Very kind words. Thank you so much and thanks for watching my video. I really appreciate you. If I can do anything to help please let me know. All the best. 73. Jim
I try to keep my WCW status a secret (wise cyberpunk wizard.) Thanks so much for giving my channel a look and taking time to send a message. I appreciate you. 73. All the best. Jim
Your method is exactly how I learned it in the Air Force as a morse intercept operator. For example, I never heard the letter "L" as dit dah dit dit. It was didahdidit or as we used to say "she plays with it". When I was deployed to my duty station, my targets sent up to 50 wpm, and that would have been impossible to understand and copy, if the code was sent in a non-rhythmic fashion. But even very slow targets, which I had to copy on rare occasions, also sent in that rhythmic pattern as you describe. So, when someone asks me what is the letter "A", for example, I simply do not say it as dit dah. Rather, I say it as didah. As you know, it works! By the way, that was in 1969, and I still remember every letter and every number. No way I could copy as fast as I did back then, but despite having never copied a dit since 1972, I still remember all but a few punctuation marks. Military taught us well, didn't they?
It was my experience in the military that they knew how to teach you things in a hurry. AND they used people who had done the job to teach you. 73, Jim
Paul Wolf... I very good friend of mine was an Air Force intercept operator. He too was there in the 1960s. His ham call is W1PI. His name is Clay (short for Clarence). Sometimes it really is a small world and I thought maybe there's a chance you know him. (??)
@@N9KGC I don't recall anyone named Clay or Clarence. It sounds like I may have gotten there after him. I arrived on Crete in Feb. 1970 and left Dec. 1972. I bet he enjoyed it as much as I did; it was a great place to be stationed! Tell him I said hello.
When doing ship board radio repairs I watched an operator handling some code messages. When he was finished he sat back and read a newspaper while at the same time still listening to code traffic. I asked him if he listening while also reading. He said, yes, both. That's how he takes his morning coffee and catches up on the news.
I studied music in college. Spent many hours ear training in the listening lab. I learned morse in a weekend and passed my novice exame that Monday using this very concept. I would imagine a percussionist would be even more keen.
I used music to learn it too in 1988. I used a magazine and a list with the letters, after two hours I was not looking for the letters on the list anymore. I became able to transmit, but not to receive, it was 1988.
I know a few professional musicians who took to CW like ducks to water. I played in bands for years but was never what you would call "traditional educated" or "professional" or "good". Hahaha. Still, I'd like to give this technique a try. I love the robustness of the mode and gear simplicity associated with CW.
In the Navy I was taught the dit dah dit as a Radioman. However by the time I was using a speed key, it was as you say patterns both in sending and receiving. This brought me back 67-71.
@@w5fivtexasradio cool! RMA skol San Diego, then first duty station was NCS Skaggs Island at the receivers building then on to NAS FWF Sangley Point Philippines. How about you?
@@w5fivtexasradio I was a Radioman, US Navy 70-74. Went to RMC Bainbridge, MD (10-70 - 3/71). I learned to send/receive enough to graduate but never got to utilize that skill. Was stationed at Communication Station Londonderry, Norther Ireland and used teletype for all communications.
BAINBRIDGE!!! I was there for RMA and RMC in early 1973. In all these years you’re the first person I’ve run across that was also there. It was really a cool place in a “gone-back-in-time-to-WW2” kind of way. My young, new wife and I had our first alcoholic beverages together at the Fiddler’s Green. We were too young to drink at home! They had nice bowling lanes and a funky old movie theater. But the whole place seemed like you stepped back in time to 1945 or something. It’s so good to hear from someone who was also there. I went to the Atlantic Fleet on an ATF and spent most of my time going between Charleston and GTMO. Thanks for checking out my channel. You should find my stuff pretty familiar. As a matter of record I never used Morse except in trials and training. I was the designated emergency cw operator on my ship and fortunately only had to use my skills once when we had fire break out on board in the Bermuda Triangle. 73 brother. Thanks for stopping by. All the best. Jim
Some years ago, when I was a teenager, I asked a railroad CW operator about how did he learn the Morse Code. He surprised me saying he didn't know the code, dih by dih and dah by dah, but only knew the sound of every symbol.
Honestly you took what looked like an insurmountable mountain for a lot of people and showed how manageable it truly was to learn this skill. Hats off to you
Forgive me for taking so long to get back to you. Your words are very kind. With Morse Code as with many other things in life, people try to overthink. Take a breath. Move ahead. Remember it’s supposed to be fun. Thanks for stopping by and especially for going to the trouble to send me a message. Means a lot to me. All the best. Jim
I was an Air Force 202 (analyst) and want to thank all you ditty boppers for making my job easier than it should have been. So many times you told me that you recognized a target by the freq and sound of the transmitter, or the sender's "style." You could even tell me how much the Russian had been drinking before his mid shift began! You guys were Pros and all us analysts owe you a big debt of gratitude! Thank you, we made a great team! Peshawar '68-'69.
thanks, I was a ditty bop!1968-71, Alaska, viet nam and thailand...I had a rack that cranked out the dits, almost non stop....one day there was a silence for about 10 minutes,(VERY unusual) so I got my translation book out to see what he sent last....he said he was going to the bathroom!
@@larrybaker5316 I remember one New Year's Eve when my best ditty bop said he was listening to a drunk Russian who was slurring his dahs, but not his dits!
Thank you, CdA_Native. It was interesting that almost all of us really did try very hard to catch every dit correctly. We took it as our duty, and we took that seriously, even though some of us were less than happy with the military. I could never really recognize certain senders or styles. Maybe because when code is sent at high speeds, it is just too difficult to detect a difference in style. I do remember one guy that I could recognize because he would send at an even faster speed than the others. I always knew that when he was on, I was in for a ride.
I'm still learning Morse, but back before I got my ham license, I ran into one of the guys from my university's ham radio club in line at Chipotle so I whistled CQ CQ CQ in Morse code at him, knowing that he knew Morse. He instantly perked up, turned around and said hi to me. Anyway, this video just gave me the idea to start whistling the alphabet to myself in Morse whenever I'm alone.
I learnt Morse code in 1985 at an amateur radio club UZ4HXG in USSR. There was a class room with a tape recorder. The instructor's voice on the tape said exactly that - do not try to memorize dots and dashes. As per recorded instruction, we were played Morse code and the recorded voice pronounced the letter corresponding to that Morse code and we were supposed to hear the Morse code and write down the letter pronounced on the recording and so on. After a couple of weeks I was able to copy CW at a slow speed at first, gradually getting better at it.
I often felt when I learned the code, I was using the same part of my brain that learned music. I wish my mother were alive. She taught piano for 60 years and would've loved discussing it!
I taught myself the code in two days. Then I bought my first receiver, and the first day I was up to ten words a minute. Later on I had no problem with the 13 and then 20.
@@w5fivtexasradio That was a point someone made to me. I did take lessons. I messed with drums and the accordion. But didn't continue. Sometimes I would listen to a song enough and improvise on the piano or organ. So yes. I am somewhat musically inclined. When I studied for my general, I would play CW tapes in my car and copy in my head as I was driving. I did the same for the 20 when I took my Extra. I actually wrote a course and taught ham radio classes, both the code and theory. I used my method with my students when I taught the code. Anyone can learn the code.
Very good teaching. My dad was a merchant marine radio operator in the war. He could copy Morse incredibly fast. (I can't remember how fast but it was 30-50 WPM maybe.) He said that he would hear whole words and even phrases at that speed. One thing that made it hard is that when he was receiving the new broadcasts, he had to type a mimeo stencil. Because he couldn't correct it, he would type a sentence or so behind. My dad had mad skills. Don''t be afraid of Morse code. It is surprisingly easy. I learned to copy five-letter code groups at 5 WPM, but the old test is mostly plain English, as is actual on-the-air messages. You can miss 3/4 of the letters and still figure out what the message is and you can fill it in. When I took the test (which is no longer required as I understand it), I was just trying to pass the 5 WPM test for the Technician license, but you could take the higher speed test for no additional fee. So, I took the 13 WPM test and (I think, the 20 WPM test.) Then I decided to study for the theory test to get the Advanced license, which I did at the next testing opportunity. All I wanted was the tech license, but ended up with Advanced. I proud of having that since it shortly wasn't offered anymore.
I learned Morse code by myself when I built a spark gap transmitter when I was a kid. I made two identical spark gap transmitters with the exception of the telegraphy keys. The telegraphy key for my cousin's spark gap transmitter was home made from cloth pins and a mouse trap. My telegraphy key was an authentic, 1938 Lionell J-47 telegraphy key. I tuned the transmitters to roughly 1.6 megacycles. My cousin and I used simple AM radios to be our receivers. We tapped the summer away with our homemade transmitters. Unfortunately, all the neighbours within the 7 miles we were communicating back and forth were also hearing the buzzing on their telephones, televisions, baby monitors, CB radios, walkie talkies, and much more. When my father found out it was me destroying the airwaves with my spark gap transmitter, I got in big trouble! My cousin, of course, said I forced him to take the transmitter and use it. When my father found out I took the battery out of an old motorcycle he was working on and the riding lawnmower to make the transmitter and a couple of spark plugs, automotive ignition coils, and old relays he had laying around, he got even more angry. He made me apologise to all the neighbours and cut their lawns the following summer for free. At the end of the summer, my father confessed he was impressed that I made a primitive transmitter out of old parts. He gave me a second hand CB radio, a power supply, and told me I could make an antenna to put on the roof. Though, my telegraphy days were over, I still remember the code. I still have the J-47 telegraphy key as a memento of better times. The old CB my father gave me just died at the end of June 2022. I had that ancient thing in all my vehicles for the sake of the memories. Whenever it went bad, I would lovingly repair it myself and put it back in my car. But CB fell out of favour around 2000. It was picking up nothing but static and very distant stations around the end. The homemade antenna was also still in use on the back of my old Jeep. I guess I will be uninstalling that old antenna soon. There is no transceiver in the old Jeep to use it. There is only a hole in my dashboard left with a few cables coming out of it. I will always remember being KBX1339 for the rest of my life. Thanks for the memories dad and 40 years of local and DX fun! I guess it is time to grow up. Nobody has a CB in their vehicles anymore. Nobody even sells CBs anymore. I just need to find dashboard panels for a 1997 Jeep Wrangler to delete the rectangular hole I made back in 1996 when I bought the Jeep new. All good things come to an end. --... ...-- / -.. ./ -.- -... -..- .---- ...-- ...-- ----. (defunct) This concludes our broadcast day. ... and now our national anthem.
