CW IN THE ERA OF�NO CODE LICENSING

Rol Anders, K3RA

SOME HISTORY

HISTORY

Who Invented Morse Code?

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(bonus, Who is buried in Grant’s Tomb?)

SHOULD BE “VAIL CODE”

• Morse’s code was to make marks on a strip of paper– 2 marks, 3 marks was “23”. Look up the corresponding message.
• Morse’s partner Alfred Vail is the inventor of what we call “Morse”
• It is a “variable length code” with most common letters using the shortest code:
• E dit , T dah, A didah, O dit..dit (now dahdahdah), I didit , N dahdit, S dididit, R dit..didit (now didahdit), H didididit , etc.
• Originally not intended to be copied by ear

HAMS CALL IT “CW”

• “CW” is really not the name for the code, but rather for the way of generating it on radio
• Original technique was “Spark Gap” or “Spark”
• Wide band, rough
• When oscillators came along, “Continuous Wave” techniques sent a (more or less) pure sine wave, and “CW” quickly replaced spark
• With the advent of voice, the two modes were “CW” and “Phone”, and these terms survive.

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UNTIL1991, CODE WAS REQUIRED�FOR HAM LICENSING

• 1912 First licenses required 5 WPM, later 10 WPM
• 1951 Novice/Tech 5 WPM, General/Advanced 13 WPM. Extra 20 WPM
• 1991 “No-Code” Tech License (no access to HF)
• 2003 Code requirement was removed entirely
• Code is still very popular
• Can get through at low SNR--great for small stations or especially portable or QRP
• Like sailing—not the fastest way to travel, but perhaps the most fun, and uses lots of technology

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LEARNING THE CODE

CW IS “AURAL”

• Learn by the sound of the letters
• A is didah’ (accent on”dah”) not dot dash
• Don’t “memorize” the code
• Don’t lookup letters on a chart
• Avoid “trick methods” or mnemonics—the solution is to drill by ear
• Don’t use automated copying software or hardware
• DO use headphones
• Echo and background noise make copying a lot harder
• DO use a lower tone
• Lower tones (400 to 600 Hz) are better for most people—easier to separate different tone nearby

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FARNSWORTH VS KOCH

• Farnsworth method sets character speed at 15 to 20 WPM with much slower inter-letter spaces--slowly increase word speed
• Learn sound of the letters
• Prevents counting dits and dahs
• And, easier to copy at slow speeds
• Koch method teaches characters with intercharacter spacing set at “target speed”
• Learn at speed from the beginning, adding letters as you learn
• Usually, “Koch” amounts to the same thing as “Farnsworth”
• I, prefer slow-word, fast-character Farnsworth

BEST ORDER TO LEARN CHARACTERS?

• Order of learning characters is not very important
• I learned in groups of similar characters:
• E, I, S, H (dit, didit, dididit, didididit); T, M,O, 0 (Dah, DahDah. DahDahDah, DahDahDahdDahDah) etc
• Advantage: Easier at the beginning (Starts with easiest characters)
• Disadvantages;
• May tend to encourage counting dits and dahs
• Rarer letters come last, you’ll have less practice on them with real text
• I have been using the “Koch” order that LCWO.net, G4FON Trainer, and others use
• K M U R E S N A P T L W I . J Z = F O Y M V G 5 / Q 9 2 H 3 8 B ? 4 7 C 1D 6 0 X
• Advantage: Mixes hard and easy, rare and common characters
• Important to learn numbers
• Can’t “fill” numbers usually
• I think best not to learn numbers at the end

WHAT PUNCTUATION DO YOU NEED TO LEARN?

