KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog

///////////////////////////////////////////
New podcast promos

Posted: 03 May 2016 12:39 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/kb6nu...m_medium=email


Im going to begin advertising on the HamRadio360 podcast, and I thought Id
give my readers a sneakÂ*peak. What do you think, guys?

Study Guide Promo
document.createElement('audio');
http://www.kb6nu.com/wp-content/uplo...de-promo-1.mp3

CW Geeks Guide Promo
http://www.kb6nu.com/wp-content/uplo...geek-promo.mp3

The post New podcast promos appeared first on KB6NUs Ham Radio Blog.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Teds method for learning Morse Code

Posted: 03 May 2016 10:44 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/kb6nu...m_medium=email


This post was written by guest-blogger, Jeff, WN1MB. I got him to write
this after he commented on my post about decoding callsigns. Thanks, Jeff!

My Elmer, Ted, guided me through the process of learning Morse Code back
when I was a teenager. Teds method was a modified for self study system,
based on how he learned code in the military. It required only a half an
hour a day for a week using just a key and a code practice oscillator,
which I made with a doorbell buzzer.

Ted said the drill went something like this. A single character was sent,
probably by machine, and the guys would all write the character on their
paper and shout the phonetic for that character (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie,
etc.) at the same time. This single character was repeated over and over
again, and the writing and shouting, too. After an unspecified amount of
time, theyd then move on to another letter. And on. And on.

I dont recall how long it took for them to learn the alphabet, but what I
do remember is Ted saying Â*that I could learn the code in a week with just
a half hour a day of study. My then teenage mind thought that was
reasonable.

Teds method was a variation on the military method. There being no machine
to send the characters, I built a code practice oscillator from some
batteries, an old household doorbell buzzer, and a hand key. Pretty
primitive and definitely not a pleasant, pure sine wave but it worked. I
already had a rudimentary idea of what Morse sounded like, so didnt stress
out on dit-to-dah ratio and such.

The idea was to learn 5 letters a day five minutes per letter and then
five minutes of review of the letters learned. An important key was to
choose the letters carefully so they were all different sounding. None of
that A, W, J or A, U, V grouping.

It was benevolent brainwashing. Id send A and audibly say out loud A!. And
do it again. And again. And again for five minutes. Then Id move on to
another letter and repeat the drill with that letter for five minutes. When
it came to review what Id learned during the last five minutes, I
discovered that I knew all five characters. To quote that great
philosopher, Gomer Pyle, Surprise. Surprise. Surprise!

The next night I taught myself five more characters and then reviewed the
ten characters I had learned. Lo and behold, by the end of the week, I had
learned the entire alphabet. Numbers and punctuation came later. I picked
them up one by one while copying Novices talking on the air.

Having a receiver and being able to eavesdrop on hams talking to one
another in Morse Code really opened up a whole new world for me. It was a
huge turning point, as it wasnt just characters that I was copying, but
letters, which were part of words, which were part of sentences of real,
human conversations on the radio.

I wish I knew Teds whereabouts so I could thank him, but I dont even think
I ever knew his last name! His method sure set me straight and was
instrumental in attaining that Novice Class license and all the wonderful
ham radio experiences that I have had over the years.

By the way, heres a video of me (in the derby) copying Morse CODE BEFORE
using Teds method:



The post Teds method for learning Morse Code appeared first on KB6NUs Ham
Radio Blog.