WOW! The whole purpose of this website is to encourage new no-code hams, and others, to try the C.W. mode. No one can know how great it is until they experience it for themselves. There has always been a problem of learning Morse code in the first place. It takes time, patience, study, and a serious commitment to devote oneself to learning. There is no hurry and perhaps some well thought out training aids would be helpful.
It has now come to my attention that there is at least two websites devoted to helping you in the process of learning Morse code. As a side benefit, it gives you some extra practice with typing as both training methods utilize the keyboard for input.
The first website is www.lcwo.net which stands for “learn C.W. Online. It gives you several options and directions for your learning and you pick which type and speed fits your style. I checked this out and think that it could be very helpful/
The second website was developed by Dr. Gary Bold, ZL1AN, from New Zealand. This course is free, as is the other one, and may be downloaded from the New Zealand Amateur Radio Club, NZART website. Go to www.nzart.org.nz/nzart/exam/morse.html .
Check out both of these websites. They will take you a long way towards your goal of getting on the air in Morse code.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
More In That Tin Than Tuna
I keep telling you about the many aspects of this wonderful hobby and now I am about to embark on yet another one. Years ago I built a radio kit from Heathkit which was a marine radio direction finder. It worked and I was a proud teenager. I have built nothing since. I have no claims as an expert homebrew radio maker.
I am awaiting delivery of my new tuna tin kit. This is a very tiny radio transmitter that puts out a very tiny amount of power. It comes in a factory sealed tuna tin, just like the one you buy at the grocery, with all the needed parts inside. You solder the parts to a round printed ciruit board and the whole radio fits inside the tuna tin.
My big rig in my shack transmits 100 to 150 watts of power, and I can easily reach around the world with it. I have previously talked about my Elecraft KX-1 QRP(low power) radio which puts out about 5 watts of power and is also capable of communicating around the world. This tuna tin transmitter, when put together, is QRPP(very low power), and will put out only 333 milliwatts, or one third of a watt. It too has the ability to reach around the world but the operator has to use a bit more skill and have much patience.
I am excited about this project, which will eventually include a receiver and a power supply, all built inside a tuna tin. I will keep posting my progress and hope to interest someone else to join me in this venture. Everything is available online and very inexpensive. Search for tuna tin 2, or QRPme.com.
I am awaiting delivery of my new tuna tin kit. This is a very tiny radio transmitter that puts out a very tiny amount of power. It comes in a factory sealed tuna tin, just like the one you buy at the grocery, with all the needed parts inside. You solder the parts to a round printed ciruit board and the whole radio fits inside the tuna tin.
My big rig in my shack transmits 100 to 150 watts of power, and I can easily reach around the world with it. I have previously talked about my Elecraft KX-1 QRP(low power) radio which puts out about 5 watts of power and is also capable of communicating around the world. This tuna tin transmitter, when put together, is QRPP(very low power), and will put out only 333 milliwatts, or one third of a watt. It too has the ability to reach around the world but the operator has to use a bit more skill and have much patience.
I am excited about this project, which will eventually include a receiver and a power supply, all built inside a tuna tin. I will keep posting my progress and hope to interest someone else to join me in this venture. Everything is available online and very inexpensive. Search for tuna tin 2, or QRPme.com.
Monday, August 4, 2008
It Is Out There
Let me tell you what I mean by that. On this beautiful Monday afternoon of August fourth, I sat down in my radio shack around 2:00 and turned on my rig and tuned to the 40 meter band, 7031.0 MHz, and sent out a CQ. I was immediately answered by WD4LZC in Louisville, Kentucky. We had a very nice chat for about 20 minutes. I was entering that info into my log when W2YBN from Raleigh, North Carolina called me. He had been listening to part of my QSO with WD4LZC, so we had a chat for another twenty minutes. I was about to leave my desk when I heard a CQ from N3YWQ from Greensboro, Pennsylvania. I still had not touched the radio dial. We talked for about fifteen minutes and right after we signed off I heard a very weak signal from VA3HN, a Canadian station from Ontario. This conversation was shorter because he was sending low power, (QRP) and there was a lot of static on the band.
My point is that in a little over one hour I made four wonderful contacts, all in Morse code, in two countries, and in the middle of the afternoon of a work day.
Morse code is very much alive and it is exciting. I really can't tell you the feeling it gives, words are not adequate. Please experience it for yourself. Once you do, you will know what I mean and why I am strongly urging you to join us with Morse code.
