Hey there. Are you an amateur radio operator who feels like something is missing in their ham life? Did you take your license exams after the CW requirements were removed, but now think that CW operating seems kind of cool? Well, you are and it is. I highly recommend that you make an effort to learn the International Morse code and become a CW operator.
The learning process is as fun as you make it out to be and can be as easy or hard as you let it be. A lot of it comes down to being in the right headspace and having the discipline to study meaningfully and not be too hard on yourself when you make mistakes. Not approaching learning mindfully hinders your ability to effectively learn, well, anything. So, I’d recommend starting here.
So, you’ve decided to add CW operating to your amateur radio skillset but you’re not sure how to get started? Don’t worry. I found myself in the same situation when I started my CW journey. Luckily, the technological world we live in is rife with learning tools to get us in front of the information we need and most of it comes free with the price of your Internet service. Other products can be purchased for an additional small fee. The point is, that you have options. Lots and lots of options. Choosing which tools you enlist to help learn Morse code is ultimately up to you, but in this article, I’ll share a few of the most popular ones that I’ve found and used along my own quest to become a CWOp.
I should go ahead and share a disclaimer here since it sounds like I am about to teach you something when, in fact, I’m not and also I’m not a teacher. I hope that this information is helpful, but you must understand up front that this is simply the path that I’m on. The key word there is “on” as I’m still on this path and have not reached the required 10,000 hours needed to become an expert. (Just an FYI, it doesn’t really take 10,000 hours to become proficient with Morse code enough to participate in CW QSOs.)
My own journey to CW operating began possibly many years ago when I first became a licensed ham (2014). The CW test had long since been waived from all of the licensing exams and so there was no incentive to learn Morse code at the time. Over the years since, I’ve often thought that as a ham, shouldn’t I at least know Morse code? I would hear a 2m repeater chime in with a short transmission of Morse code and always ask myself “what did that say?”. I was never fast enough to open the Morse decoding app on my phone in time to catch the transmission. Wouldn’t it be cool to hear something in Morse code and understand it as easily as you do your native spoken language? I thought so. But how does someone get to that point?
It needs to be stated now that in order to become proficient with Morse code enough to use it to make CW contacts over the air, you must cast aside any guidance that says to start learning at a slow pace. Morse proficiency comes not from knowing the English letter J is represented by a dit and three dashes, it comes from immediately recognizing the letter J by the sound a dit and three dashes makes, without having to think about it. Learning Morse characters at any speed slower than 13 words per minute is not doing yourself any favors. So, strongly resist the urge to slow down. Also, you’re making it more difficult on yourself by learning Morse code via a straight key. Save the straight keys for later when you’ve mastered the Code. For beginners, it’s recommended to find a good quality paddle that is within your budget. You may find single or double paddles at all price points low and high. Example 1 Example 2 Example 3
You’d probably be better off if you approach learning Morse code the same way you learned your native language. Assuming most efforts begin with learning the sounds of the letters followed by the sounds of words made up of those letters, we can approach learning Morse code in a similar manner. Learn how each letter sounds (not how many dits and dashes it has) until your brain instantly recognizes the character by sound. After that skill has been mastered, you begin learning to recognize entire words merely by sound. If you really think about it, this is no different than how you learned your spoken language. Consider the word scarborough. You likely recognize the word by sight, can speak the word out loud without thinking about it, and probably have no problem spelling it correctly. It’s this level of mental recognition that we need to reach with our Morse Code learning. It is not as daunting as it seems, but it’s made more difficult if you start by learning Morse code at slow speeds.
To learn the twenty-six English letters in Morse code, my recommendation would be to use an app on your cell phone or computer. I like MorseMania (iOS and Android) as it was the first app I downloaded that seemed well-designed. You begin by learning two letters, and progress until you can recognize all 26 by the way they sound. Another app you may want to try out is Morse-It (iOS) which can also be used to learn to recognize the Morse code characters, but also offers the ability to begin practicing your sending skills. Morse-It quickly became my favorite mobile app since there were so many additional features included for a small cost. It’s the more well-rounded app in my opinion. Morse-It even supports connecting a real Morse paddle to your device and using it for sending practices. More on that later. Also, there is Learn CW Online (link), which is an online training platform that teaches Morse code character recognition. For my character recognition practice, I use a combination of Morse-It when not around a computer and LCWO when around a computer.
