Session 21, August 14 with Recording

As reported during class,  everyone should now know more than enough information to get on the air and start making contacts.  The primary thing each of you needs to now do is build up your accuracy and speed to where you feel comfortable and confident enough to take the courageous step and get on the air and make that first contact.

If you feel up to it and want to venture out on your own, go for it.

If you would rather have an Elmer working with you for the first contact, that is fine too.  I'm willing to help if that is your wish.  The choice is yours.

While listening to live ham conversations over the air using your own radio continues to be the BEST way to practice because it allows you to copy the real thing.  It also helps you gauge your abilities and have a better idea when you are ready to start making contacts.

We discussed W1AW tonight.

Their over the air W1AW schedule is a good second choice to practice your code at ever increasing code speeds.  The fact that it happens over the air is a good thing.  Over the air practice is far superior to recordings.

http://www.arrl.org/w1aw-operating-schedule

Remember, you can use a websdr to listen to live over the air from any device with internet access if you find yourself away from your own hf radio.

http://www.sdrutah.org/websdr1.html  
Recommend you select '40cw' and 'CW-med'

http://www.sdrutah.org/websdr2.html
During daylight hours, I recommend you select '20cw' and 'CW-med'.  Sadly, during nighttime hours, this receiver will be mostly dead.  Such is the nature of our current position in the 11 year sunspot cycle.



More websdr sites can be found at:
http://websdr.org/

Sometimes that page is slow to load.  Be patient.  Sometimes you'll need to refresh your browser a time or two to get it to come up.  Once you find a particular websdr receiver site you like, I recommend you bookmark that particular site and go directly there rather than going through websdr.org every time.



If you wish to resort to recordings, that's okay too.  It's not as good as copying live conversations over the air, but it's better than skipping practice time.  It does have the advantage that recordings can be downloaded so that they will be available even if the internet is unavailable.

ARRL has plenty of good CW practice files available for download.

http://www.arrl.org/code-practice-files



There are a multitude of other great morse code resources out there.  If you want me to check something out and offer an opinion on one, send me a link and I'll be happy to.


None of the above should mislead you into thinking that I'm casting you to the static to sink or swim all by yourself.  Our classes will continue, but you should now consider our VHF get togethers as one part of a spectrum of resources at your disposal to help you gain speed, accuracy, and confidence to get on the air.  You have a full buffet of practicing options at your fingertips.  Exploit them.  Every chance you get.


As you are practicing, you may come up with questions.  Jot them down and bring them to the next class.  Feel free to see if you can befuddle the instructor.

Session 21, August 14 Recording


See you for Friday Fun Night.
We may have a special Mystery Guest!
Morse Code Bingo may make its triumphant return due to popular demand.


Mark,
NRØR

Session 2Ø, August 12 with Recording

Congratulations to David, KØDZX on his first HF CW QSO!

The first of many more to come, I'm sure.

It was great to hear his description of the event.

On a side note, check out David's impressive eclipse photo on his QRZ page.

David mentions the Straight Key Century Club:  https://www.skccgroup.com/
and the SKCC Sked page:  https://sked.skccgroup.com/

The best way to improve your morse code skills is to USE them.  Listening on HF radio is great practice to prepare for making contacts, but getting on the air and actually making them is even better still.  That is why the goal of this course is to get each of you on the air making contacts.  There is no better way to train and improve your skills.
Use your courage to test your limits.  The best CW operators constantly push themselves to improve.  Not just in speed, but in accuracy.  The ability to copy information correctly the first time is incredibly valuable.
Skilled CW operators will test their limits on a regular basis, and intentionally put themselves on the edge of being able to copy.  That is where improvement comes from.  The more repetitions you get at a speed that you can just barely cope with, the more comfortable and accurate you will become.  Before long you will be going even faster and doing it all over again.  Put yourself in that mindset where pushing your limits is part of the fun, because it is! 


Session 2Ø, August 12 Recording


Mark,
NRØR

Homework for Session 20, August 12. SPEED SENDING!

Greetings to the classiest group of CW students of all time!

