HOW I LEARNED THE MORSE CODE FOR HAM RADIO FUN !! 
Morse code, or CW is the original Digital Mode! Remember that CW is an art form, & when sent correctly is beautiful to listen to and easy to copy. Those of us lucky enough to have English for our language, do not have to learn a new language & try to sort it all out as we learn the Morse. The many DX stations I have worked on CW have all been excellent CW operators. They have learned both the Morse & English language.
When I first wanted to be an Amateur Radio Operator, I needed to find and build a ham radio so I could listen. I choose a Heathkit HW-16, (3-band CW only rig) That was back in 1975. I built, tested, and aligned the rig all by myself. This was all before I even attempted to pass my Novice test from a local ham.
Back then, we were allowed 75 watts input, but it had to be Crystal controlled. Built a 40-M Inverted Vee, (that would also work FB on 15-M), and strung it up on a 40 foot pole. The little tube rig would pull in signals from all over the world, and it had excellent selectivity of 500 Hz. You could peel away crowded signals and just copy the one you wanted to hear! Sitting & receiving CW became my passion for weeks. I had a nice headset that let me hear everything without bothering the family, and you would never miss a dit that way! I was so determined to learn Morse, that I made a list of each letter & number of just how each one sounded. Never used "dots & dashes", but used "dits" & dahs". I still to this day, sound out each character in my head as I send it! We had to pass Morse test at 5-WPM for Novice. After taking The Novice test from a Ham in town, one had to wait until your ticket arrived in the mail. This length of time waiting was also very good for my determination to be a good CW operator. When the day my ticket arrived, I practised over & over my new Call-sign to send it perfectly! I was also "on the air" that first day, and made the first of many QSO's. I burned up the airwaves on 40-M CW, and later 15-M came booming in. I had an assortment of Crystals, so I could cover several spots on all the Novice Bands. Later in that year, The F.C.C allowed Novices to use a VFO for the first time. I found the matching Heathkit HG-10 VFO, & built it without any trouble also! I had just the right rig & equipment & it worked superb. I used a quality hand-key as I studied Morse. Sending is just as important as recieving in my book. Believe me, I've heard plenty of poor sloppy CW being sent, and some times it required several "QRA"?, or QRZ"?, or QRS". The beautiful International "Q" Signals !! But majority of CW-op's do a beautiful job on CW. Granted, foreign operators have a limited use of English,
but they do wonderful CW and are proud of their work. I can't begin to count, over the years, how many DX-low powered, home made, one-tube rigs using 15 Watts & a Dipole I've worked on CW! Imagine the joy those DX stations had themselves working an Iowa station from all over the world! Over the next few years, I kept a weekly CW-QSO with a ham friend. We both started out at 5 WPM, and actually got used to each others fist as we went along. The both of us could tell when a mistake was made, or going to be made, in spelling! We worked our speed up gradually & it got to a point I couldn't pound that brass fast enough to suit me. Bought a "Bencher Paddle" and an old Tube Keyer. Soon we were sending 15 WPM, then 20 WPM and above. That made working the CW contests so much fun, as you could answer right back in a flash! Mind you, I will not or never have sent faster than the other station can copy. There's just no sense in that. Basic CW QSO's must include :
Call signs correct both ends, & RST reports both ways. Name, QTH, WX, & Rigs, ect. comes after that basic info needed for a honest QSO & QSL. Get that basic exchange first, and make sure each end has it correct, then have the chat! If the other end does not have the correct info, then repeat, repeat, with good CW until he/she does copy it! It's very easy & quick to send: BK Call ? BK, or BK RST ? BK, (BK means Break or Back to you). It only takes a few seconds to get it correctly! You will also learn Abbreviations, Prosigns, & Prowords rather quickly using CW as you go. Mistakes are made while sending by us all. Big deal! Simply send a series of dits, 4 or 5, a pause, & start that letter or word over! I Try to use simple words, rather than big long ones, simply because I'm not good at spelling! You want to get your message across to your friend, just the basics! Make life easy & enjoyable for him/her! Send & receive at a comfortable speed lets you sit
back & enjoy the QSO. It also prepares you for "copying CW in your head!" Soon, whole words & sentences will pop into your head, and you won't need to write each letter down! I still print my copy out, each letter at a time! I never could "write" as fast as I could print it! Again, whatever works for you!