It’s only half of the task to learn to recognize a letter. The other half is to learn to send the letter accurately. Luckily, there are tools to help assist your learning efforts in this area as well. As already mentioned, Morse-It provides the capability to practice your sending skills if you have an Apple device such as iPhone or iPad, but what options do you have if you have Android or other non-Apple device? I highly recommend the online tool called VBand (link), which is short for Virtual CW Band. VBand is an online representation of a set of on-air amateur frequencies where CW operators congregate to ragchew. The platform supports connecting your Morse paddle to your computer to practice your sending skills or just to have a chat with another user. There are two types of “channels” present on the platform. The first automatically decodes all Morse code into readable text. This is useful for beginners so that you can validate that you are sending the correct code. The second channel type has the decode feature disabled, providing a space where you can focus on honing your receiving skills as well as sending skills. I cannot recommend VBand highly enough. It is an amazing platform and only once or twice have I ever signed in and found nobody actively using the site.
I’ve provided a few of my recommendations for apps and platforms that may assist you in your journey to Morse code proficiency. I hope you find them useful. I also think it is worthwhile to share the following information, which I highly recommend you take the time to read through. Much of it goes into the learning process and the Koch Method. Other links are to additional sites and services that might be of interest to you along your path forward.
Good luck in your quest for Morse code excellence!
Learning and Practice Tools:
Virtual CW Band – It is worth mentioning VBand more than once in this article. This may be the coolest platform mentioned and is one I’ve spent quite a bit of time on while learning Morse. While VBand favors sending practice over receiving, there are options available to practice copying code in your head. Watch an interview of the creator on Youtube to learn a bit more about the platform and how to use it here.
CWOps Academy – Three times per year, two months at a time, twice a week for eight weeks, students will be given personalized guidance and feedback related to their Morse proficiency progress. There are four levels of training from beginner to advanced. You may join the CWOps club once you reach 30+ WPM proficiency and have confirmed QSOs with other CWOps members. That’s some motivation, right?
W1AW Code Practice MP3 Files – Downloadable files from ARRL that can be used to practice copying CW.
W1AW Operating Schedule – W1AW schedule of activities. Of note here are the times for the code practice transmissions.
MorseCode.World – Similar to lcwo.net in that you learn instant character recognition, but here, you don’t submit any decoding. Try setting the character speed to 25 and the Farnsworth speed to 10 to begin with. As the character is played, you have a brief moment to recognize it before the platform speaks the character to you. The idea here, I believe, is not only to gain instant character recognition, but to also solidify your mind’s association between sound and character. If you read any of the literature I link to below, you’ll learn that your mind will associate sounds and words/letters if the two are heard close together.
Morse Runner – An awesomely fun Windows app that simulates CW contest pileups. You gain skills in callsign recognition and contest message exchange recognition. Highly recommended.
Long Island CW Club – A lot like CWOps in that this is a club with a focus on teaching the art of CW. Certainly worth a look if you learn best from a structured curriculum.
Morsle.fun – Ever heard of Wordle? Morsle is a CW take on it that calls out a word in Morse code and you have a set number of tries to head copy it.
Discussions on how to become proficient with Morse code:
Zen and The Art of Radiotelegraphy – A rather lengthy discussion on the art of learning and using Morse code. Long, but worth the read.
Morse Code: Efficient or Over The Hill? – A good article from the June 2009 issue of QST that talks about why learning to communicate via CW is a worthwhile endeavor even though you’re no longer required to know the Code to become an amateur radio operator.
Instant Recognition – Nancy Kott WZ8C – Describes how the Law of Contiguity is critical to successfully reaching Instant Character Recognition.
Learn Morse Code As A Language – A paper by J. A. Ritter W0UCE which presents an alternative learning regimen than what has previously been shared. Although much of the theory behind why this method works is the same as why the other methods already mentioned work. There are some very useful practice tables included in the paper that may be used to spruce up your regular daily practice.
CW Studies – Controlling Frustration and Nervousness – It’s common to experience frustration when teaching yourself a new skill. For most of us, learning Morse code means we are the student and the teacher. We will make mistakes and we will sometimes feel like we are not progressing as we would like. In this paper, Bill Leahy K0MP tells us that this is normal and gives some quick advice on how to push through those feelings so that you can continue your work to reach your CW goals.
A Basic CW Operating Manual – Dan Stegner KB0OBU runs us through some guidance on how to operate on the air as a CW operator.
And if you really have a yearning to read more about CW and Morse code, have a look at the seminal William Pierpont N0HFF manual titled The Art and Skill of Radio-Telegraphy
73 dit dit,
K2MAS
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