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LCWO Discussion Forum [Atom LCWO Forum Feed]

This is a simple discussion forum for LCWO users. Feel free to use it for any kind of discussion related to this website.

Thread: Old dog, new trick

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AuthorText


Posted: 2018-07-04 20:30
Am I the only one who's tried to learn CW at 66 years old and half deaf.. I started learning in 1969 in high school but girls, My hearing aids say do not use with headphones, so I'm trying to learn with out them. Headphones are better because I'm not hearing background noise as well and CW is quieter than ssb. Am I tilting at windmills, or can I get this? I know most letters and numbers to send but copying is very frustrating. Wish me luck.


Posted: 2018-07-05 11:18
Hi Frank, I find headphones are much better than a speaker because no reflections off walls etc. According to Bill Peirpont in "The Art and Skill of Radiotelegraphy" free online, people have learned up to their nineties so there is hope for you and I, GL, Rich G4FAD..


Posted: 2018-07-05 20:14
Hello Frank,
it also depends, which kind of ear problem you have. Did your ear Dr. ever measure your frequency response? Did you get a printout? Often the higher frequencies above 1 or 2 kHz are getting much weaker, but 500 Hz is still sensitive. In this case you need to find out, which frequency is still getting through on both ears. In case your head phone/amlifier is loud enough on that frequency you found, leaving the hearing aids away, would be an advantage.
73, Bernd


Posted: 2018-07-10 03:57
Hey Frank, I'm 72 and just started and I am frustrated with copying as well but I want to stick with it. I am finding that 25 character WPM and a slow (4) effective WPM gives me time to type responses better. Hope to increase with time.


Posted: 2018-07-13 09:41
I'm 43 and I'm getting back into it.

There's no "too old", and don't let anyone tell you there is.


Posted: 2018-07-13 13:28
I'm somewhere between 43 and 66 and I'm making progress, slowly, but making it.

Good luck.


Posted: 2018-09-03 23:44
67, Ham since 1960. Stroke victim, talking at length difficult. Making progress... slowly.


Posted: 2018-09-06 08:34
I am in my mid 60s, I have got the settings at 30 character speed and spacing set at 4. But my typing is poor, I find it easier to hand copy then compare. I am making progress. I started a couple of years ago and stopped when I had a heart attack and then my wife had a cardiac arrest which she survived. So just now getting back to it.


Posted: 2018-09-14 03:22
Hang in there Mr Clark, I was lucky did not have stroke as you did. I just never learned very fast.Hope to have a QSO with you some day if possible, I live on the west coast of the U.S. and do not have a very good antenna. 73 to you and God bless.


Posted: 2018-09-15 06:18
Well, since this is a "true confession" thread, I'll admit that I'm 73, and getting back into code, which I never learned well when I got my novice license back in 1981. At that time the code test was multiple choice, and I passed by having good test savvy and not good copy. I'm now on lesson 25 of 40 of the Koch Method, which has really helped me. I'm slightly dyslexic and that make my progress slow, but I'm continuing to work at it. I know have 21 of the 26 alphabet letters down pretty well, but the recently introduced punctuation marks are giving me fits. I've got the comma and period down pretty well, but forward slash and = (BT) seem more difficult. I'm using 15 WPM characters and 3 WPM spacing. This challenging for me. I'm thinking of changing the character speed to 20, as it's the extra time between characters that I need, not the speed of the letters. I was listening to some fast code on the air, and I was surprised that I could pick out some characters being sent at 30WPM. The only problem was by the time I recognized the character and wrote it down the sender had finished the whole word, or at least the syllable. So, I, too am hoping old farts can learn new tricks!


Posted: 2018-09-17 21:51
At 66 Frank you are still a youngster! Keep practicing and you will get there. Good exercise for the brain cells too. I am 73 and after 2 years of trying I can now send and receive slow Morse and I have practice QSO's with local hams on 160m.
You will reach a stage where the Morse becomes fun and not a chore anymore.
73 de John G7OXK


Posted: 2019-11-13 13:01
Hi Frank,

I am 67 and in my opinion and from my experince, the age is no problem. After some years I know myself a little bit and so I know how to motivate myself and I know, how learning works for me. This makes things even more easy, than they used to be.

Have you ever tried a bone conduction headset. Maybe this could help a lot. Look at:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_conduction


Posted: 2019-11-14 09:19
This website should be titled OMLCWO! I'm 63 and just passed lesson 40. It's a struggle with our minds, not with our age. Many people seem to find it a long hard road (but worth the effort, apparently).

I'm surprised "Nonagenarian" hasn't chipped in - he must be in his 90's, but I think he's been at it for years.


Posted: 2019-11-15 15:55
I am 71 and learning CW and also practicing for the General Exam, so do not feel all alone young fella.

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