Learning the alphabet, numbers & a few Punctuations on CW is less than 50 different sounds total! Sound them out as you pound your key. Start with the easy ones & work from there. Each letter & number has it's own unique sound. hear what each one should sound like, and don't miss a dit! Try learning with Headphones and at a volume you can hear well. Daily Code practice on the bands from stations using automated sending tapes sends CW so clear, with no mistakes. Just listening to other Hams in QSO will help you & give you an idea of just what goes on in a CW QSO. I tend to do more listening & copying, and then I'm ready & prepared to call that station when he is free. Be ready to wait for a long time for a station or a country you wish to work. Low power & poor antennas will work, but they always don't get heard right away! Working a DX-pileup is an entirely different experience! Contest weekends are an excellent time to get that DX you need, as they are
calling & waiting for QSO's, but sometimes you just have to fight the pileup crowd! With the new "NO-CODE" rules in lots of countries, CW is an excellent way in the U.S.A. for new "Tech-Class Hams" to get on the 75-40-15-& 10-m HF-bands. With the next Sunspot Cycle soon to arrive, the HF-Bands will be hopping with activity again! Get in there & enjoy CW.
P.S. I still have that HW-16 CW rig & VFO, and it's still ready to go! Get a quality rig if you can!
73 & GUD DX, CUL. de, KD0QV--Jim
CW IS AN ART-FORM! LISTEN TO IT'S BEAUTIFUL MUSIC! CW IS THE ORIGINAL DIGITAL MODE! GET ON THE BANDS & USE CW! WHO THE HECK CARES HOW FAST YOU ARE? NOT ME! JUST SEND IT CORRECTLY PLEASE! 73 & GUD DX, CUL. DE, KD0QV--JIM
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Morse code, or CW is the original Digital Mode! Remember that CW is an art form, & when sent correctly is beautiful to listen to and easy to copy. Those of us lucky enough to have English for our language, do not have to learn a new language & try to sort it all out as we learn the Morse. The many DX stations I have worked on CW have all been excellent CW operators. They have learned both the Morse & English language.
When I first wanted to be an Amateur Radio Operator, I needed to find and build a ham radio so I could listen. I choose a Heathkit HW-16, (3-band CW only rig) That was back in 1975. I built, tested, and aligned the rig all by myself. This was all before I even attempted to pass my Novice test from a local ham.
Back then, we were allowed 75 watts input, but it had to be Crystal controlled. Built a 40-M Inverted Vee, (that would also work FB on 15-M), and strung it up on a 40 foot pole. The little tube rig would pull in signals from all over the world, and it had excellent selectivity of 500 Hz. You could peel away crowded signals and just copy the one you wanted to hear! Sitting & receiving CW became my passion for weeks. I had a nice headset that let me hear everything without bothering the family, and you would never miss a dit that way! I was so determined to learn Morse, that I made a list of each letter & number of just how each one sounded. Never used "dots & dashes", but used "dits" & dahs". I still to this day, sound out each character in my head as I send it! We had to pass Morse test at 5-WPM for Novice. After taking The Novice test from a Ham in town, one had to wait until your ticket arrived in the mail. This length of time waiting was also very good for my determination to be a good CW operator. When the day my ticket arrived, I practised over & over my new Call-sign to send it perfectly! I was also "on the air" that first day, and made the first of many QSO's. I burned up the airwaves on 40-M CW, and later 15-M came booming in. I had an assortment of Crystals, so I could cover several spots on all the Novice Bands. Later in that year, The F.C.C allowed Novices to use a VFO for the first time. I found the matching Heathkit HG-10 VFO, & built it without any trouble also! I had just the right rig & equipment & it worked superb. I used a quality hand-key as I studied Morse. Sending is just as important as recieving in my book. Believe me, I've heard plenty of poor sloppy CW being sent, and some times it required several "QRA"?, or QRZ"?, or QRS". The beautiful International "Q" Signals !! But majority of CW-op's do a beautiful job on CW. Granted, foreign operators have a limited use of English,