• ? / . , BT pause or separation AR end of msg SK end of work
• Hams use very little punctuation
• In conversation, periods generally replaced with double-dash (or pause) BT
• Period used for decimal or email addresses
• Commas rarely used
• Slash (/) used in callsigns
• Never hear parentheses, quotes, hyphens, apostrophes, exclamation points, colons, semi-colons, dollar signs
• Actually do hear “ampersands” (&) though most hams don’t realize it: dit dididit (es) for “and”

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GREAT IF YOU CAN LEARN WITH A BUDDY

• You can send to each other
• Sending helps you “copy” as well
• You encourage each other to keep at it
• Can be an “Elmer” or another beginner
• Even a “buddy” who does not know or who is not learning Morse Code can help you
• Programs allow non-CW speakers to send characters, and you can call out the letters in response

HOW TO PRACTICE

• Many short sessions:
• 15 minutes many days a week better than hours at a time once a week
• Koch found 2 half-hour sessions per day is ideal for military training
• Practice sending, too—it’ll improve your copying skills
• Remember to push yourself on speed, “no pain no gain”

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LEARNING CODE IN THE NO-CODE ERA

• No test for license, so no need to write down every letter
• It’s a conversation, not dictation
• Hams have always been able to copy higher speeds “in their heads” than they could write down
• ~15-20 WPM gets to be hard to keep up writing
• When “transcribing” you have two activities going on—recognizing the character, and then writing it down (or typing it)
• Writing or typing can be distracting from comprehension
• Often, beginners have to read what they have written to know what was sent!
• However, you may find writing (typing) helpful at the start, and it’s a necessary part of computer learning

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HOW “HEAD COPY” IS DIFFERENT FROM TRANSCRIBING

• When copying in your head, no need to write or type, but you need a new skill—forming the stream of letters into words.
• Can start while learning the letters/numbers/punctuation
• Have someone send to you (using software if they don’t know the code), and you call out the character
• Start with one letter, then move to 2, 3, 4, or more before calling out answer
• When you learn enough characters, starting copying short words in your head, then move to longer ones
• Some training programs will form words from the characters you know (more later on training programs)

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WHEN COPYING IN YOUR HEAD, YOU’LL OCCASIONALLY EXPECT THE WRONG WORD

• You will be “misled” at times, think you know what word is coming, only to hear unexpected letters.
• Must recognize that you made an error and “reset” to the new word that is coming—in “real time”
• Different skill from learning to recognize Morse code characters—takes practice.
• Computer applications (including LCWO) can send from lists of common English words—one at a time
• Copy them in your head, then type them in
• LCWO will speed up to keep you “on the edge”

WHEN YOU DO WRITE DOWN…

• Handwriting
• Write legibly
• Write quickly – simple letters
• Script helps at higher speeds
• Typing
• Touch typing is a great help
• But, typing at 25 wpm is NOT fast.

COPYING “BEHIND”—KEY TO HIGHER SPEED

• At higher speeds:
• When transcribing to paper, new letters are coming while you’re still writing
• When copying in your head, you are forming words while bringing in new sounds
• Either way, need to be able to copy “behind”—processing previous info while new info is coming in
• Once you can do this, you’ll move above 10 WPM.

COMPUTER LEARNING

LOTS OF APPS OUT THERE TO LEARN FROM

• Learn CW Online (LCWO): http://www.lcwo.net
• Not a program, but a website, runs on anything that can access the internet
• Very capable—my recommendation lately
• More in a few slides

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• CWType: http://www.dxsoft.com/en/products/cwtype/
• Simple Windows program that sends Morse as you type on computer
• Allows untrained person to send you practice

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A COUPLE OF EXCELLENT WINDOWS APPS

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• G4FON CW Trainer: http://www.g4fon.net/
• Excellent Windows application
• Choice of Long Island CW Club trainers
• Constantly improving—now on release 10.7
• Update (9/21): G4FON became a “silent key” recently, but his site is being maintained (not so sure that the software is supported)
• MorseCat: http://www.morsecat.de/ All his programs are available at https://archive.org/details/G4FONKochMorseTrainerInstall
• Works on most all Windows operating system
• Can tailor order of learning
• Simple and effective
• Can Pass Text to it, can send single characters for copy with keyboard
• No instructions, video at https://morsecat-beta.software.informer.com/