Our Jeep club is slow to adopt ham radio, so we still use a combination of CB and FRS. On runs, I usually have all 3 on board. Fill the hole with a ham rig? (2004 Jeep TJ Rubicon)
@@johnwyman6126 There is an ancient one in my old Jeep. It is more than just a CB. It covers 24 Mhz to 30.125Mhz in all modes. Sometimes I still hear some talk on 24.980 Mhz USB. 25.000 AM is the atomic clock. It can not be heard all the time. I also hear some distant activity on 27.555 USB, 28.4 USB, 29.1 AM, 27.355USB and 27.385 LSB. 27.185 AM is sporadically open. There seems to be a repeater on 29.64 FM. But that is it. The rest of the frequencies are dead. I do not have the license for most of the frequencies I hear. Thus, I do not talk back on any besides 27.385 LSB, and 27.185 AM. The rest are either too far or my license does not cover it. 73 de KBX1339
I admire your ingenuity as a child and it goes to show how low-technology survives. During WW2, Australians in Japanese POW camps were able to construct Morse transmitters using vehicle spark plugs, batteries, wire coils and aerials. The actual transmitter was hidden in the head of a broom. They sent intelligence back to Australia. It was one way traffic as they couldn't scrounge the materials to make a receiver. It was send and hope someone was listening. Fast forward to today. What prisoner could cobble together a cellular phone, or a satellite phone, from scrounged items? Old tech has the ability to survive in adversity. Long live the dits and dahs. Re. the Q and Z codes...I once got in trouble for sending a ZBM2 to a senior station. Luckily, just as I was standing in front of my officer's desk, about to get an anal reaming, the phone rang. The caller was the senior communications officer at the other end who apologised and said that it wouldn't happen again. Lucked out there didn't I Mr Issom.😅
Well thank you so much but I’m not sure how much those kind words apply to me. I’m just paying forward something the Navy taught me what is literally a lifetime ago. Thanks for checking me out. 73. All the best. Jim
A very nice and clear explanation. I didn't think anyone would have an interest in morse anymore. I learned it at 15 or so, became an army radio operator, and I have never forgotten it. I can still read the morse from the old films, or from the signal lights on the ships. I don't think I will ever forget it. One funny incident I recall when I was at the cinema and there was this very important message coming in between the ships. In actual fact it turned out to be a fishing report and as I was the only one laughing in the cinema I was lucky not to be thrown out...
Why you think people wouldnt have an interest in Morse anymore? I just started learning, it's interesting and there are many others! I just "talked" to a guy who has been learning for 7 months
Commercial airline pilot here. Learned to fly in 2010. Never learned Morse code because it wasn’t required. We do use Morse code to identify navigational radio stations, but the -/. sequence is spelled out on the chart for dummys like me! In any case, I’ve always had interest in learning, so thank you for this!
Thanks for telling me! I really appreciate your checking out my channel and taking time out of your day to send me a message. That’s very kind of you. All the best. Jim
Wel.... that's just what our CW teacher at my local radio club here in Brussels Belgium said to me. I bought an ex WWII German army key and one day I'll have the guts to go on air in the "newbies" part of our available bands. I listen to lots of them here in Europe. He also told me to turn off the "decoder" and listen to the rythmes, like you explained here. I will "sing" the morse of the car number plates as I walk the dog in the morning. That's how I learned to read them with the verbal alphabet (Alpha, Bravo, Charley, etc) Thanks for making n the video. 73 Peter ON3VCF
Jim. My message, see below, was sent almost 7 months ago on a cold November morning here in North Devon, South West UK. I had just finished reading a book about a 16-year-old guy who decided to attend the 3-year Merchant Navy radio officers' course here in Plymouth. He described his training, initial struggle with Morse, and time at sea as a radio officer. Later he worked at the General Post Office radio stations keeping radio watch for distress messages and passing messages from shipping. This book inspired me to learn Morse Code. I had been getting a bit bored with SSB so it was perfect timing. I started to study CW and your brilliant videos were my first steps, I went through each letter in turn, frequently returning to the videos to recap. I later downloaded some apps and listened to my radio at home. Today, for the first time I understood, with some difficulty a UK station sending out a 14 WPM CQ. I was able to copy his callsign and I responded. It was very noisy but my first contact was made. We have both had to resort to email, but via Morse code our contact was made and calls exchanged.....my first QSO. Thank you, you got me started. Now the world is my oyster.
Well done, congrats on the first code QSO. I remember my first few contacts writing things down so I knew what to send. Having learned it I was not letting it get away and love it. G4GHB.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for checking out my channel and taking the time to send a message. Those are kind words indeed. Thank you. All the best. Jim
Nice fist! I served as a radioman in the Royal Canadian Navy. When I joined in 1965, we were required to copy Morse code at a minimum speed of 22 words per minute. By the time we graduated from Comm School, most of us could comfortably handle 25 wpm.
I was just randomly checking videos while in bed, and suddenly your Morse Code video appeared. Finally, something really useful, huge respect for this! Thank you!
So glad you find it useful! I appreciate your kind words metalcore466. Thanks for stopping by and going to the trouble to send me a message. All the best. Jim
Sorry I’m late in answering your message. I really appreciate your very kind comments. Maybe it’s just more like plain boring than “calm” but I thank you. All the best in 2025! Jim
My wife and I agree with your absolutely smashing methodology WRT rythmn in Morse. We've adopted your method to learn but slightly adapted it to our particular learning approach. Although I've been involved in communications for a long time and a licence holder for 10 years I've never felt drawn to Morse. My wife is an academic who has no interest in Morse but she says she wants to learn Morse with me so we can sneakily Morse each other when out and about. We practice Morse when out and about by using your method to "sing" the Morse when reading car registration plates when we're on long journeys. The UK licensing plates are very easy to see at distance and the combinations of letters and numbers ideal for Morse gaming. Maybe you'll make more formal presentations about your approach in future. I should imagine you would have an appreciative audience, even for the miserable git who said your approach is rubbish. Yours gratefully, Mark and Karen
When I was in HS back in 67, we had a radio club, and we learned morse code. We had a mechanical device that used paper tapes to practice. I can't remember anything now but CQ and SOS. But it was fun.
This is a great way to learn! I got my Amateur license quite a while ago, but after they removed the Morse requirement. I’ve always shied away from learning it as the chart looks very intimidating, but the “test yourself by thinking ‘What’s that letter in Morse Code?’ game when seeing a letter on a sign or a movie subtitle” approach is a great way to further ingrain it. Subscribed!
You nailed it! That’s how I learned. It’s much faster to go straight to the sounds and rhythm patterns. It’s just seems so natural to me. Thanks for checking me out and taking the time from your day to send me a message. 73. All the best. Jim
Dang man. I wish I had leaned this way when I first got my license. I did EXACTLY what you said NOT to do. Now... I've been away from ham radio for 20 years and just now getting back into it. When I got away from it, I was a tech plus, and sent at literally 5 wpm.... every single letter was SLOOOOW LOL I only remember cq de kd5ayy and various short hand letters like .-., 73, 5NN, etc. I think I want to relearn the full code now. This was eye opening!!
@@w5fivtexasradio Good video, Jim. When I finally get around to learning CW, I'll keep this in mind. I have too many hobby irons in the fire for now though lol. 73, KC1GZR
I still have the key I bought from Radio Shack back in the 70s. Made a heavy lead base for it from melted fishing weights, and glued a cork base to save the furniture. Got up to about 8 wpm on my own, at a time when the ham operator test in Canada required 10 wpm. Or was it 13? Too long ago now. The simplicity of the telegraph has always fascinated me, even with our modern technology.
This is so useful ! I can't believe this video showed up. I was always wondering how it is possible to learn such things. I thought it was only possible to a very few people with supernatural minds
Well I guess that describes me… Hahahaha. Thanks for checking it out! I appreciate it and that you took the time to send a message. Means a lot to me. Really. All the best. Jim
Idk why i got recommended this video but im glad i did. Thanks for the concise and thorough explanations, as a USAF language analyst i never got to experience learning anything past SOS in morse and always kinda wanted to.
Excellent! Exactly how I passed Xtra 20wpm in 1991. Passed general dit dah method, but barely. Realized rhythm was only way to exceed general code speed barrier.
my father taught me this when I was only 10 years old - am 74 now - it was not hard and I have never forgotten it. He even made me a code key to practice.
Well I hope it triggered a fond memory. Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to share that story with me. I really appreciate you. 73. All the best. Jim
I was taught by the late G3ZCV, Norman Harper, who taught many others that the best way is to learn it by audio only without reference to written charts. Associate the sound with a letter (or word) rather than with a written pattern that has to be translated and slows the process.
