Posted: 3/12/2015 9:30:55 PM EDT
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Is anyone here interested in a trainer for morse code?
Let me lay out the features I want: 1. Display to show you the code groups it's playing 2. Some kind of HID to allow replaying, going to the next group, changing speed 3. headphone jack 4. jack for straight key or paddles (ideally paddles) 5. read input from input jack to tell you if you're doing it right I know MFJ makes one, but it's HUGE. I want something smaller. Any ideas? Or am I stuck making my own? |
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Something like this, but with a real manual... Not impressed with the changreesh translations...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-MORSE-CODE-BEGINNER-II-CW-trainer-CW-cable-short-wave-radio-Escape-the-room/161374722155 |
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I have one of these, but they are expensive. And I never use it. It's sitting right here in front of me and I probably haven't touched it in a year or more. |
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Quoted:
I have one of these, but they are expensive. And I never use it. It's sitting right here in front of me and I probably haven't touched it in a year or more. Quoted:
I have one of these, but they are expensive. And I never use it. It's sitting right here in front of me and I probably haven't touched it in a year or more. Send it to my house, I'll work the cobwebs out of it 
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i have a Begali CW Machine as well. it is not cheap, but it hits all the points you make in your OP, as well as other additional functions i have not explored (i.e. memory keyer, keyboard keyer, logger, etc. things involved the actual transmitting side during real life QSOs).
i have been using its training software, & training programs to improve my receiving/sending. it can generate random text containing the characters of your choice, w/ a word length/word number of your choice, at the speed of your choice. you can do Farnsworth timing with it. it is a harsh mistress w/ your sending, & does not forgive timing mistakes. i have hooked up both my Iambic paddle & my straight key to it, & alternate back/forth with it. you can copypasta text in there of your choosing, & listen all day. it has a flashcard mode, wherein it plays out characters, but leaves the screen blank for a bit, while you type/write/decode in your head, what you heard. skip to 1:09 here (note this vid is from 5 years ago, & form factor of enclosure has changed). video displays how it shows you if your timing is off when sending. 
the guy in this vid is the same ham who wrote Zen & the Art of Radiotelegraphy. he wrote an addendum to it, based on learning w/ this machine. i like it so far, & have come a ways since starting, though am by no means proficient just yet, so take my review w/ some caution. i can send at about 18wpm w/ a straight key, & about 20wpm w/ the paddle. decoding/receiving is still a bit slower. also, the training software only works in Windows OS, so if you are a Mac or Linux person, you will have dual boot (what i did) or have skills w/ Virtual Box. also of possible use, are the reviews at the link, many of which discuss the training software aspect (can't find a good Youtube vid on the training side of the Machine): Begali CW Machine eHam reviews |
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I have one of these, but they are expensive. And I never use it. It's sitting right here in front of me and I probably haven't touched it in a year or more. Quoted:
I have one of these, but they are expensive. And I never use it. It's sitting right here in front of me and I probably haven't touched it in a year or more. Want to lighten your ship slightly? Throw out a price. I've been trying to get a Raspberry Pi loaded and setup to do all of this, but I'll be damned if I have to write it myself. I can't believe nobody has made something like this before -- probably because other people don't have the kind of anxiety I do about sending code correctly. Apparently the linux libraries to RECEIVE code direct from a key don't really exist, they all use audio analysis. Quoted:
i have been using its training software, & training programs to improve my receiving/sending. it can generate random text containing the characters of your choice, w/ a word length/word number of your choice, at the speed of your choice. you can do Farnsworth timing with it. it is a harsh mistress w/ your sending, & does not forgive timing mistakes. i have hooked up both my Iambic paddle & my straight key to it, & alternate back/forth with it. you can copypasta text in there of your choosing, & listen all day. it has a flashcard mode, wherein it plays out characters, but leaves the screen blank for a bit, while you type/write/decode in your head, what you heard. Those are the things I want. Right there. I can find everything but the "read my sending" parts in linux software, and of course I can get that onto a raspberry pi, but the sending part doesn't exist yet. |
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I have used my KX3 for that. Also, just the side tone on my radio into a mic running DM780. It will decode very well. For receiving practice, I use one of the many programs available on the computer, tablet, or my phone. Beat me to it. The few CW QSO's I do have, I listened (&used the KX3's decode feature to assist) and practiced on the paddles and viewed the screen to QC my input (with the power turned down to 0). Once I felt confidant enough to answer his CQ, I turned the power up. |
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http://blog.riyas.org/2014/09/controlling-led-matrix-using-single-button-morse-code-for-disabled.html
This is kinda like what I want to do, but with a buffer, and with paddles. Then combine it with the morse code trainer thing that mfj makes. I've just decided that I'm going to have to make it myself. Or spend $$$ on a box that does it, that I'll sell for $$ or $ when I've learned code. I just can't believe there's not much of a secondary market for these devices. |
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http://blog.riyas.org/2014/09/controlling-led-matrix-using-single-button-morse-code-for-disabled.html This is kinda like what I want to do, but with a buffer, and with paddles. Then combine it with the morse code trainer thing that mfj makes. I've just decided that I'm going to have to make it myself. Or spend $$$ on a box that does it, that I'll sell for $$ or $ when I've learned code. I just can't believe there's not much of a secondary market for these devices. LCWO has a sending "app" that is actually just a JavaScript routine that accepts mouse clicks on a button. I haven't looked at the code, but it's a starting point if you are going to program your own. |
| I have severely filtered internet while I'm at work (which is where I spend most of my computer time) and I can't get to LCWO. The best I can do is I've downloaded the html files from http://morsecode.scphillips.com/trainer.html, and I run those locally. |
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I have severely filtered internet while I'm at work (which is where I spend most of my computer time) and I can't get to LCWO. The best I can do is I've downloaded the html files from http://morsecode.scphillips.com/trainer.html, and I run those locally. 1) Get a data plan on your (smart) phone 2) Sign up for the wifi option (a few $ per month) 3) Use the wireless card in your work machine to connect to the wifi from your phone P.S. Don't tell anybody and don't name the SSID anything that your item (or fellow employees) could link to you. BTW, if there's no wireless card in your PC, you can solve that by buying a $7 trendnet super-micro USB card |
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1) Get a data plan on your (smart) phone 2) Sign up for the wifi option (a few $ per month) 3) Use the wireless card in your work machine to connect to the wifi from your phone P.S. Don't tell anybody and don't name the SSID anything that your item (or fellow employees) could link to you. BTW, if there's no wireless card in your PC, you can solve that by buying a $7 trendnet super-micro USB card Quoted:
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I have severely filtered internet while I'm at work (which is where I spend most of my computer time) and I can't get to LCWO. The best I can do is I've downloaded the html files from http://morsecode.scphillips.com/trainer.html, and I run those locally. 1) Get a data plan on your (smart) phone 2) Sign up for the wifi option (a few $ per month) 3) Use the wireless card in your work machine to connect to the wifi from your phone P.S. Don't tell anybody and don't name the SSID anything that your item (or fellow employees) could link to you. BTW, if there's no wireless card in your PC, you can solve that by buying a $7 trendnet super-micro USB card Lol... Not where I work. There is a WIDS and WIPS. Not to mention that I can't have a personal computer there. I can swing a raspberry pi, I'm pretty sure. But outside comms isn't guaranteed. I'm going to need something without a radio emitter in it. |