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I’VE BEEN RECOMMENDING LCWO.NET

• “Learn CW Online”
• Not an App, but a website
• Can use any device capable of accessing the internet
• KOCH or Farnsworth
• Many options
• Lessons to learn characters (single letter drills and groups)
• Plain text training
• Word Training
• Callsign Training
• Convert Text to CW
• Download MP3 Practice files

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ON-LINE SUPPORT/TRAINING ORGANIZATIONS

CW ACADEMY

• CWOPS group (https://cwops.org) sponsors CWAcademy
• Lessons with a mentor
• Coaching, “head” practice,” QSO skills, etc
• Minimum Essentials:
• Broadband Internet access
• Computing device (desktop, laptop)
• Webcam (camera, microphone) either built-in or USB add-on
• Keyer paddle (single lever or dual lever)
• Keyer with sidetone or radio with built-in keyer and sidetone
• Sign up online
• Will be confirmed in two days
• Will send you email about a month before semester
• Jan-Feb; Apr-May; Sep-Oct

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CW ACADEMY LEVELS

• Beginner:  Limited or no prior experience with Morse Code
• Basic:  Familiarity with Morse Code characters and desire to increase proficiency
• Intermediate: Operating 10 plus wpm and desire to increase proficiency for contests, DX, and ragchews
• Advanced:  Operating 15 plus wpm and desire to increase proficiency for higher-speed on-air activity

LONG ISLAND CW CLUB

• Great source of CW training and general ham radio “Elmering”
• CW Trainingg Classes run about 10 weeks and are staggered--a Beginner I class start is never more than 4 weeks away.
• Multiple classes are offered each week, on different days and times.
• Classes are very informal, and students are encouraged to 'audit’ (observe without needing to participate) or drop into any class.
• Beside basic training, there are over 60 live, on-line classes each week. SOTA/POTA operations, head copy, demystifying the QSO, how to use your radio, etc.
• Very active email “reflector” with lots of good advice, encouragement, announcement of “get-on-the-air” activities, etc.

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• Cost is $30/year.
• https://longislandcwclub.org/

SENDING CODE

SENDING PRACTICE AIDS COPYING

• Sending “clean” Morse is, of course, essential to communication
• AND, sending practice aids learning to copy
• Can “practice” even without a key and code oscillator by saying (or thinking) the dits and dahs

STRAIGHT KEY OR KEYER ?

• Straight key
• Basically a switch
• Sender must form correct character lengths and spaces
• Electronic keyers
• Send with a paddle, Thumb sends string of dits, fingers send string of dahs
• Easier to send good code, but easier to make mistakes!
• Straight key less expensive
• Key less expensive
• Requires only a simple audio oscillator
• Harder to get the rhythm
• Most trainers recommend learning with electronic keyer from the start

PURCHASE A GOOD PADDLE

• You’ll use it your entire ham career
• I recommend “single paddle” rather than double
• E.g.: Begali Simplex Mono Basic 130.00 Euros (~$140)
• If you want economy
• American Morse Bushwacker $99.00 http://americanmorse.com/bushwacker.htm
• GigaParts low cost paddle
• https://www.amazon.com/Morse-Iambic-Double-Paddle-Black/dp/B088CP7GBB/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=GigaParts+Morse+Code+Key&qid=1631382970&sr=8-1
• Check out https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-category?id=16

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But don’t “go overboard”– you can spend a LOT of money for a key or paddle that will be only marginally better (if at all)

ELECTRONIC KEYERS

• Most modern transceivers have built in keyers (including some very basic kits)
• Can reduce power (or use dummy load) to practice sending
• Since your HF radio will have built in keyer capability, you may not need a separate keyer, but you may not want to wait
• Eham reviews at https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-category?id=15

