Learning CW....

Dang, it's hard.  I've been trying to learn Morse Code, since the day after I got my Technician back in 2004.  I think one of the reasons I got burnt out from trying to get my General back then was the learning of CW.  Back then, the 5 wpm exam was required along with the Element 3 multiple choice exam.  I was trying to do both at the same time and failed miserably.


Today...
Well, I'm still trying to learn CW (Continuous Wave) / Morse.  I've finally memorized the 26 letters of the alphabet, and I'm working on the punctuation and numbers.  As I sit at my desk, as I see various words around me (email, posters, etc) I try to spell out the words in Morse.  Basically, I tap my thumb for the dits and my pinky for the dahs.  Kinda like an organic iambic.  When I have time, I try to slap some bass guitar, so the motion is a bit familiar.  Though on bass, I'm using my thumb and ring finger, instead of the pinky.

Lately, I've been using a simple program called Morse.  Here's the link.  It's a very simple program.  It makes a sound and you try to figure out what letter it is.  Some things to consider about this program:

• It assumes that you are proficient with keyboarding.  Therefore, if you hunt and peck, you may already be at a disadvantage, since the program penalizes you, if you don't respond quick enough.  If you insist on utilizing this program, look on the brightside, you'll be forced to learn how to touch-type and learn CW.
• It never changes the order the characters are introduced.  For me it takes about an hour to get towards the last couple of character-especially if I select the option for all symbols and numbers.  By then, my brain starts to get to mush.  I think my attention span at best is about 30 to 40 minutes, and I can feel my performance start to degradate.

Don't know how much longer I'll be utilizing this program, but we'll see.  I just stumbled across Carlo Consoli's (IK0YGJ) e-book, Zen and the Art of Radiotelegraphy, and some of the content is worthwhile to incorporate.  Stay tuned.

73 de KJ4YFU