I still can't use it properly

For the last few weeks I've been attempting to learn Morse code. The little di's and dah's have always been out of my reach and I thought it wasn't really my thing. But rather than just ignore it I decided to have a go and try as hard as possible to get my head round it.

The key is from the local club MX0WRC, they kindly offer out the kit to members who need to make use of it rather than let it sit unused in the shack. So I've purloined it for a while until its needed by someone with a proficiency.

To be frank, I'm stuck, transmitting seemed not to present much of a problem but receiving has been more of an issue for me. The computer based systems that fire code at you are excellent but I'm finding a limitation, the speed at which I can hit the keys on a keyboard! Every now and again I hit the wrong one and it completely knocks me off track and that's it, gone. Back to the start again.

Even though this is tough its a bug that I'm starting to catch. I doubt I'll ever be a '50wpm whilst having a separate conversation' kind of sender but if I can get to 15 or 20 wpm without too many errors then I'll be ecstatic

Some advice on key's

Having practiced quite a bit on my phone it is time for me to get myself a morse key. If anyone can recommend one then I would appreciate it.

Type / manufacturer / colour? I just have no experience with them at all

Slow CW week

After making good progress with my CW practice I've had one of those weeks that means I'm either at work or in bed, only a few hours from going back to work. I did manage a quick twiddle of the VFO to see if there was any 10m activity but there was a stunning silence at my end.

So no CW practice and no time on the rig and but I helped out at our local club on exam night and read the questions for one person as they had trouble reading. That was the sum total of this week.

Unfortunately next week looks the same at work and this could put me back a few steps with the CW. I'm still not sure what type of key to get hold of once I start to get the hang of things.

CW progress

Progress with CW is good. I've managed to reach a milestone last night, well its a milestone for me. Managing to recall all the letters of the alphabet and only making a couple of mistakes. Trouble is that with my new-found confidence I started trying to do a few random words and my novice status was exposed. I'm clearly lacking the rhythm necessary to string letters together in a way that is acceptable to CT Morse.

Gaps between letters are causing the problem so I end up rushing the characters and messing them up. I suppose it's a function of relaxed operating and in time I'll develop a rhythm that fits with me but I do feel like I'm dealing with a very strict teacher who won't accept anything other than perfect sending. On one hand this will put me into a good place from the outset but I can't help feeling its like sitting in a latin lesson conjugating verbs and declining nouns...porto, portas, portant, portamus, portatus, portant if I recall the present tense correctly. That's just about my limit though! 

I'm not finding it as frustrating as I thought I would and I can understand why people find it addictive and tips are always welcome from any seasoned operators.

Learning the code

The leaves are starting to turn here in Cumbria heralding the early onset of Autumn. The recent strong winds which are a usual part of the October/November-ness came a little early courtesy of some long-suffering hurricane. This season sets me off making good the mess I've usually made of things over the summer. Ignoring my plans and good ideas is a summer thing and now its time to knuckle down and get on with the winter projects. One is the lightweight rotator, the other which I've kept a bit quiet is learning Morse..The code....CW.

I don't subscribe to the premise that if you don't know the code you're not a proper ham. I'm a little more liberal, but, as an old Class B licence holder it was the morse part of the exams that put a shiver down my spine. The time has come to make amends. Its 20 years since I sat the RAE next year and although I had a long time in 'radio wilderness' its time to put CW on the list of things to do / learn.

I've picked a bad time as my Company have decided to put me on an MSc but I think the practice will help me to switch off from work. I've downloaded an application for my Android phone called Morse CT. It's not had the best of ratings and yes the audio and 'key response' is a bit sluggish but hey its free and maybe it'll get better. But simply put for my novice ability it seems fine. I've set it to 15 wpm and will learn as I go along. the ability to tap the screen to repeat the characters it a winner for me.

 

Rightly or wrongly I'm learning the alphabet first, then the numbers, then punctuation and then finally it'll be words. I use my half hour lunch break to practice the characters and add in a new one each time I get to 100 correct responses in transmit mode. I'll repeat the method for receive and hopefully that will be a lot quicker and a bit more fluid.

This could be a long process but so far 2 sessions and 8 characters learnt. I think the learning curve will be a bit slower as I get further into the process.