During Desert Storm, a British commando team set up a well-hidden bunker in the desert. An enemy helicopter landed virtually on top of them! They could touch one of the chopper's tires with a rifle muzzle! They used Morse Code to communicate, because voice would have given them away. I myself have use CW. My brother and I were chatting on 40m one afternoon when the band just shut down. I could hear his voice but couldn't tell what he was saying. We switched to CW and continued to chat for another 5 minutes. |
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CW gets through when nothing else will. That said, I can't do it. I don't have the time to study and at my age learning stuff isn't as easy as it once was.  When learning code for the first time I found that if I listened to code that was WAY FASTER than I could ever hope to copy, I didn't stress out about getting it all right. I would pick out a few characters and write them down. After about 15 minutes of this my average was way higher than when I started. |