I will be calling on each of you on Monday to send at your maximum speed that you are able to send ACCURATELY.

IMPORTANT:  No compromises on your ergonomics.  Set up your key or paddles on the desk/table the right way.  Make sure the fleshy part of your arm below the elbow is resting on the table.  Use the correct body position.  Get the details correct.  Practice using the correct techniques.  Show yourself at your best on Monday Night.

Work on sending the following text for class:

W1AW/2 DE {your callsign} FB GE UR RST 569 569, NAME HR IS {your name} {your name}, QTH {your city} {your city}, RIG HR IS {your hf rig make and model*} {rig make and model*},  ANT HR IS {the type of hf antenna you have**} {the type of hf antenna you have**} AT {your hf antenna height**} FT {your hf antenna height**} FT .  NICE MEETING U.  73  AR W1AW/2 DE {your callsign} SK {shave and a haircut without 2 bits}

Note that there are some commas and a periods in the above text.

* If you do not have your own HF rig yet say your rig is "WEB SDR"

** If you do not have an HF antenna up yet, guess at the antenna type you think you might put up once you are able, and guess at the height you think you will be able to put it.

Stay relaxed.

Stay Relaxed.

STAY RELAXED!!!!!!

I guess yelling at you in text form won't relax you, but I do want to stress how important it is to stay relaxed.

If you make an error, don't stop.  Correct the error by sending your string of dits and resending the word you flubbed and continue.  Practice that way.  Correct your errors in practice as well as on Monday Night.

To maximize your speed, focus on reducing the gap between characters compared to the way we have been practicing in class so far.  The ideal gap between characters should be the same as the length of 3 dits.  The ideal gap between words should be the same as the length of 8 dits, but don't assume you must reach that ideal spacing by Monday night.   Only go as fast as you are able to send accurately.  Remember, accuracy is ALWAYS the fastest way to communicate.  Repeats slow communication down by at least half, usually more.

It's okay if you are not able to receive at the speed you will be practicing your sending for this exercise.

This drill is not only intended to improve your ability to send, but it will indirectly improve your brain's ability to associate morse code at the higher WPM speed, which will help your receiving.  This drill will also give you practice sending the key items of information unique to yourself that you are likely to be sending during real QSOs.

Just do your best.  Go only as fast as you are able to send ACCURATELY.  You are only competing with yourself as you work to improve each day.

If you have any questions before class, feel free to email me.

I look forward to hearing each of you Monday Night at 7pm.

Have Fun!  Everything gets better and more fun from here on.

Mark

NRØR

Session 19, August Ø9 partial Recording. BINGO NIGHT

Friday Fun Night -- Morse Code Bingo


If you are about to listen to this recording and want to play along:
Click Here to select 2 bingo cards for this session.


How Morse Code Bingo works:

It is not all that much different from traditional bingo.  I have the master set 70 words that this entire set of bingo cards is based.

We will have time to play several games during class using the same set of bingo cards.

I will be the bingo caller.

For each game, I will do a random draw, just like traditional real life bingo, and call out the word in morse code, pause a few seconds to listen, and then call out the next randomly drawn word in morse code.  I will keep calling out words in morse code until someone keys up during one of my between word pauses and calls BINGO!

Then I cross check their card against the words I called for that game to verify the bingo.  While I do that, I will invite all the players to have fun making comments about the game, and whine about how close they came to winning that one, complain that the bingo caller is screwing up, and make jokes, or whatever.

Once we have a verified Bingo, we will clear the cards and start again, with a new random draw.

You're guaranteed to have fun.

You'll either have fun playing Morse Code Bingo or?

You'll have fun laughing at me crash and burn trying to be a Morse Code Bingo Caller.

It's all good.  As long as everyone has fun.

The only person that seems to have recorded this session had a power outage, and missed part of it.  This is the best recording I have available.

Session 19, August Ø9 Partial Recording

Mark,

NRØR

Morse Code Bingo Cards KC Club Callsign Series

Choose 2 cards.
Be adventurous, don't choose the same card twice.


Click Here: LearnMorseKC Bingo Cards


We will play Morse Code Bingo on Friday Night.