@@larrybaker5316 I, too, still remember every letter, number and even a few punctuation marks. That 6-month early out was an incredible surprise for me. My wife and I had just finished a 45-day road trip through Europe. Upon our return, I said good-bye to her in Athens as she was returning to the US to set up house, find a job, etc., while I finished my tour on Crete. But when I got to Crete, I found out I had an early out coming that would shorten our separation from 9-months to 3! I was ecstatic, to say the least!
Well you may be exaggerating just a tiny bit. Hahahaha. Thanks so much for checking out my channel and for taking time out of your day to send me a message. 73. All the best. Jim
I appreciate your kind words! I really enjoy sharing it with others and I’m just trying to pay forward something the Navy taught me all those years ago. 73. All the best. Jim
Thank you! I have been trying to learn the code for over a year now. Every method I try focuses on making sure you time out your dit's and dah's and spaces so precisely. The method you are demonstrating makes so much more sense. Learn the rhythm patterns, space out your characters/words, and focus on making/singing each character to its "sound". I do remember hearing in an old military video somewhere than Morse code wasn't dits and dahs, but a carefully composed symphony of notes. I've learned more Morse code in your 11 minute video than I have in a year of studying with online trainers. Thanks & 73s de W4GJT
Excellent video, Jim. Indeed, character- and word-recognition as rhythm patterns helps with retention. Something I'm learning better as I try to develop my Morse Code skill. To all those here who have served in any armed force(s), thank you for your valiant service. 73 de N5RLR 🙂
Gday sir from M0TDM over the pond. Your video emphasise the fundamentals needed to lean the code. Think of it as a song ,listen to the rhythm let it flow,do not interpret,do not guess,do not get ahead of yourself,if you can hold a conversation at say 8-10wpm with no errors this is so much better than trying to up your speed and then your error rate climbs dramatically. Don't be afraid to ask the operator to slow down pse qrs,in fact a good operator will take note of your rhythm and speed and should adapt to match you. Very good basic principles sir. I started as a class B licencee,here in the UK before the new licence structure you had class B which granted you access to vhf and above,and you had to pass the 12wpm morse test for full HF access and privileges which I did. The annoying thing about my callsign is that it doesn't reflect the sacrifices I did to learn and pass the Morse test . Here in the UK the morse test is no longer a requirement to be a Ham. When I go on air I would like people to understand via my callsign that I had the drive and commitment to learn the code as with the old G class callsign. We ran out of G class and so the M series of calls was born, then they changed the licence structure to 3 classes. Some will say does it matter and just enjoy your time on the air,well yes I do but I would like for you when we work each other for you to immediately know yes this guy passed his 12wpm and did it the old way. I've approached the licence authorities here in the UK as they are reissuing old G callsign but I would have to surrender my old call for over a year and then reapply.. Crazy..sorry for the long winded reply sir . All the best and hope to meet you on the air sometime. Roger M0TDM
I am a M7 UK foundation call currently. I want to learn morse and hold QSO's. I have absolute respect for operators such as yourself and the work you put into getting your license. I respect experience and value all it has to offer. Even more so when those who have spent their lives building their experience and knowledge choose to share it freely. Especially to enrich this most amazing hobby of ours that is radio. 73's D.E M7FES ⚡
Brilliant way of putting it. I only played an instrument for about 3 years, but the rhythms and timings make much more sense than trying to remember the dots and dashes. Reminds me of trying to get the feel of a song on the sheet music and the rhythm of the notes. You can try all you want from just reading those notes, but trying to feel the rhythm just makes FAR more sense.
Thank you very much for taking the time and making the effort to create this useful series of morse code lessons. I have tried to learn morse before but by learning the word and then the dit-dah way. It never worked for me and I dropped away. Your approach with rhythm (US Navy) just makes perfect sense, already it has started to form up in my 67-year-old brain. It's going to do it the world of good. I have now subscribed and will soon go on to part 2. This is my winter project. Thank you again.
Thank you so much for the comment. I will be 69 in a month and it becomes harder to retain. But someone else here said it perfectly, “Hear the sound, think the letter.” I am so pleased it has helped you. Keep practicing! Jim W5FIV
I've recently been getting into survivalist guides, and I feel like morse code is one of the things you should know. This was a great guide! Thank you, good sir!
Thank you for your service and taking the time to produce these informative instructional aids for the likes of myself beginning in morse. For some time now I have been considering learning morse for the advancement of my radio hobby. Maybe I was overthinking things but I was always concerned I would start to learn it by an incorrect method effectively doing more harm than good hampering progression. I watched your presentation and something clicked for me........ I have THE METHOD now thanks to you. It probably seems obvious to many but I some how missed the "learn the rythm like a song" approach. It's opened the mental door to morse for me...... I somehow now believe that I can learn it.......... Thank you so much. 73's D.E M7FES away to listen to the rythm of the songs of morse 👍🏻
My Dad was in the Navy in comms in the 50’s and 60’s so he would have enjoyed this. And how you describe is quite remarkable. I can hear the pattern distinctions clearly. I could never figure out how the heck they did .’s and -i’s. You are right about picking off individual dots and dashes, then assembling them, then matching that sequence to a letter is too hard! Nice work.
You remind me of RM1 J.P. Texaria (Radioman First class). He told me once that you can tell who is sending Morse code by their keying style. Of course you've had to had some kind of experience with the other operator. A few years later I learned of "burst technology" regarding Morse code. Fascinating.
I'll learn this just to use it for the most trivial reason of honking it in videogames and knowing who gets it. Thanks for passing on the technique ! Although i mentioned ill use it for fun the content is incredibly informational/useful.
Thank You. When I took the Novice test From a Ham friend in 1980 or 81. I managed to get up to 13 wpm pretty quickly. Suzi Gave.my General Test a month.or to later. I did work a good bit of code but did mostly phone on 75 and built a lot of electronic stuff and several 4z1000 Amps. i still have my old TR4 and RV4.. I eas the ham on Satellite Radio on C-Band FM America. FMA was a fun thing using the clark birds as man made Skip. 1986-88. I find it use full or did to string words together as well as characters. it really get speed up. But I never was Much faster than 20 wpm or so. When you learn to hear the CW word you can even anticipate the next word too. Thank You sir. Ron T. KA4WYO.
I am a former 05B4S US Army Special Forces A team Radio Operator. We used ANgry 109 crystal sets in the field at 20 groups a minute. Well said my friend and thanks for the memories. DR
I grew up long after the heyday of radio comms but had to send this to my bandmates because of the musical analogies, you do similar things when identifying and learning common rhythmic and melodic movements. When I played in a pipe band, this was very close to how we treated learning and practicing complicated grace movements like taorluaths and leumluaths.
It is interesting to see how music and radio communication have those connections. Thanks for checking me out and for going to the trouble to send me a message. 73. All the best. Jim
First off, thank you (and your family) for your service and sacrifice! Dad was Army signal corps in WW-II. He tried to teach us in the way he was Army taught. I couldn't get it, just like I couldn't get languages in MS and HS. Anyway, I'm trying to learn now in my late 50s and I think you've got the best way at least for me. Sad part is if I listened to code training tapes or CDs 100th of the time I spent listening to music in the car, I've had it down years ago. Take care stay safe de W3KKO
Thanks for your very kind words. They mean more to me than you could know. I really appreciate you checking out my channel and taking the time to send a message, especially such a kind one. Means a lot. Really. All the best. Jim
Hello W5. You popped up on my front page this morning so I strung along. Morse isn't my thing but I have always been curious about it. If I'm understanding correctly, it's not about counting shorts and longs...it's about being familiar with the whole package. Just 36 of 'em or so. A whole new way to listen to SOS. As a three letter package just about everyone gets that one. No thinking. When you hear the *sound* three dashes makes the letter S registers up in your noggin... No counting. If I'm understanding correctly. Well, I never thought of it that way. 36 distinct sounds. Not a string of incomprehensible bleeps and bloops. Even if I'm wrong I think I'm further down the line than I was. Super thanks!
Well those ARE kind words. Thank you! I’m only trying to pay forward something the good old Navy taught me all those years ago. Thanks for checking out my channel and for taking time to send me a message. All the best. Jim
I always wanted to learn morse code but it seemed really complicated. Now it finally works with the rythm, I just remember the pattern, way easier thank you!
You just have to find a way for it to make sense to you. Hey, thanks for checking out my channel. I really appreciate you going to the trouble to send me a message. All the best. Jim
My father was a communications officer in the navy during Korean War. He monitered over a dozen channels at a time in the radio shack. He always talked about training his dog using a whistle and morse code. He was a busy man so he never got around to it but i always thought it was an interesting idea.
That IS an interesting idea. I’m going to mention it to a friend who was a military dog trainer. Thanks for stopping by my channel and especially for taking time to send me a message. All the best. Jim
I learned by listening, and here I am 55 years later and can still do 25 WPM clean on a straight key. My biggest hurdle was F and L. I went into the FCC office to get my novice and left with my extra. The best day of my life! :D
I’m glad you got your extra. Well done and I’m happy for you! My two menaces were Q and Y. Still stops me sometimes. Thanks for checking out my channel and for going to the trouble to send me a message. 73. All the best. Jim
The biggest mistakes I found myself making were: 1.) I would try to think of the entire word before it is completed (Wrong). 2.) I would try to figure out the dits and dahs, just as you have outlined here (Wrong). I did always send each character quickly and simply slowed the spacing, thankfully. Gordon West's WB6NOA cassette tapes also taught this method back in the day. Thanks. Great video.
