Contributed by Dr. Gary E.J. Bold, ZL1AN

Let's Get Started

Despite what you may have heard, Morse is still widely used on all hf bands, and many operators, especially overseas, use nothing else. Some contend it is still the most common mode. Software and information is provided for you to learn the code.

The Morse segments of the amateur bands are ripe for exploring. The world-wide common abbreviations used in Morse communication enable two operators to have a conversation together even though they cannot speak each other's language. By overcoming the language problem, many unusual and rare country prefixes can be successfully worked.

Morse has one key advantage over other modes: For a given radiated power level, you can get further. It is common to work all over the world with a simple wire antenna and 10 watts output. Learning Morse requires dedication, but not superhuman dedication. You can do it.

Listen to Morse code (This is a short MP3 file morse-code-sample.mp3.

The sample text is at 5 words-per-minute (wpm) with a Farnsworth speed (see below) of 14 wpm.

Some countries require a pass in a formal Morse test for some grades of licence, so you may need evidence of a pass in a Morse code test for reciprocal licensing purposes.

The following information is background to appraise you of a typical Morse test and to help you to get started.

It would be an advantage to find out about the requirements of any overseas test and what is involved. Morse tests are available as a challenge for you and may be tailored to the speed you successfully achieve.

In general, a formal Morse test using typical figures as an example requires a receiving and sending test.

 

Receiving

Hard copy (written) of a simple, plain language text for 3 minutes, seven numbers will be sent, but no punctuation or procedural signs.

Sending

Sending a similar text with a hand key.

Four errors usually are permitted. Farnsworth Morse (see later) is legal for the receiving test.

The requirements for a Morse test, as advised in December 2001 to meet the regulations of the day, are found Here

Morse tests are conducted by appointment by volunteer Morse Testers from NZART branches. See the Exams page.

It's best to practise for at most 20 minutes at a time. Many have found the best time is before breakfast when they're fresh, rather than after dinner, when they're tired. Some have used two 20 minute sessions a day.

Don't get discouraged by anybody else's experiences. Yours may be quite different. I don't like to be negative, but here are some don'ts.

Don't ever try to memorise the code visually. In fact, I recommend that you never even LOOK at a table of the code. You're trying to learn audio Morse. You have to listen to it. The best Morse teachers never show learners visual symbols of dots and dashes.

For this reason, you must be able to listen to Morse. If you have a PC, some good software is available, and some bad software too. In particular:

Don't ever listen to Morse at a character speed of less than 12 wpm. Remember that below this speed, the mind perceives the sound of the individual elements, and not the sound of the whole element.

Don't ever let anyone or any software teach you groups of opposites, like R and K. This is guaranteed to confuse them in your mind forever.

Don't be discouraged by trying to copy Morse on 80 metres. A lot of the slow Morse you'll hear is pretty bad, with characters slurred, run together, full of abbreviations, and corrupted by static. The experts have trouble with a lot of it too! A testing officer will send computer-generated Morse, which will be perfect.

If you DO want to listen to real, hf Morse, and the sunspots are kind, listen on 15 metres. The Morse will be better and almost static-free. Also, ask around to see whether there are any local practice nets running on 2 metres. Several Morse practice sessions usually run nightly between 1900 and 2030 hours, between 3550 and 3600 kHz. These usually have check-ins and talk-backs, where listeners can discuss their progress and problems. You may pick up some helpful hints.

Remember that you will sit a plain language test. The testing officer will send you numbers but won't send amateur radio abbreviations and jargon. Don't ever use software that sends you sample QSO's, or Hamtalk. This may be appropriate for the US test.

Many software packages send random groups . These are great for finding the characters that are tripping you up, because you can't guess what the next character is ever going to be. But they're definitely harmful if used as your only source of practice material. I know people who have been able to copy 18 wpm random groups perfectly, but who failed the 12 wpm test a number of times. Why was this?

Plain language text goes by faster than random groups, since the common letters have shorter Morse symbols. Hence with plain language you get a lot more short characters sent in groups.

With plain language, the mind is tempted to guess ahead and put down letters or words before they're finished. If you guess wrong, the brain locks up. That can't be done with random groups, so the brain never gets practice in resisting this temptation and overcoming it.