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SOME POSSIBLE CHOICES

• MFJ has many choices, Including the following (see catalog at https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0289/7782/3843/files/MFJ_2020_Ham_Radio_Catalog.pdf?165 )
• MFJ 490E $280 with built-in key (Bencher type double paddle)
• EX model $180 without built-in key but designed for Bencher mechanically. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhBCGTtx8fk
• Full featured, and has variable volume and tone frequency
• Has Multiple Memories for contest use
• Key itself is good, and can be used with radio, but you’ll always have the box on your desk
• MFJ 554 “Classroom Code Oscillator” $120
• No Key, does not key transmitter, but great tone
• MFJ 407 E $120 YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snS6WrA5TfU
• No Key, but has volume and tone controls, will key transmitter
• Econo version 401 E $95, same but tone control internally adjusted
• WinKeyer USB $130
• Very minimal speaker and fixed high pitched tone
• Will be useful if you eventually want your contest SW to send CW
• https://hamcrafters2.com/WKUSBX.html

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KITS

• If you’re willing to do some simple soldering, there are many very inexpensive Morse oscillator kits available
• For most you need a separate key or paddles, and many need an external speaker or plug in your computer ear buds.
• QRPGuys Morse trainer has an electronic keyer capability https://qrpguys.com/qrpguys-code-trainer
• Only $20, but you’ll need a paddle and earphones
• EZ Keyer III only $47.50
• Minimal Speaker but manual tells you how to get and interface a better one.
• http://www.morseexpress.com/EZKeyer3/
• “Morserino” very popular Arduino-based kit
• Keyer (will key transmitter), trainer, decoder (boo!), even has wireless comms

with another Morserino

• https://www.morserino.info/ good videos on this site
• €85 (currently ~$98.00) plus shipping from Austria
• For very basic “straight key” oscillator at minimum cost (includes a “key” and speaker) ARRL sells this: https://www.arrl.org/shop/ARRL-Morse-Code-Oscillator-Kit $24.95

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ONCE YOU LEARN THE CODE

PRACTICE!

• PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
• I know it’s more fun to copy 100 percent, but that’s not the way to move up in speed
• Remember, it’s not dictation—again, “copy in your head”
• Once you have learned the letters, practice listening to text
• No need to write or type it, In fact, writing it will slow you down
• Drill with callsigns that speed up (LCWO, RUFZ-see below)
• Read signs or license plates in Morse (silently if you’re not alone ☺)

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HOW FAST DO NEED TO BE?

• “Words per minute”
• Average word is five characters and a space. Count the characters and spaces in a minute and divide by 6.
• “Standard” word is “PARIS”…Count the number of times you send “PARIS<space>” in a minute
• How fast am I sending?
• Many radios and some code practice “oscillators” will display your sending speed

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• How Fast? (In your head, not transcribing)
• “Beginner” 10-15 WPM
• “Good” operator ~25 WPM (Majority of experienced regular CW ops)
• “Skilled” 35-40 (Not many QSO’s conducted this fast)
• “Expert” up to 60 WPM
• “Super Expert” over 60 WPM (very few!)

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FLUENCY WITH ALL THE CHARACTERS IS ESSENTIAL

• It’s usually a few “hard” characters or unfamiliarity with numbers that limit speed
• Stumbling on a number or unusual letter may cause you to miss several letters following
• Numbers are important
• Can “fill in” common words, but can’t guess numbers
• Most programs can be setup to drill you with random 5 letter groups stressing letters/numbers you are weak on

IDEALLY, LISTEN TO HAM QSO’S

• If you don’t have an HF radio, try WEBSDR online listening http://www.websdr.org/
• 20 meters during the day, 40 meters at night
• Slower speeds are usually in the range 40 to 60 kHz above the lower band edge
• Be aware, CW operators use shorthand very similar to texters:

K3NEM de K3RA R R TNX FER RPT = UR RST 599 ES QTH NR BALTIMORE MD = NAME ROL = WX HR SUNNY ES TEMP 56 = RIG K3 RNG 100 W TO GP = SO HW CPY DR OM TOM? AR K3NEM DE K3RA KN