The Gordon West cassette tapes were what my cousin and I used to learn Morse code for our homemade spark-gap transmitters. I found the tapes in a foreclosed house that was partially burned by the old owner that fled without paying. I think they were tapes from RadioShack®. A blue and black plastic case that, I belive, said, "5 WPM Novice by Gordon West." There was a laminated paper back book with antenna formulas, band definitions, and terms. My cousin and I used some of the terms, since I made transmitters. The book was in poor shape so it did not last long. But the cassettes stayed with me many years. I think the kit was to get a job working with transmitters.
@@indridcold8433 Great find! - "It must have been something I et." Now you can tell all of your friends, I copied morse code at 20 words per minute! Now whenever you hear dit dah dah, you will automatically think and say W "Double-U." Gordon West, WB6NOA. I met him at the Virginia Beach Ham Fest back in the 1990's and got an autographed QSL card. What a nice guy he was in person, wearing a nice navy blue double breasted suit, all the way from California. I also saw him a couple years at the Dayton Hamfest. One year he demonstrated a spark gap transmitter with a pickle! And he demonstrated the Outbacker mobile HF antennas. Great memories!
Thanks for the kind words. I’m just trying to pay forward some things the Navy taught me all those years ago. Thanks for checking me out and for taking the time to send a message. All the best. Jim
Most excellent!!! I was in a Marine Corps communication platoon many years ago. Some of the guys got taught Morse code. I wanted to but was always in the field. I appreciate you taking the time to make such an informative video. I am getting older now and Morse was one thing I wanted to know.
When I was a little kid my dad taught me Morse code. Our school exercise books were a brand called INVICTA. They were standard issue for students. Their cover was decorated in a solid pattern of dots and dashes. Bored in class, I decided to see if I could make words using the code and I was absolutely delighted to find the word INVICTA repeated ad infinitum over the entire cover!!
What a great story. Thank you for sharing it with me. Thanks for checking out my channel and going to the trouble of writing me a message. I really appreciate you! All the best. Jim
I know right. I hope this method helps you get it going! Thanks for checking it out and thanks for taking the time to send me a message. It’s really kind of you. 73. All the best. Jim
As a no-code tech license, I never learned morse code, but the repeaters I would talk on would ID in morse code... to this day, I can remember the beginning of it 20+ years later, and I remember it as the rhythm: - . - - . - . . . . . . Beyond that, I don't remember anything... but watching this, I realize that was KC5, so it makes sense.
Glad it was helpful! Be careful though, the neighbors will start thinking you were abducted by aliens. Hahaha. Thanks for checking out my channel and for going to the trouble to send a message. All the best. Jim
Moscow! WOW. Thanks for taking a look at my channel. I hope you find the videos helpful. If I can help further please shoot me a message. 73. All the best. Jim
When I first spoke, I spoke in Morse code when I was 11 months old! ... Me and my father were in a room and he accidentally bumped over a lamp, my mother came rushing in and yelled, "Who did that!?" And I was the one that answered and said, "Da Da Dit Dit." 🙂🤪
And so the immortal Morse Code was born! Hey, thanks for checking me out and especially for taking the time to send me a smile today. All the best. Jim
Hi Jim, thanks for taking the time to put this together. I learnt morse some 45 years back for my amateur license when it was a requirement. I was never used it a great deal so never progressed much above ~5 WPM and gave up the morse. Although now I am retired I'm thinking about getting the morse key out again and relearning. One thing I have always wondered about learning morse is the issue of learning it backwards (that's what I call it anyway). Not sure if this has already been discussed. I have seen some info in the past that you should never send morse until you can effectively receive/decipher morse. So much of the literature and training videos that is around will tell you the character first , then follow with the code which I note is how your video is done. eg A is dit-dah , instead of Dit-dah is A. Receiving and deciphering is obviously the more challenging aspect. eg when you hear that rhythmic 'dit-dah' sound, you want the letter A to instantly come into you head without having to think about it. When learning, if you are constantly hearing or being told A is dit-dah, when you actually hear that 'dit-dah' sound, your brain has to do a quick transposition as you have been hearing/learning the opposite (i.e back to front). I never heard the idea of the rhythmic sound when I originally learn, but that what I will now be doing . 73s.
I’d bet if you thought about it, you’d remember a lot more than you think. …or not, I don’t know. But… Thanks for checking out my channel and for taking time from your day to send me a message. All the best. Jim
I was the lone certified CW operator on a small Navy ship in the early 70's. If it all hit the fan it was up to me to bring up a 500 watt transmitter and make contact with help. Fortunately only had to do that once. Thanks for watching the channel. Don't overthink the code. Just listen and let it come to you. Read everything in code. My email is on QRZ page. Don't hesitate to contact me. #5 W5FOV
I was doing it that way in the year 2000. Laying in bed, a *SMS* (text message) alert sounded on my *Nokia.* Half asleep, I instantly recognised it as ...--... *SMS*
You know, that sounds like a really good idea that I think might work. I think you could make a real hit song out of them! Thanks for checking out my channel! 73. All the best. Jim
Yes there are for many of those. Look under pro signs and abbreviations. Q- signals cover some phrases along with some common questions and answers. Thanks for checking out my channel and for the question. All the best. Jim
Yes. The memorization of aural forms. We are using our brain's main evolutionary function -- pattern recognition. Thank you for sharing your skills. I was taught to grip the hand key rather than tap. Thank you so much...from a young CW fan. 73!
My late father was on RAF transport aircraft during WW2 as a radio operator. He mustered up as a pilot but he was, throughout my lifetime, always doing Morse code on his chair arm. He said exactly the same as you. Apparently you can get so attuned, you can tell who's sending the message by their 'voice'. x
when I took the cw course for the license I was taught in a classical way and I struggled a lot, then after a short absence from the radio I resumed studying it with this method, joining sound to the letter, but even if it may seem more cumbersome, also joining a sentence to a letter it helps to remember, then you will only join the sound to the letter. Congratulations on the video.
If RUclips was only videos like this, the world would be a better place.
Very kind words. Thank you so much and thanks for watching my video. I really appreciate you. If I can do anything to help please let me know. All the best. 73. Jim
Absolutely well put. My thoughts exactly.
If RUclips was only videos like this, we'd stop using it once we're all fluent in Morse
on god
yup I agree! no dumb intro. no dumb recaps of the entire video before the video starts. just a good video.
You look like a wise cyberpunk wizard, thanks for this knowledge.
I try to keep my WCW status a secret (wise cyberpunk wizard.) Thanks so much for giving my channel a look and taking time to send a message. I appreciate you. 73. All the best. Jim
Your method is exactly how I learned it in the Air Force as a morse intercept operator. For example, I never heard the letter "L" as dit dah dit dit. It was didahdidit or as we used to say "she plays with it". When I was deployed to my duty station, my targets sent up to 50 wpm, and that would have been impossible to understand and copy, if the code was sent in a non-rhythmic fashion. But even very slow targets, which I had to copy on rare occasions, also sent in that rhythmic pattern as you describe. So, when someone asks me what is the letter "A", for example, I simply do not say it as dit dah. Rather, I say it as didah. As you know, it works! By the way, that was in 1969, and I still remember every letter and every number. No way I could copy as fast as I did back then, but despite having never copied a dit since 1972, I still remember all but a few punctuation marks. Military taught us well, didn't they?
It was my experience in the military that they knew how to teach you things in a hurry. AND they used people who had done the job to teach you. 73, Jim
I was taught to NEVER use any of those word association types... It's one extra step. I was taught.... Hear the sound, think the letter.
Paul Wolf... I very good friend of mine was an Air Force intercept operator. He too was there in the 1960s. His ham call is W1PI. His name is Clay (short for Clarence). Sometimes it really is a small world and I thought maybe there's a chance you know him. (??)
@@N9KGC No I don't think so. I was Navy. Early 70's.
@@N9KGC I don't recall anyone named Clay or Clarence. It sounds like I may have gotten there after him. I arrived on Crete in Feb. 1970 and left Dec. 1972. I bet he enjoyed it as much as I did; it was a great place to be stationed! Tell him I said hello.
My dad was a radio man in WWII and this is exactly what he taught me when I was getting my Ham license. He achieved speeds at 23-25 words per minute.
That was the goal in RM”C” School in the Navy. Thanks for stopping by. 73. All the best. Jim
As a drummer, what your saying makes extreme sense.
When doing ship board radio repairs I watched an operator handling some code messages. When he was finished he sat back and read a newspaper while at the same time still listening to code traffic. I asked him if he listening while also reading. He said, yes, both. That's how he takes his morning coffee and catches up on the news.
The rhythm for YYZ by rush is YYZ in Morse
I studied music in college. Spent many hours ear training in the listening lab. I learned morse in a weekend and passed my novice exame that Monday using this very concept. I would imagine a percussionist would be even more keen.
I used music to learn it too in 1988. I used a magazine and a list with the letters, after two hours I was not looking for the letters on the list anymore. I became able to transmit, but not to receive, it was 1988.
I know a few professional musicians who took to CW like ducks to water. I played in bands for years but was never what you would call "traditional educated" or "professional" or "good". Hahaha. Still, I'd like to give this technique a try. I love the robustness of the mode and gear simplicity associated with CW.
My dad was a HAM. I learned Morse code from him so I could get my amateur radio license. It came easy to me when I was 14 I still know the code at 72
Sorry to hear about your dad, was he smoked, or honey-glazed?
@@Rilez10twitch 😂🤣
@Rilez10twitch Dad jokes.
No I got nothing else to say. Blank mind.
how lucky you were, to have parents who cared enough about you to spend a little time with you and teach you something.
I am a former Polish radio operator in the naval service, thanks for such an interesting film
I really appreciate your kind words and that you took the time out of your day to give my channel a look. 73. All the best. Jim
In the Navy I was taught the dit dah dit as a Radioman. However by the time I was using a speed key, it was as you say patterns both in sending and receiving. This brought me back 67-71.