 

Farnsworth Morse

Psychological studies show that there's a threshold speed, about 12 to15 wpm for most people, below which Morse characters are perceived as collections of dits and dahs, and above which they're perceived as single sound units. If you initially start by hearing very slow characters, passing through this transition speed requires the brain to adapt to a completely different translation process. This is one reason for the plateau which some (not all) learners experience around 12 wpm. Several rigorous scientific studies have shown that no such plateau is experienced by people taught using only Farnsworth Morse.

Farnsworth Morse is composed of higher speed characters sent with longer than standard spacing between them. This means that the mind gets used to hearing the right sounds while having plenty of time to think about them. The Farnsworth transition speed is set to 14 wpm at startup in my Morse teaching programs. Below this speed, the characters are always sent at the transition speed, above this, the character speed is standard. That is, above 14 wpm, you'll get standard Morse. Below 14 wpm, you'll get 14 wpm characters with larger spacings to bring the wpm rate down to the correct level. All the great code schools of the past used Farnsworth teaching.

Hints on Sending

Start sending practice only after you have the correct sound and rhythm of the characters embedded in your mind using the other programs. If at all possible, visit the shack of an expert, and closely watch what is done with the key.

Keys

Ham radio suppliers still sell Morse keys, and so do well-known hobbyist electronics shops. But the cheap keys are too flimsy for serious use. Ask around at the local NZART Branch and see if a local will sell or lend you one. Go for a large, solid, heavy model. Most ZL Hams prefer the rounded European knob - not the flat or slightly dished American knob. Some have replaced a knob not to their taste with a replacement pot-lid knob from the local hardware store.

Check out the key before using it. Clean the contacts by pulling a piece of paper through them while pressing firmly - don't use a points file. Oil the bearings if they look cruddy, and adjust them if possible to take out any sideways movement. I recommend starting with a gap of about 1 mm, and spring tension adjusted so the key closes with the weight of 2 D cells placed on the knob. (You may want to change these settings to something more comfortable after you gain experience). Remember to connect about 0.1 uF capacitor across the key contacts to zap keybounce transients.

Secure the key firmly near the table edge. Some use bluetack or plasticine at each edge of the bottom, or even a G clamp or velcro. It must not walk around. Adjust your chair height such that your sending arm is parallel to the floor. Grasp the key loosely with two fingers atop the knob, thumb at the side or underneath.

Form dots and dashes by pumping the wrist, not by pressing with the fingers! The wrist moves up and down about 1 - 2 cm, with the elbow stationary. The arm must be relaxed. Tense muscles will tire you, cause RSI or glass arm and lead to later problems. Relax.

To get the relative lengths of dits and dahs correct, start off with this exercise:

Relax: Send the continous element stream dah dah di di di di dah dah .....

Tap your foot regularly on the accented (underlined) symbols. The 4 dit and 2 dah segments should take exactly the same time. (Although the dit:dah ratio is 1:3, when the dot-space separator is included the ratio becomes 1:2.)

Relax! Do not try to send fast! Almost everyone does, and the tendency is to speed up during practice. Almost everybody finds a 12 wpm sending rate quite comfortable.

Leave plenty of space between letters, and even more between words. Almost everybody tends to run things together. This is the most common and horrible fault you'll hear on the air.

 

Evaluating Your Sending

If you have a PC, several programs are available which will read Morse sent as audio tones to the soundcard. These programs can be downloaded from various websites.

At lower speeds, almost everybody finds that they're running characters together, or not leaving enough spaces between words. At higher speeds, we usually leave too much space between characters, so they print, like words, separated by spaces. As defined for correct Morse, a CHARACTER space is 3 dotspaces, and a WORDSPACE is 7 dotspaces.

Incidentally, if you're an experienced CW operator, you will probably find, as I did, that you can't send, accurately, as fast as you think you can.

When you think you can send OK, here's a good exercise: Without looking at the screen, send several repetitions of

THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPS OVER THE LAZY DOG

Check to see what the computer reads. If you see incorrect letters, practise them!

Remember: Download the Windows interactive Morse teaching program from the NZART web site.

Please Note

The Morseman, ZL1AN, the author of the above text, writes a regular feature article for the NZART Journal Break-In. Join NZART and receive this journal.

Gary's free Morse teaching software for teaching yourself the Morse code in the most efficient way, can be downloaded from the NZART web site. Be sure to read the HELP file received with the software.