RadioBanter - Code Readers

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In spite of being a ham for 50 years, radio operator in the Coast Guard
and an Extra, I have never been able to copy code in my head. My brain
crashes after 3 or 4 characters. Take away my typewriter and I might as
well be a CB'er.

I see MFJ has a gadget they claim you can set next to the speaker and
read the text.

Seems like a great tool to assist the memory.

Do they work?

I just downloaded a program called GetCW and glad I didn't have to pay
for it. If this works, I would like to talk to someone who can help me
get it going.

Thanks,

Jack NR9Q

--
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"Jack Schmidling" wrote in message
...
In spite of being a ham for 50 years, radio operator in the Coast Guard
and an Extra, I have never been able to copy code in my head. My brain
crashes after 3 or 4 characters. Take away my typewriter and I might as
well be a CB'er.

I see MFJ has a gadget they claim you can set next to the speaker and read
the text.

Seems like a great tool to assist the memory.

Do they work?

Yes it works if the code is well sent and the signal is reasonably strong.

I just downloaded a program called GetCW and glad I didn't have to pay for
it. If this works, I would like to talk to someone who can help me get it
going.

Yes this program works. Again the code must be well sent and the signal
reasonable strong. I personally think it works a little better than the MFJ
code reader as you can set the filtering level.

With the free version, you must go into the setup menu everytime you start
the program and specifically select the sound card. It doesn't "remember"
what you set the last time or what the default is and you cannot save the
setup in the free version.

From what I have read on "head copy", one needs to start hearing the group
of letters that form the words not try to string them together out of
individual letters. I can't do this yet myself as I don't work it enough.
However I do hear "CQ" as a group and instantly know what it means without
even having to think about the individual letters. And I do some
contesting, I hear the abbreviation "test" as a group and recognize it as a
"word" without having to think the individual letters.

Dee, N8UZE

Dee Flint wrote:
"Jack Schmidling" wrote in message
...
In spite of being a ham for 50 years, radio operator in the Coast Guard
and an Extra, I have never been able to copy code in my head. My brain
crashes after 3 or 4 characters. Take away my typewriter and I might as
well be a CB'er.

I see MFJ has a gadget they claim you can set next to the speaker and read
the text.

Seems like a great tool to assist the memory.

Do they work?

Yes it works if the code is well sent and the signal is reasonably strong.

I just downloaded a program called GetCW and glad I didn't have to pay for
it. If this works, I would like to talk to someone who can help me get it
going.

Yes this program works. Again the code must be well sent and the signal
reasonable strong. I personally think it works a little better than the MFJ
code reader as you can set the filtering level.

With the free version, you must go into the setup menu everytime you start
the program and specifically select the sound card. It doesn't "remember"
what you set the last time or what the default is and you cannot save the
setup in the free version.

From what I have read on "head copy", one needs to start hearing the group
of letters that form the words not try to string them together out of
individual letters. I can't do this yet myself as I don't work it enough.
However I do hear "CQ" as a group and instantly know what it means without
even having to think about the individual letters. And I do some
contesting, I hear the abbreviation "test" as a group and recognize it as a
"word" without having to think the individual letters.

Dee, N8UZE

Code Readers info a typewriter is called a mill when copying cw

Ralph Mowery wrote:
"Jack Schmidling" wrote in message
...
In spite of being a ham for 50 years, radio operator in the Coast Guard
and an Extra, I have never been able to copy code in my head. My brain
crashes after 3 or 4 characters. Take away my typewriter and I might as
well be a CB'er.

I see MFJ has a gadget they claim you can set next to the speaker and read
the text.

Seems like a great tool to assist the memory.

Do they work?

I just downloaded a program called GetCW and glad I didn't have to pay for
it. If this works, I would like to talk to someone who can help me get it
going.

You may want to go here and try another free program. Some of the multimode
programs are suspose to work well.

http://www.muenster.de/~welp/sb.htm

Didn't they call the ones with a typewriter a ditty bobber or something like
that ? Didn't really learn the code or how to type but when the characters
were sent the finger hits the correct key. Not putting you down, just the
way I heard the military taught the code to some.

Code Readers info a typewriter is called a mill when copying cw

As I recall a Mill is a all caps typewriter used to copy messages and
radiograms by the Military.
On our Navy transport planes, we had such a device at the Radio Operators
position.

See URL:
http://www.telegraph-office.com/page...s_gallery.html

But Mill has historical reference -- see Henry Mill - URL:
http://inventors.about.com/gi/dynami...com/1714ad.htm

CL --- hunt and pecking