I enlisted right out of high school in 1972. NAVY. Jim W5FIV
@@w5fivtexasradio cool! RMA skol San Diego, then first duty station was NCS Skaggs Island at the receivers building then on to NAS FWF Sangley Point Philippines. How about you?
I was in the Atlantic. RMA and RMC in Bainbridge MD. Then on an ATF home port Charleston.
@@w5fivtexasradio I was a Radioman, US Navy 70-74. Went to RMC Bainbridge, MD (10-70 - 3/71). I learned to send/receive enough to graduate but never got to utilize that skill. Was stationed at Communication Station Londonderry, Norther Ireland and used teletype for all communications.
BAINBRIDGE!!! I was there for RMA and RMC in early 1973. In all these years you’re the first person I’ve run across that was also there. It was really a cool place in a “gone-back-in-time-to-WW2” kind of way. My young, new wife and I had our first alcoholic beverages together at the Fiddler’s Green. We were too young to drink at home! They had nice bowling lanes and a funky old movie theater. But the whole place seemed like you stepped back in time to 1945 or something. It’s so good to hear from someone who was also there. I went to the Atlantic Fleet on an ATF and spent most of my time going between Charleston and GTMO. Thanks for checking out my channel. You should find my stuff pretty familiar. As a matter of record I never used Morse except in trials and training. I was the designated emergency cw operator on my ship and fortunately only had to use my skills once when we had fire break out on board in the Bermuda Triangle. 73 brother. Thanks for stopping by. All the best. Jim
Some years ago, when I was a teenager, I asked a railroad CW operator about how did he learn the Morse Code. He surprised me saying he didn't know the code, dih by dih and dah by dah, but only knew the sound of every symbol.
Honestly you took what looked like an insurmountable mountain for a lot of people and showed how manageable it truly was to learn this skill. Hats off to you
Forgive me for taking so long to get back to you. Your words are very kind. With Morse Code as with many other things in life, people try to overthink. Take a breath. Move ahead. Remember it’s supposed to be fun. Thanks for stopping by and especially for going to the trouble to send me a message. Means a lot to me. All the best. Jim
I was an Air Force 202 (analyst) and want to thank all you ditty boppers for making my job easier than it should have been. So many times you told me that you recognized a target by the freq and sound of the transmitter, or the sender's "style." You could even tell me how much the Russian had been drinking before his mid shift began! You guys were Pros and all us analysts owe you a big debt of gratitude! Thank you, we made a great team! Peshawar '68-'69.
thanks, I was a ditty bop!1968-71, Alaska, viet nam and thailand...I had a rack that cranked out the dits, almost non stop....one day there was a silence for about 10 minutes,(VERY unusual) so I got my translation book out to see what he sent last....he said he was going to the bathroom!
@@larrybaker5316 I remember one New Year's Eve when my best ditty bop said he was listening to a drunk Russian who was slurring his dahs, but not his dits!
@@CdA_Native great story
Thank you, CdA_Native. It was interesting that almost all of us really did try very hard to catch every dit correctly. We took it as our duty, and we took that seriously, even though some of us were less than happy with the military. I could never really recognize certain senders or styles. Maybe because when code is sent at high speeds, it is just too difficult to detect a difference in style. I do remember one guy that I could recognize because he would send at an even faster speed than the others. I always knew that when he was on, I was in for a ride.
I'm still learning Morse, but back before I got my ham license, I ran into one of the guys from my university's ham radio club in line at Chipotle so I whistled CQ CQ CQ in Morse code at him, knowing that he knew Morse. He instantly perked up, turned around and said hi to me. Anyway, this video just gave me the idea to start whistling the alphabet to myself in Morse whenever I'm alone.
lmaooo best way to find fellow ham radio operators
Gotta try that in the grocery store one of these days.
@@eljuano28 Duuuude me too-
Da dit da dit da da dit da.
3:20 Rhymtic patterns of morse code characters 🔘
3:20 - 3:48 A to G
3:49 - 4:10 H to N
4:11 - 4:34 O to U
4:35 - 4:52 V to Z
Numerics :
4:53 - 5:13 1 to 5
5:14 - 5:34 6 to 0
I learnt Morse code in 1985 at an amateur radio club UZ4HXG in USSR. There was a class room with a tape recorder. The instructor's voice on the tape said exactly that - do not try to memorize dots and dashes. As per recorded instruction, we were played Morse code and the recorded voice pronounced the letter corresponding to that Morse code and we were supposed to hear the Morse code and write down the letter pronounced on the recording and so on. After a couple of weeks I was able to copy CW at a slow speed at first, gradually getting better at it.
Back when jobs would teach new employees
I often felt when I learned the code, I was using the same part of my brain that learned music. I wish my mother were alive. She taught piano for 60 years and would've loved discussing it!
I hope it brought you a fond memory. Thanks for checking me out. All the best. Jim
I taught myself the code in two days. Then I bought my first receiver, and the first day I was up to ten words a minute. Later on I had no problem with the 13 and then 20.
You are truly a phenomenon. Congratulations. Have a load of fun with it. If I may ask, do you have any background in music? 73. All the best. Jim
@@w5fivtexasradio That was a point someone made to me. I did take lessons. I messed with drums and the accordion. But didn't continue. Sometimes I would listen to a song enough and improvise on the piano or organ. So yes. I am somewhat musically inclined. When I studied for my general, I would play CW tapes in my car and copy in my head as I was driving. I did the same for the 20 when I took my Extra. I actually wrote a course and taught ham radio classes, both the code and theory. I used my method with my students when I taught the code. Anyone can learn the code.
Very good teaching.
My dad was a merchant marine radio operator in the war. He could copy Morse incredibly fast. (I can't remember how fast but it was 30-50 WPM maybe.) He said that he would hear whole words and even phrases at that speed.
One thing that made it hard is that when he was receiving the new broadcasts, he had to type a mimeo stencil. Because he couldn't correct it, he would type a sentence or so behind.
My dad had mad skills.
Don''t be afraid of Morse code. It is surprisingly easy. I learned to copy five-letter code groups at 5 WPM, but the old test is mostly plain English, as is actual on-the-air messages. You can miss 3/4 of the letters and still figure out what the message is and you can fill it in. When I took the test (which is no longer required as I understand it), I was just trying to pass the 5 WPM test for the Technician license, but you could take the higher speed test for no additional fee. So, I took the 13 WPM test and (I think, the 20 WPM test.)
Then I decided to study for the theory test to get the Advanced license, which I did at the next testing opportunity. All I wanted was the tech license, but ended up with Advanced. I proud of having that since it shortly wasn't offered anymore.
Ola
I like what you said and remember it exactly the same way. Above 30-35 WPM I would hear words at a time. The good old days fir sure.
I learned Morse code by myself when I built a spark gap transmitter when I was a kid. I made two identical spark gap transmitters with the exception of the telegraphy keys. The telegraphy key for my cousin's spark gap transmitter was home made from cloth pins and a mouse trap. My telegraphy key was an authentic, 1938 Lionell J-47 telegraphy key. I tuned the transmitters to roughly 1.6 megacycles. My cousin and I used simple AM radios to be our receivers. We tapped the summer away with our homemade transmitters. Unfortunately, all the neighbours within the 7 miles we were communicating back and forth were also hearing the buzzing on their telephones, televisions, baby monitors, CB radios, walkie talkies, and much more. When my father found out it was me destroying the airwaves with my spark gap transmitter, I got in big trouble! My cousin, of course, said I forced him to take the transmitter and use it. When my father found out I took the battery out of an old motorcycle he was working on and the riding lawnmower to make the transmitter and a couple of spark plugs, automotive ignition coils, and old relays he had laying around, he got even more angry. He made me apologise to all the neighbours and cut their lawns the following summer for free. At the end of the summer, my father confessed he was impressed that I made a primitive transmitter out of old parts. He gave me a second hand CB radio, a power supply, and told me I could make an antenna to put on the roof. Though, my telegraphy days were over, I still remember the code. I still have the J-47 telegraphy key as a memento of better times. The old CB my father gave me just died at the end of June 2022. I had that ancient thing in all my vehicles for the sake of the memories. Whenever it went bad, I would lovingly repair it myself and put it back in my car. But CB fell out of favour around 2000. It was picking up nothing but static and very distant stations around the end. The homemade antenna was also still in use on the back of my old Jeep. I guess I will be uninstalling that old antenna soon. There is no transceiver in the old Jeep to use it. There is only a hole in my dashboard left with a few cables coming out of it. I will always remember being KBX1339 for the rest of my life. Thanks for the memories dad and 40 years of local and DX fun! I guess it is time to grow up. Nobody has a CB in their vehicles anymore. Nobody even sells CBs anymore. I just need to find dashboard panels for a 1997 Jeep Wrangler to delete the rectangular hole I made back in 1996 when I bought the Jeep new. All good things come to an end.
--... ...-- / -.. ./ -.- -... -..- .---- ...-- ...-- ----. (defunct)
This concludes our broadcast day.
... and now our national anthem.
Our Jeep club is slow to adopt ham radio, so we still use a combination of CB and FRS. On runs, I usually have all 3 on board. Fill the hole with a ham rig? (2004 Jeep TJ Rubicon)
My co-workers and I use CB's every day at work. We drive trucks.