Mark,
NRØR

Session 18, August Ø7 with Recording

New Characters Introduced:

.  ,  /


Comprehensive list of all characters introduced:

E T A O N R I S D K Q W H C V Y U B L M 7 P X F G J Z  
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9          ?  .  ,  /


This completes the character set we will be introducing for this introductory morse code course.  There are more characters in International Morse Code than these, but the above are all that are needed for someone to get on the air and start making a lot of contacts, which is the fundamental goal of this course.  If you wish to learn more characters, I encourage you to do so.  Feel free to look them up and learn them.  By now, you certainly know how to introduce a new character to yourself after having experienced it from me 40 times.  Send a new character to yourself over your code practice oscillator repeatedly as I sent new characters to you during this course.  Work with the rhythm, not visually.  I consider those additional characters something more appropriate for an advanced morse code course, or for personal study after the above characters are mastered.  Those additional characters are not required to get you on the air making contacts, so I won't cover them as part of this course.

Don't fool yourself.  Just because we are finished introducing characters doesn't mean you have learned them yet.  It's critical to keep practicing so that the most recently introduced characters have sufficient time and practice repetitions to become permanently en-grained reactions.

Keep your foot on the gas.

The course will now transition to a review of the entire character set, and to teaching life long habits that will help you continuously improve your accuracy and speed.  The learning process never ends in Morse Code.

We also will discuss the appropriate final preparations needed to get on the air and start making contacts.

Finally, I offer myself as your guide to help you through your first contact, or your first few contacts if you wish.  This is not a requirement, but an option.  If you would like for me to listen on the same HF frequency, copy code along side you as you make your first contact or two, I would be happy to help.  I can be available to offer appropriate assistance via a repeater, or via other voice communications systems as appropriate.

The goal will be to build your skills and confidence to the point where you will be ready to fly solo.



Mark
NRØR

Session 17, August Ø5 with Recording

New Characters Introduced:
26


Comprehensive list of all characters introduced so far:
E T A O N R I S D K Q W H C V Y U B L M 7 P X F G J Z
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9              ?



Featured this session was our first time spent listening to live HF CW conversations together.   This is now the new best way to practice.  There will never be a substitute to listening to the real thing under actual on air conditions.  Real static.  Real QRM.  Real hams.  Some sending too fast.  Some with lazy fists.  All of it adds to the challenge.

Remember.  Getting angry or frustrated is pointless.

You cannot expect the world to change its behavior simply because you wish for it to be easier for you to copy.   This attitude will guarantee you a miserable experience, don't allow yourself to fall into that trap.

It is up to YOU to become so skilled at your craft that you can copy anyone, no matter whether their signal is an exhausted last place marathon runner that stumbles from your receiver, or an angel that floats out of the speaker with grace.  Believe me when I tell you that both signals can be magnificent in their own way.  One ever so humble and ugly, but yet inspiring in dedication, sheer effort, and raw perseverance.   The other lovely and so uplifting that the code sings a melody to your ears.

Every snap of QRN, every different tone of QRM, every fist that wavers, every ham that doesn't want to slow down.  It all adds to the gloriously delicious cacophony that is CW Ham Radio.  Immerse yourself in it.  Rejoice in the complexity, but yet appreciate the subtle sense of order within the chaos.  It is this rich environment which you are training to call your home.  

You are now starting to see within yourself some of the skills required to participate in this captivating free form finger dance ham operators perform to express themselves to each other.  With each passing day and with each successive practice session, your skills will converge a touch futher. Nobody ever learns all the skills, but that too gives each of us something further to strive toward.

You are on the cusp of beginning a magnificent odyssey.  Where it may take you is unknown, but the wondrous journey will be something to behold.

Taste it.  Embrace it.  Luxuriate in the challenges almost met as much as the ones overcome.  Both make great stories to share with fellow travelers on this CW path.

Part of me envies each of you.  You're just at the beginning.  The whole world is in front of you to grasp.

Keep listening on.


Session 17, August Ø5 Recording


Mark,
NRØR