but they do wonderful CW and are proud of their work. I can't begin to count, over the years, how many DX-low powered, home made, one-tube rigs using 15 Watts & a Dipole I've worked on CW! Imagine the joy those DX stations had themselves working an Iowa station from all over the world! Over the next few years, I kept a weekly CW-QSO with a ham friend. We both started out at 5 WPM, and actually got used to each others fist as we went along. The both of us could tell when a mistake was made, or going to be made, in spelling! We worked our speed up gradually & it got to a point I couldn't pound that brass fast enough to suit me. Bought a "Bencher Paddle" and an old Tube Keyer. Soon we were sending 15 WPM, then 20 WPM and above. That made working the CW contests so much fun, as you could answer right back in a flash! Mind you, I will not or never have sent faster than the other station can copy. There's just no sense in that. Basic CW QSO's must include :
Call signs correct both ends, & RST reports both ways. Name, QTH, WX, & Rigs, ect. comes after that basic info needed for a honest QSO & QSL. Get that basic exchange first, and make sure each end has it correct, then have the chat! If the other end does not have the correct info, then repeat, repeat, with good CW until he/she does copy it! It's very easy & quick to send: BK Call ? BK, or BK RST ? BK, (BK means Break or Back to you). It only takes a few seconds to get it correctly! You will also learn Abbreviations, Prosigns, & Prowords rather quickly using CW as you go. Mistakes are made while sending by us all. Big deal! Simply send a series of dits, 4 or 5, a pause, & start that letter or word over! I Try to use simple words, rather than big long ones, simply because I'm not good at spelling! You want to get your message across to your friend, just the basics! Make life easy & enjoyable for him/her! Send & receive at a comfortable speed lets you sit
back & enjoy the QSO. It also prepares you for "copying CW in your head!" Soon, whole words & sentences will pop into your head, and you won't need to write each letter down! I still print my copy out, each letter at a time! I never could "write" as fast as I could print it! Again, whatever works for you!
Learning the alphabet, numbers & a few Punctuations on CW is less than 50 different sounds total! Sound them out as you pound your key. Start with the easy ones & work from there. Each letter & number has it's own unique sound. hear what each one should sound like, and don't miss a dit! Try learning with Headphones and at a volume you can hear well. Daily Code practice on the bands from stations using automated sending tapes sends CW so clear, with no mistakes. Just listening to other Hams in QSO will help you & give you an idea of just what goes on in a CW QSO. I tend to do more listening & copying, and then I'm ready & prepared to call that station when he is free. Be ready to wait for a long time for a station or a country you wish to work. Low power & poor antennas will work, but they always don't get heard right away! Working a DX-pileup is an entirely different experience! Contest weekends are an excellent time to get that DX you need, as they are
calling & waiting for QSO's, but sometimes you just have to fight the pileup crowd! With the new "NO-CODE" rules in lots of countries, CW is an excellent way in the U.S.A. for new "Tech-Class Hams" to get on the 75-40-15-& 10-m HF-bands. With the next Sunspot Cycle soon to arrive, the HF-Bands will be hopping with activity again! Get in there & enjoy CW.
P.S. I still have that HW-16 CW rig & VFO, and it's still ready to go! Get a quality rig if you can!
73 & GUD DX, CUL. de, KD0QV--Jim
CW IS AN ART-FORM! LISTEN TO IT'S BEAUTIFUL MUSIC! CW IS THE ORIGINAL DIGITAL MODE! GET ON THE BANDS & USE CW! WHO THE HECK CARES HOW FAST YOU ARE? NOT ME! JUST SEND IT CORRECTLY PLEASE! 73 & GUD DX, CUL. DE, KD0QV--JIM
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