@@johnwyman6126 There is an ancient one in my old Jeep. It is more than just a CB. It covers 24 Mhz to 30.125Mhz in all modes. Sometimes I still hear some talk on 24.980 Mhz USB. 25.000 AM is the atomic clock. It can not be heard all the time. I also hear some distant activity on 27.555 USB, 28.4 USB, 29.1 AM, 27.355USB and 27.385 LSB. 27.185 AM is sporadically open. There seems to be a repeater on 29.64 FM. But that is it. The rest of the frequencies are dead. I do not have the license for most of the frequencies I hear. Thus, I do not talk back on any besides 27.385 LSB, and 27.185 AM. The rest are either too far or my license does not cover it.
73 de KBX1339
I admire your ingenuity as a child and it goes to show how low-technology survives.
During WW2, Australians in Japanese POW camps were able to construct Morse transmitters using vehicle spark plugs, batteries, wire coils and aerials. The actual transmitter was hidden in the head of a broom. They sent intelligence back to Australia. It was one way traffic as they couldn't scrounge the materials to make a receiver. It was send and hope someone was listening.
Fast forward to today. What prisoner could cobble together a cellular phone, or a satellite phone, from scrounged items?
Old tech has the ability to survive in adversity. Long live the dits and dahs.
Re. the Q and Z codes...I once got in trouble for sending a ZBM2 to a senior station. Luckily, just as I was standing in front of my officer's desk, about to get an anal reaming, the phone rang. The caller was the senior communications officer at the other end who apologised and said that it wouldn't happen again.
Lucked out there didn't I Mr Issom.😅
73/DE/KD
X133 what is that last thing
thank you. people like you make the world a better place
Well thank you so much but I’m not sure how much those kind words apply to me. I’m just paying forward something the Navy taught me what is literally a lifetime ago. Thanks for checking me out. 73. All the best. Jim
A very nice and clear explanation.
I didn't think anyone would have an interest in morse anymore. I learned it at 15 or so, became an army radio operator, and I have never forgotten it. I can still read the morse from the old films, or from the signal lights on the ships. I don't think I will ever forget it.
One funny incident I recall when I was at the cinema and there was this very important message coming in between the ships. In actual fact it turned out to be a fishing report and as I was the only one laughing in the cinema I was lucky not to be thrown out...
Great story! All the non-RM's always thought we were a little weird. Jim
Why you think people wouldnt have an interest in Morse anymore? I just started learning, it's interesting and there are many others! I just "talked" to a guy who has been learning for 7 months
I’ve always wanted to learn. I finally am starting. :)
Commercial airline pilot here. Learned to fly in 2010. Never learned Morse code because it wasn’t required. We do use Morse code to identify navigational radio stations, but the -/. sequence is spelled out on the chart for dummys like me!
In any case, I’ve always had interest in learning, so thank you for this!
Thanks for telling me! I really appreciate your checking out my channel and taking time out of your day to send me a message. That’s very kind of you. All the best. Jim
Wel.... that's just what our CW teacher at my local radio club here in Brussels Belgium said to me.
I bought an ex WWII German army key and one day I'll have the guts to go on air in the "newbies" part of our available bands.
I listen to lots of them here in Europe. He also told me to turn off the "decoder" and listen to the rythmes, like you explained here.
I will "sing" the morse of the car number plates as I walk the dog in the morning. That's how I learned to read them with the verbal alphabet (Alpha, Bravo, Charley, etc)
Thanks for making n the video.
73
Peter
ON3VCF
Thank you Peter. Keep up the practice. That's what it takes. Jim W5FIV
rhythms
Jim.
My message, see below, was sent almost 7 months ago on a cold November morning here in North Devon, South West UK. I had just finished reading a book about a 16-year-old guy who decided to attend the 3-year Merchant Navy radio officers' course here in Plymouth. He described his training, initial struggle with Morse, and time at sea as a radio officer. Later he worked at the General Post Office radio stations keeping radio watch for distress messages and passing messages from shipping. This book inspired me to learn Morse Code. I had been getting a bit bored with SSB so it was perfect timing. I started to study CW and your brilliant videos were my first steps, I went through each letter in turn, frequently returning to the videos to recap. I later downloaded some apps and listened to my radio at home. Today, for the first time I understood, with some difficulty a UK station sending out a 14 WPM CQ. I was able to copy his callsign and I responded. It was very noisy but my first contact was made. We have both had to resort to email, but via Morse code our contact was made and calls exchanged.....my first QSO. Thank you, you got me started. Now the world is my oyster.
Well done, congrats on the first code QSO.
I remember my first few contacts writing things down so I knew what to send. Having learned it I was not letting it get away and love it.
G4GHB.
Great. Do you remember the name of the book you are referring to?
You sir are a national treasure. Great video.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for checking out my channel and taking the time to send a message. Those are kind words indeed. Thank you. All the best. Jim
Nice fist! I served as a radioman in the Royal Canadian Navy. When I joined in 1965, we were required to copy Morse code at a minimum speed of 22 words per minute. By the time we graduated from Comm School, most of us could comfortably handle 25 wpm.
Thank you for breaking Morse code down and making it easy. Great video.
Thanks for the kind words. All the best. Jim
I was just randomly checking videos while in bed, and suddenly your Morse Code video appeared. Finally, something really useful, huge respect for this! Thank you!
So glad you find it useful! I appreciate your kind words metalcore466. Thanks for stopping by and going to the trouble to send me a message. All the best. Jim
I love the way you explain things. Calm energy and clear.
Thank you from NYC Jim!!
Sorry I’m late in answering your message. I really appreciate your very kind comments. Maybe it’s just more like plain boring than “calm” but I thank you. All the best in 2025! Jim
My wife and I agree with your absolutely smashing methodology WRT rythmn in Morse.
We've adopted your method to learn but slightly adapted it to our particular learning approach.
Although I've been involved in communications for a long time and a licence holder for 10 years I've never felt drawn to Morse. My wife is an academic who has no interest in Morse but she says she wants to learn Morse with me so we can sneakily Morse each other when out and about.
We practice Morse when out and about by using your method to "sing" the Morse when reading car registration plates when we're on long journeys. The UK licensing plates are very easy to see at distance and the combinations of letters and numbers ideal for Morse gaming.
Maybe you'll make more formal presentations about your approach in future. I should imagine you would have an appreciative audience, even for the miserable git who said your approach is rubbish.
Yours gratefully,
Mark and Karen
When I was in HS back in 67, we had a radio club, and we learned morse code. We had a mechanical device that used paper tapes to practice. I can't remember anything now but CQ and SOS. But it was fun.
I put this together as quarter notes and eighth notes just like a song and its way easier to comprehend. Thanks!
This is a great way to learn! I got my Amateur license quite a while ago, but after they removed the Morse requirement. I’ve always shied away from learning it as the chart looks very intimidating, but the “test yourself by thinking ‘What’s that letter in Morse Code?’ game when seeing a letter on a sign or a movie subtitle” approach is a great way to further ingrain it. Subscribed!
EXCELLENT. The very best way. Never never look at it written, dont think about it as dots and dashes. Excellent!!!
You nailed it! That’s how I learned. It’s much faster to go straight to the sounds and rhythm patterns. It’s just seems so natural to me. Thanks for checking me out and taking the time from your day to send me a message. 73. All the best. Jim
Dang man. I wish I had leaned this way when I first got my license. I did EXACTLY what you said NOT to do. Now... I've been away from ham radio for 20 years and just now getting back into it. When I got away from it, I was a tech plus, and sent at literally 5 wpm.... every single letter was SLOOOOW LOL I only remember cq de kd5ayy and various short hand letters like .-., 73, 5NN, etc. I think I want to relearn the full code now. This was eye opening!!
Video of youngest morse user
Best comment👆🏽
Thanks for stopping by. All the best. Jim
@@w5fivtexasradio Good video, Jim. When I finally get around to learning CW, I'll keep this in mind. I have too many hobby irons in the fire for now though lol. 73, KC1GZR
I'm 25 and I was in the navy and me and my boss use Morse code sometimes to talk about customers
18 yrs old and super interested! Investing soon.
I still have the key I bought from Radio Shack back in the 70s. Made a heavy lead base for it from melted fishing weights, and glued a cork base to save the furniture. Got up to about 8 wpm on my own, at a time when the ham operator test in Canada required 10 wpm. Or was it 13? Too long ago now. The simplicity of the telegraph has always fascinated me, even with our modern technology.
Thank you for your top informative video, my friend✨️💫👍
Cheers 🥂
Thank you so much for stopping by and for going to the trouble to send me a message. It means a lot to me. All the best. Jim
@w5fivtexasradio Thank you 👍
GOD bless you 🙏
This is so useful !
I can't believe this video showed up.
I was always wondering how it is possible to learn such things. I thought it was only possible to a very few people with supernatural minds
Well I guess that describes me… Hahahaha. Thanks for checking it out! I appreciate it and that you took the time to send a message. Means a lot to me. Really. All the best. Jim
Idk why i got recommended this video but im glad i did.
Thanks for the concise and thorough explanations, as a USAF language analyst i never got to experience learning anything past SOS in morse and always kinda wanted to.
Well thank you, I'm glad it helped you, and thanks for taking the time to stop by. 73. All the best, Jim
Excellent! Exactly how I passed Xtra 20wpm in 1991. Passed general dit dah method, but barely. Realized rhythm was only way to exceed general code speed barrier.
my father taught me this when I was only 10 years old - am 74 now - it was not hard and I have never forgotten it. He even made me a code key to practice.
Well I hope it triggered a fond memory. Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to share that story with me. I really appreciate you. 73. All the best. Jim
I was taught by the late G3ZCV, Norman Harper, who taught many others that the best way is to learn it by audio only without reference to written charts. Associate the sound with a letter (or word) rather than with a written pattern that has to be translated and slows the process.
Brings back memories. Was a ditty bopper for 20 years in the Air Force.
