Thread: Learning Morse Code

Originally Posted by pj

Pretty much only in the amateur radio bands anymore.

W1AW (search for it) runs daily Morse drills, or at least they used to when the code was a requirement to get your amateur radio license. (I'm an Amateur Extra by the old system - call is WJ8I - though I'm not on the air at all anymore.)

dah didah dadidah dit dadidadit didah didadit dit didah dadit didadit
didadadit dadadah dadadah didadit didadidit dididah dadidadit dadidah
didadidadidah

haha pj looks like you need to review the code a little. You seem to send ur d's as r's (unless you are wishing me "poor" luck)

I got my general license last spring after they got rid of the code requirement and my dad is getting an hf transceiver for xmas and I'm not much of a talker so I was hoping to learn the code. I'm KB3IPY btw. Just curious, did you use a straight key, a bug, or an electronic keyer?

Originally Posted by Spartiate

Hehe


Well all that I've bothered to learn is S.O.S., probably the most use you can get out of Morse code.

Well if I ever need to send sos I'd also like to be able to send where I'm at too

Yeah - it's been over a decade since I have done anything with code - maybe longer. I'll bet I can still copy 50wpm or so though - maybe not send so easily. It's like learning music... you learn the rhythms and eventually entire words just sing out to you. The only way to get there is practice.

When I was online, I was a QRP nut - code only. I never even had a mic for many years, until somebody corrupted me with 2 meters.

I still have my station in storage. I should sell it - it isn't doing any good where it is.

dadadidah dadadah dadadah dadidit didadidit dididah dadidadit dadidah
dadadididit dididiadah dadidit dit didadah didadadah dadadadidit didit

I'll be glad if I can get it at 15 or 20wpm. At 50wpm it just sounds like random buzzing. I'm using the Koch morse software which has farnsworth so I'm gonna use that as well as trying the actual Koch way where u just learn it full speed with 2 characters then add 1 at a time. My problem right now is that when I hear a character I review it in my head as dots and dashes which I know is bad. I'm glad I have this break so I can try to internalize them better. I might even read the ARRL Extra book and see if I can upgrade before they get the new question bank around next June.

damn,
going to have to dig out those mid-90's techno bleeper tunes

got this uncanny feeling they were trying to tell me something

There's been a few songs with code in them. Didn't Kraftwerk have one? Radioactivity, was it?

You definitely should go for the Extra. There's no penalty for failing - or at least there didn't used to be. Having the additional privs is nice. When I took the test, it was either 30 or 35 wpm to pass the code bit for Extra.

I did it in three steps - novice first: KB8DCI, then kept that call for my next sitting when I passed everything through Advanced, and got WJ8I when I made Extra - all within one year.

I think it might have been 1982 - my first year sober.