• For a list of ham abbreviations: https://cwops.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/CW-Abbreviations.pdf
• For a list of Q signals: https://www.arrl.org/files/file/Get%20on%20the%20Air/Comm%20w%20Other%20Hams-Q%20Signals.pdf

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SOURCES OF PRACTICE TEXT

• Many Programs permit uploading text for practice
• Globally eliminate parentheses, quotes, hyphens, apostrophes, dollar signs, ampersands, exclamation points, colons, semicolons, asterisks
• Good source of simple text might be emails
• News items good
• Some Programs will download MP3 Files
• LCWO will do this
• Even books available in Morse
• http://www.fists.org. 
• http://www.hotpeppersoftware.com/downloads/downloads.html
• (Lots of other good stuff on these two sites)
• Internet streaming news in Morse: http://w3ttt.radiostream321.com/
• Ham Morse app for iOS

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W1AW PRACTICE SESSIONS

• 5, 7.5, 20, 13, 14, 18, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 WPM
• W1AW Code Practice MP3 Files http://www.arrl.org/Code-Practice-Files
• Files are in MP3 format, playable using Windows Media Player, RealPlayer or your favorite MP3 player
• Updated every other week
• Also available live on the air
• http://www.arrl.org/w1aw-operating-schedule

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ON THE AIR WITH CW

CONDUCTING “IN YOUR HEAD” QSO’S

• Use a logging program, preferably
• Enter the callsign, RST, Name, QTH as you are hearing them
• Typing skills are a tremendous help, but it isn’t fast
• You need to learn to do this while listening to the next information coming through—again takes practice
• Can jot other information down, as you would in a phone contact
• Many experienced CW ops don’t even have pencil and paper handy—it’s all in their heads!
• Don’t worry if you miss something (you can blame it on QSB ☺ )
• “PSE UR NAME AGN?”
• Not everything is important (for sure!)

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CONTESTS PROVIDE EXCELLENT PRACTICE FOR COPYING CALLSIGNS

• Exchanges are short and “stereotyped”
• Practice entering calls in a logging program
• Even phone contests are useful practice in typing in info while still copying it

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CW CONTEST/PILEUP TRAINERS

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• MorseRunner: http://www.dxatlas.com/morserunner/
• Shareware
• Great Contest practice software (I use it regularly)
• Very realistic (can add noise, fading, QRM)
• Modeled on WPX contest
• Similar keystrokes to WinTest and N1MM S/W(and some others)
• Can be run from N1MM+ https://viennawireless.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Practicing-for-a-CW-Contest-Using-N1MM-.pdf

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• G4FON Contest Trainer is archived at: https://archive.org/details/G4FONKochMorseTrainerInstall
• As of 9/21you’ll need to find someone to give you an authorization file--G4FON is silent key you can’t purchase it
• Can select from a variety of contests (unlike MorseRunner)
• Not as realistic as MorseRunner
• Can’t “tune” the bandwidth for stations as you can with MorseRunner

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• RUFZ: http://www.rufzxp.net/
• Callsign training, one at a time
• Gradually increases speed as you get more accurate
• I use this (along with MorseRunner) to practice for contesting
• LCWO has this feature

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• 9-year-old R4WBF training with MorseRunner

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn2brVpfcWw

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MORE INFO

SOURCES OF LOTS OF INFO

• ARRL has a LOT of useful cw training links at:

http://www.arrl.org/learning-morse-code

• CWOPS https://cwops.org/cw-resources
• Links to many articles
• “The Art and Skill of Radio Telegraphy”
• Great text on all aspects, and a “great read”—241 pgs.
• While written in the early days of computers, learning code info is solid
• Lists of common words and long words and sentences for copying practice
• Great summary of Koch’s experimental work on learning CW
• Free pdf at:

http://morse-rss-news.sourceforge.net/artskill.pdf

William Pierpont, N0HFF

A LOOK AT LCWO

• http://www.lcwo.net