Only 3-1/2 years for me, 1969-1972. Got a 6-month early out. I only had one duty assignment: 6931st, IAS.
me too, 1968-71 got a 3 month early out, Alaska, VietNam, Thailand, I can still bop out the alphabet in no time at 75 years old!
@@larrybaker5316 I, too, still remember every letter, number and even a few punctuation marks. That 6-month early out was an incredible surprise for me. My wife and I had just finished a 45-day road trip through Europe. Upon our return, I said good-bye to her in Athens as she was returning to the US to set up house, find a job, etc., while I finished my tour on Crete. But when I got to Crete, I found out I had an early out coming that would shorten our separation from 9-months to 3! I was ecstatic, to say the least!
I don’t think I’m being hyperbolic when I say this is the best video on all of RUclips.
Well you may be exaggerating just a tiny bit. Hahahaha. Thanks so much for checking out my channel and for taking time out of your day to send me a message. 73. All the best. Jim
thankyou for explaining morse so simply, i feel ive got a chance now.
I really enjoyed your video, I like seeing people share the things they are passionate about.
I appreciate your kind words! I really enjoy sharing it with others and I’m just trying to pay forward something the Navy taught me all those years ago. 73. All the best. Jim
Thank you! I have been trying to learn the code for over a year now. Every method I try focuses on making sure you time out your dit's and dah's and spaces so precisely. The method you are demonstrating makes so much more sense. Learn the rhythm patterns, space out your characters/words, and focus on making/singing each character to its "sound". I do remember hearing in an old military video somewhere than Morse code wasn't dits and dahs, but a carefully composed symphony of notes. I've learned more Morse code in your 11 minute video than I have in a year of studying with online trainers. Thanks & 73s de W4GJT
Excellent video, Jim. Indeed, character- and word-recognition as rhythm patterns helps with retention. Something I'm learning better as I try to develop my Morse Code skill.
To all those here who have served in any armed force(s), thank you for your valiant service.
73 de N5RLR 🙂
Gday sir from M0TDM over the pond.
Your video emphasise the fundamentals needed to lean the code.
Think of it as a song ,listen to the rhythm let it flow,do not interpret,do not guess,do not get ahead of yourself,if you can hold a conversation at say 8-10wpm with no errors this is so much better than trying to up your speed and then your error rate climbs dramatically.
Don't be afraid to ask the operator to slow down pse qrs,in fact a good operator will take note of your rhythm and speed and should adapt to match you.
Very good basic principles sir.
I started as a class B licencee,here in the UK before the new licence structure you had class B which granted you access to vhf and above,and you had to pass the 12wpm morse test for full HF access and privileges which I did.
The annoying thing about my callsign is that it doesn't reflect the sacrifices I did to learn and pass the Morse test .
Here in the UK the morse test is no longer a requirement to be a Ham.
When I go on air I would like people to understand via my callsign that I had the drive and commitment to learn the code as with the old G class callsign.
We ran out of G class and so the M series of calls was born, then they changed the licence structure to 3 classes.
Some will say does it matter and just enjoy your time on the air,well yes I do but I would like for you when we work each other for you to immediately know yes this guy passed his 12wpm and did it the old way.
I've approached the licence authorities here in the UK as they are reissuing old G callsign but I would have to surrender my old call for over a year and then reapply..
Crazy..sorry for the long winded reply sir .
All the best and hope to meet you on the air sometime.
Roger M0TDM
I am a M7 UK foundation call currently. I want to learn morse and hold QSO's. I have absolute respect for operators such as yourself and the work you put into getting your license. I respect experience and value all it has to offer. Even more so when those who have spent their lives building their experience and knowledge choose to share it freely. Especially to enrich this most amazing hobby of ours that is radio. 73's D.E M7FES ⚡
Nagyon hasznos segítség a tanuláshoz. Köszönöm! :)
Thank you for your comment. Means a lot to me that you go to the trouble to send me a message. All the best. Jim
Brilliant way of putting it. I only played an instrument for about 3 years, but the rhythms and timings make much more sense than trying to remember the dots and dashes. Reminds me of trying to get the feel of a song on the sheet music and the rhythm of the notes. You can try all you want from just reading those notes, but trying to feel the rhythm just makes FAR more sense.
I think you’ve got it! Thanks for checking out my channel. Send a message if I can help. All the best. Jim
Thanks for the advice on singing the sound of each letter and number to remember. Good to know.
I hope it’s helpful for you. Thanks for stopping by and especially for going to the trouble to send me a message. Means a lot to me. All the best. Jim
Thank you very much for taking the time and making the effort to create this useful series of morse code lessons. I have tried to learn morse before but by learning the word and then the dit-dah way. It never worked for me and I dropped away. Your approach with rhythm (US Navy) just makes perfect sense, already it has started to form up in my 67-year-old brain. It's going to do it the world of good. I have now subscribed and will soon go on to part 2. This is my winter project. Thank you again.
Thank you so much for the comment. I will be 69 in a month and it becomes harder to retain. But someone else here said it perfectly, “Hear the sound, think the letter.” I am so pleased it has helped you. Keep practicing! Jim W5FIV
I've recently been getting into survivalist guides, and I feel like morse code is one of the things you should know. This was a great guide! Thank you, good sir!
I appreciate you checking out my channel and for taking the time to send me a message. All the best. Jim
Thank you for your service and taking the time to produce these informative instructional aids for the likes of myself beginning in morse. For some time now I have been considering learning morse for the advancement of my radio hobby. Maybe I was overthinking things but I was always concerned I would start to learn it by an incorrect method effectively doing more harm than good hampering progression. I watched your presentation and something clicked for me........ I have THE METHOD now thanks to you. It probably seems obvious to many but I some how missed the "learn the rythm like a song" approach. It's opened the mental door to morse for me...... I somehow now believe that I can learn it.......... Thank you so much. 73's D.E M7FES away to listen to the rythm of the songs of morse 👍🏻
My Dad was in the Navy in comms in the 50’s and 60’s so he would have enjoyed this. And how you describe is quite remarkable. I can hear the pattern distinctions clearly. I could never figure out how the heck they did .’s and -i’s. You are right about picking off individual dots and dashes, then assembling them, then matching that sequence to a letter is too hard! Nice work.
Thank you so much for the kind words. It’s all Navy, not me. I'm just trying to pay it forward. 73. All the best. Jim
You remind me of RM1 J.P. Texaria (Radioman First class). He told me once that you can tell who is sending Morse code by their keying style. Of course you've had to had some kind of experience with the other operator. A few years later I learned of "burst technology" regarding Morse code. Fascinating.
I'll learn this just to use it for the most trivial reason of honking it in videogames and knowing who gets it. Thanks for passing on the technique ! Although i mentioned ill use it for fun the content is incredibly informational/useful.
Thanks so much for your very kind words and for going to all the trouble to send me a message. I appreciate it very much. All the best. Jim
Thank You. When I took the Novice test From a Ham friend in 1980 or 81. I managed to get up to 13 wpm pretty quickly. Suzi Gave.my General Test a month.or to later. I did work a good bit of code but did mostly phone on 75 and built a lot of electronic stuff and several 4z1000 Amps. i still have my old TR4 and RV4.. I eas the ham on Satellite Radio on C-Band FM America. FMA was a fun thing using the clark birds as man made Skip. 1986-88. I find it use full or did to string words together as well as characters. it really get speed up. But I never was Much faster than 20 wpm or so. When you learn to hear the CW word you can even anticipate the next word too. Thank You sir. Ron T. KA4WYO.
Nicely explained! Loved the demo of the rhythm. It’s actually musical to hear!
I am a former 05B4S US Army Special Forces A team Radio Operator. We used ANgry 109 crystal sets in the field at 20 groups a minute. Well said my friend and thanks for the memories. DR
Thanks for taking a look. I appreciate you! 73. All the best. Jim
I grew up long after the heyday of radio comms but had to send this to my bandmates because of the musical analogies, you do similar things when identifying and learning common rhythmic and melodic movements. When I played in a pipe band, this was very close to how we treated learning and practicing complicated grace movements like taorluaths and leumluaths.
It is interesting to see how music and radio communication have those connections. Thanks for checking me out and for going to the trouble to send me a message. 73. All the best. Jim
First off, thank you (and your family) for your service and sacrifice! Dad was Army signal corps in WW-II. He tried to teach us in the way he was Army taught. I couldn't get it, just like I couldn't get languages in MS and HS. Anyway, I'm trying to learn now in my late 50s and I think you've got the best way at least for me. Sad part is if I listened to code training tapes or CDs 100th of the time I spent listening to music in the car, I've had it down years ago. Take care stay safe de W3KKO
Thank you for the excellent presentation. You have givenus a very easy method to learn Morse code and all of us thank you.
Thanks for your very kind words. They mean more to me than you could know. I really appreciate you checking out my channel and taking the time to send a message, especially such a kind one. Means a lot. Really. All the best. Jim
Hello W5. You popped up on my front page this morning so I strung along. Morse isn't my thing but I have always been curious about it. If I'm understanding correctly, it's not about counting shorts and longs...it's about being familiar with the whole package. Just 36 of 'em or so. A whole new way to listen to SOS. As a three letter package just about everyone gets that one. No thinking. When you hear the *sound* three dashes makes the letter S registers up in your noggin... No counting. If I'm understanding correctly. Well, I never thought of it that way. 36 distinct sounds. Not a string of incomprehensible bleeps and bloops. Even if I'm wrong I think I'm further down the line than I was. Super thanks!
Awesome, learned it in a very similar way back in 1976 Beirut. Thanks for the time and effort in making this video.
