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Balvenie BigDmd chomzee chromedome cww55 DL8THM Fvdw1 G4LXX Hopalong IU4LDH IU7ISR jamesodhunt KE8NED KI5TKL ko0w koalaskk N5LOW N7KV nkmj PB01 SP9SNC TA3OY test w2tef W9VN zmny26

I am now about ready to reach lesson 9. I was wondering at this point how the word training has helped you. It sounds a bit more interesting to me and I am looking forward to trying it out.
I think I am also ready to work on head training. Perhaps you might like to comment on this as well.
My thought is that the word training will help to bring things together.
I would love to hear your thoughts.

Hello Lynn,

I would say that you better finish all the 40 lessons first.
Once you did that, then you could try to work with wordtraining, and also, start again with the 40 lessons, but with a higher speed.
Important thing is: don't count the dits and dah's ! But try to hear the sound of each sign.
In the beginning i made the big mistake to count the dits and dah's, and pritty soon i started to loose track.
Now i hear the sound of each sign, and i can recognise it just by hearing it.
The good thing of that is, you can speed up more, and still hear the sound. When you count the dits and dah's it will become impossible to keep up.

What i also did, i started to use the MorseMachine.
First at a low speed (10wpm), and later with a increasing speed.
The speed i can work with in MorseMachine is now about 28/30wpm.
To understand words in cw, you have to know how each sign sounds.
MorseMachine helped me a lot to learn to recognise the sound of each sign.

But the problem is: a lot of people can give you ideas how to go further with this, but i think that you have to find your way in it.
Because what works for me, does not have to work for you as well.
And one thing is very important: don't give up!
As difficult as it might be, go on! You will see that in the end it will bring you to the point where you want to be: making qso's in cw.

Hi Lynn,

I agree with much of what PA1LH said. When I start a new lesson, Morse Machine is a tool I use for my first day of training (about 1 hour - 1.5 hours). I don't even try to perform a Lesson Exam until the 2nd day. I work with Morse Machine pretty much exclusively that first day. I always keep the character speed the same in Morse Machine as I use in my Lesson Practice Tests that way I'm training my ear to develop instant recognition of the character at "operating speed". In Morse Machine I keep resetting the new element "green bar" so it is in the mid-range of its vertical travel. At that setting I get a good ratio of the new element mixed in with the old elements. This helps develop discernment between the elements I have learned so far.

Regarding when to start Word Training my advice (for what its worth) is to do it if you think it helps, but don't let it each too much time away from Morse Machine and the Lesson Practice Tests. I've used it when I get burned out from Morse Machine and Practice Tests. It's another tool that definitely has some value, but from a time-management perspective I think my time is best spent in Practice Tests, then Morse Machine, then Code Groups (if I'm having trouble with similar sounding characters). Because I'm still learning the characters, I haven't used Word training much, but plan to once I've completed all 40 lessons.

I think Word training will be a good tool to help me develop head copy skills, but first I need to master all the elements.

Mike
W9MIC

The opportunity to start with word exercises from lesson 9 upwards is excellent.

Take short wordlength, listen, try to decode, slow speed. Repeat a word untill decoded in your head, repeat another 2 or three times.

Regular spaced Morse code, copy by head is the way you want to learn the code, and this is the fastest way. Each day additional to the lessons one exercise of 25 words.

It are the results that count.

I'd recommend never to go too low in your speed settings.
It will only encourage you to count the dits and dahs in the end which will come to bite you in the backside later on in training.
18-20 words per minute should be the absolute minimum.
I've done all 40 lessons on 15/15 setting and found even then I could more or less count the individual parts.
Speeding up or even copying several characters or even words behind becomes impossible that way.
Now doing it with 25/15 settings all over again intermixed with the morse machine and word training.
I'm also using the www.morsefusion.com website to get used to spelled text in plain English as well. Which will greatly help getting used to the way CW is received.
The word training will help to familiarise you with the sound of words in their entirety which will greatly help in increasing speed.
Check chapters 1-8 in the book "The art and skill of radio telegraphy" available for free on tasrt.ca in pdf.

I cannot get sound from the word training. I have no problem with anything else. I must not be doing something right. Any suggestions?

set your lessons back to lesson 9, That is the way to get only the first 10 learned characters, set wordlength short, 2 or 3 characters. Set lowest speed to 8 or 10. max speed to 12. Start the word exercise, and remember:This is real Morse code. This is what you want to learn.

When you see opposite advice, watch the performance in high scores or whatever of the writer. Don't take advice from a person struggling to learn the code, who is just starting, or have low performance after a long time.

When I read this old thread, best advice is from the lady pd0ldb.

That doesn't work, I am using a Mac computer. Does that make a difference?

I changed the player to the jscwlib player and it worked. Thank you