Glad you liked it! Thanks for checking me out and taking time to message me. I really appreciate you. All the best. Jim
Thank You Sir! ❤️ 🧿 May God give you whatever good thing you want!! ❤
Well those ARE kind words. Thank you! I’m only trying to pay forward something the good old Navy taught me all those years ago. Thanks for checking out my channel and for taking time to send me a message. All the best. Jim
I always wanted to learn morse code but it seemed really complicated. Now it finally works with the rythm, I just remember the pattern, way easier thank you!
You just have to find a way for it to make sense to you. Hey, thanks for checking out my channel. I really appreciate you going to the trouble to send me a message. All the best. Jim
As a drummer I love this method.
God bless
Glad you find it helpful. Contact me if I can help. All the best. Jim
My father was a communications officer in the navy during Korean War. He monitered over a dozen channels at a time in the radio shack. He always talked about training his dog using a whistle and morse code. He was a busy man so he never got around to it but i always thought it was an interesting idea.
That IS an interesting idea. I’m going to mention it to a friend who was a military dog trainer. Thanks for stopping by my channel and especially for taking time to send me a message. All the best. Jim
That is a great way to learn Morris code!! Great content! I think this will help me immensely.
Learned it 60 yrs ago, I still find myself humming CQ. Buddy of mine said in the army he learned to recognize words and phases.
I really appreciate you checking out my channel and taking the time to send a message. All the best. Jim
I learned by listening, and here I am 55 years later and can still do 25 WPM clean on a straight key. My biggest hurdle was F and L. I went into the FCC office to get my novice and left with my extra. The best day of my life! :D
I’m glad you got your extra. Well done and I’m happy for you! My two menaces were Q and Y. Still stops me sometimes. Thanks for checking out my channel and for going to the trouble to send me a message. 73. All the best. Jim
The biggest mistakes I found myself making were: 1.) I would try to think of the entire word before it is completed (Wrong). 2.) I would try to figure out the dits and dahs, just as you have outlined here (Wrong). I did always send each character quickly and simply slowed the spacing, thankfully. Gordon West's WB6NOA cassette tapes also taught this method back in the day. Thanks. Great video.
The Gordon West cassette tapes were what my cousin and I used to learn Morse code for our homemade spark-gap transmitters. I found the tapes in a foreclosed house that was partially burned by the old owner that fled without paying. I think they were tapes from RadioShack®. A blue and black plastic case that, I belive, said, "5 WPM Novice by Gordon West." There was a laminated paper back book with antenna formulas, band definitions, and terms. My cousin and I used some of the terms, since I made transmitters. The book was in poor shape so it did not last long. But the cassettes stayed with me many years. I think the kit was to get a job working with transmitters.
@@indridcold8433 Great find! - "It must have been something I et." Now you can tell all of your friends, I copied morse code at 20 words per minute! Now whenever you hear dit dah dah, you will automatically think and say W "Double-U." Gordon West, WB6NOA. I met him at the Virginia Beach Ham Fest back in the 1990's and got an autographed QSL card. What a nice guy he was in person, wearing a nice navy blue double breasted suit, all the way from California. I also saw him a couple years at the Dayton Hamfest. One year he demonstrated a spark gap transmitter with a pickle! And he demonstrated the Outbacker mobile HF antennas. Great memories!
This is actually how I remember most things! I turn them into rhythms or songs. Helped a lot in school
Awesome! Thanks for checking out my channel and for going to the trouble to send me a message. All the best. Jim
1:23 you have just made it sink it and it makes perfect sense.
I'm really glad you found it helpful. Thanks for giving my channel a look. 73. All the best. Jim
Well thank you sir, for that demonstration. I've often heard people say, learn the rhythm, think of it as a song, but never shown in practice.
;)
Very cool keeping knowledge alive
Thanks for the kind words. I’m just trying to pay forward some things the Navy taught me all those years ago. Thanks for checking me out and for taking the time to send a message. All the best. Jim
Fantastic, this makes so much Sense, I always wanted to learn but now I can really feel them already being absorbed, great demo
Thanks for taking a look and for the kind words. I appreciate your comment. 73. All the best. Jim
Most excellent!!! I was in a Marine Corps communication platoon many years ago. Some of the guys got taught Morse code. I wanted to but was always in the field. I appreciate you taking the time to make such an informative video. I am getting older now and Morse was one thing I wanted to know.
Thank you for your service to our Great Nation!
When I was a little kid my dad taught me Morse code. Our school exercise books were a brand called INVICTA. They were standard issue for students. Their cover was decorated in a solid pattern of dots and dashes. Bored in class, I decided to see if I could make words using the code and I was absolutely delighted to find the word INVICTA repeated ad infinitum over the entire cover!!
What a great story. Thank you for sharing it with me. Thanks for checking out my channel and going to the trouble of writing me a message. I really appreciate you! All the best. Jim
I am so glad I found your channel!
Never had an interest in Morse code before but after watching this, I might have to give it a go!
I know right. I hope this method helps you get it going! Thanks for checking it out and thanks for taking the time to send me a message. It’s really kind of you. 73. All the best. Jim
As a no-code tech license, I never learned morse code, but the repeaters I would talk on would ID in morse code... to this day, I can remember the beginning of it 20+ years later, and I remember it as the rhythm:
- . - - . - . . . . . .
Beyond that, I don't remember anything... but watching this, I realize that was KC5, so it makes sense.
Thank you Jim! This is exactly what I needed. Will be walking around singing morse code now.
Glad it was helpful! Be careful though, the neighbors will start thinking you were abducted by aliens. Hahaha. Thanks for checking out my channel and for going to the trouble to send a message. All the best. Jim
Thanks for the video! Watching from Moscow!
Moscow! WOW. Thanks for taking a look at my channel. I hope you find the videos helpful. If I can help further please shoot me a message. 73. All the best. Jim
Thanks for posting. I started my journey to learning CW. Hope to see more instructional videos from you.
When I first spoke, I spoke in Morse code when I was 11 months old! ... Me and my father were in a room and he accidentally bumped over a lamp, my mother came rushing in and yelled, "Who did that!?" And I was the one that answered and said, "Da Da Dit Dit." 🙂🤪
And so the immortal Morse Code was born! Hey, thanks for checking me out and especially for taking the time to send me a smile today. All the best. Jim
Very useful video
Thanks. I really appreciate you. All the best, Jim
Great advice. This is just what I needed. Thank you.
Hi Jim, thanks for taking the time to put this together. I learnt morse some 45 years back for my amateur license when it was a requirement. I was never used it a great deal so never progressed much above ~5 WPM and gave up the morse. Although now I am retired I'm thinking about getting the morse key out again and relearning. One thing I have always wondered about learning morse is the issue of learning it backwards (that's what I call it anyway). Not sure if this has already been discussed. I have seen some info in the past that you should never send morse until you can effectively receive/decipher morse. So much of the literature and training videos that is around will tell you the character first , then follow with the code which I note is how your video is done. eg A is dit-dah , instead of Dit-dah is A. Receiving and deciphering is obviously the more challenging aspect. eg when you hear that rhythmic 'dit-dah' sound, you want the letter A to instantly come into you head without having to think about it. When learning, if you are constantly hearing or being told A is dit-dah, when you actually hear that 'dit-dah' sound, your brain has to do a quick transposition as you have been hearing/learning the opposite (i.e back to front). I never heard the idea of the rhythmic sound when I originally learn, but that what I will now be doing . 73s.
Went thru this in the military. I cannot even remember any of this.
I’d bet if you thought about it, you’d remember a lot more than you think. …or not, I don’t know. But… Thanks for checking out my channel and for taking time from your day to send me a message. All the best. Jim
Thanks for this. I've just started a new job within the maritime environment, and I need to learn morse code. This has really helped.
I was the lone certified CW operator on a small Navy ship in the early 70's. If it all hit the fan it was up to me to bring up a 500 watt transmitter and make contact with help. Fortunately only had to do that once. Thanks for watching the channel. Don't overthink the code. Just listen and let it come to you. Read everything in code. My email is on QRZ page. Don't hesitate to contact me. #5 W5FOV
Cool video. Thank you!
I'm glad you think so. Thanks for checking it out and for taking the time to send a message. All the best. Jim
A sincere thanks for such a great instructional video!
I'm a 50 year old ham, just now decided to take the CW step.
I was doing it that way in the year 2000. Laying in bed, a *SMS* (text message) alert sounded on my *Nokia.* Half asleep, I instantly recognised it as ...--... *SMS*
Exactly !
That ringtone was even named SOS.
Getting intense urge to make song with these rhythm patterns. It is that great. Thanks for sharing🙏🏻
You know, that sounds like a really good idea that I think might work. I think you could make a real hit song out of them! Thanks for checking out my channel! 73. All the best. Jim
Is there Morse code for symbols like $&@? If so can you send a colon and a right parenthesis?
:)
Yes there are for many of those. Look under pro signs and abbreviations. Q- signals cover some phrases along with some common questions and answers. Thanks for checking out my channel and for the question. All the best. Jim
Yes. The memorization of aural forms. We are using our brain's main evolutionary function -- pattern recognition. Thank you for sharing your skills. I was taught to grip the hand key rather than tap. Thank you so much...from a young CW fan. 73!
My late father was on RAF transport aircraft during WW2 as a radio operator. He mustered up as a pilot but he was, throughout my lifetime, always doing Morse code on his chair arm. He said exactly the same as you. Apparently you can get so attuned, you can tell who's sending the message by their 'voice'. x
when I took the cw course for the license I was taught in a classical way and I struggled a lot, then after a short absence from the radio I resumed studying it with this method, joining sound to the letter, but even if it may seem more cumbersome, also joining a sentence to a letter it helps to remember, then you will only join the sound to the letter. Congratulations on the video.