My point is that in a little over one hour I made four wonderful contacts, all in Morse code, in two countries, and in the middle of the afternoon of a work day.
Morse code is very much alive and it is exciting. I really can't tell you the feeling it gives, words are not adequate. Please experience it for yourself. Once you do, you will know what I mean and why I am strongly urging you to join us with Morse code.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
NOW ITS YOUR TIME
For those of you who think that you have your code down pretty good, at least able to copy and send five words per minute, I am proud of you and you are now ready for the next step. You must actually get on the air and make that first contact with another person, all in Morse code. I know that it is a scary thought but you can do it. Believe me, after that first time it gets a lot easier and actually enjoyable. I remember my first time so well that I put it in poem form. It is a good idea to make that first contact with someone you know. Here is that poem:
CQ, CQ, I heard him say
Is anybody out there today?
His signal was strong, his speed was fair
Why not give an answer, my first on the air?
So I gave him my call and I marked my book
I now keep a log for a later look.
He came right back as clear as a bell
He was no beginner it was easy to tell
I was new to this and I began to sweat
My hands were shaky and my palms all wet.
But as we went on it was easy to see
That he wanted to make me as calm as could be.
I knew from the moment I started to key
That he might have trouble understanding me
But I was surprised when I heard him say
How happy he was to have worked me today.
Who was that nice fellow who helped me along
And still gives me guidance when I might go wrong?
I talk to him daily, both near and far,
An Elmer with the call sign of NN8R
CQ, CQ, I heard him say
Is anybody out there today?
His signal was strong, his speed was fair
Why not give an answer, my first on the air?
So I gave him my call and I marked my book
I now keep a log for a later look.
He came right back as clear as a bell
He was no beginner it was easy to tell
I was new to this and I began to sweat
My hands were shaky and my palms all wet.
But as we went on it was easy to see
That he wanted to make me as calm as could be.
I knew from the moment I started to key
That he might have trouble understanding me
But I was surprised when I heard him say
How happy he was to have worked me today.
Who was that nice fellow who helped me along
And still gives me guidance when I might go wrong?
I talk to him daily, both near and far,
An Elmer with the call sign of NN8R
Friday, June 6, 2008
YOU CAN DO IT !
The best way to learn a foreign language is to go to that country and live with the people and be forced to speak their language. This is also very true of learning Morse code. There are books you can buy and classes that you can attend and they will help but only with the basics.
To learn to send and receive Morse code well you have to commit yourself to the task and then stick to it. You can carry little flashcards in your pocket and study them whenever you are alone. There are products on the market which will help you achieve your goal. Www.mfjenterprises.com sells a pocket size Morse code tutor for $89.95 which is highly recommended. They also have an oscillator and key for $39.95 which allows you to practice sending. ARRL broadcasts practice code on the HF bands and you can find other sites by typing “Morse code practice” in your search engine. Refer to my blog dated August 27, 2007.
After you get yourself up to about 5 words per minute, and you have your FCC license, you are ready to go on the air in CW. Don't worry about faster speed, that will come. Just get over the butterflys and make your first CW contact. It will change your life in many,many good ways.
To learn to send and receive Morse code well you have to commit yourself to the task and then stick to it. You can carry little flashcards in your pocket and study them whenever you are alone. There are products on the market which will help you achieve your goal. Www.mfjenterprises.com sells a pocket size Morse code tutor for $89.95 which is highly recommended. They also have an oscillator and key for $39.95 which allows you to practice sending. ARRL broadcasts practice code on the HF bands and you can find other sites by typing “Morse code practice” in your search engine. Refer to my blog dated August 27, 2007.
After you get yourself up to about 5 words per minute, and you have your FCC license, you are ready to go on the air in CW. Don't worry about faster speed, that will come. Just get over the butterflys and make your first CW contact. It will change your life in many,many good ways.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
MORSE CODE IS OUT THERE
You may hear from some of your ham friends that Morse code (CW) is not used very much and is fading into extinction. I would like to prove to you how wrong they are. If you own a High Frequency (HF) transceiver, or know someone who does, please take the time to tune to the following frequency segments. Of course, if you plan on transmitting you will have limited access on certain band segments depending on your license class. These are just some of the commonly used CW frequencies:
20 meters…….14,000 to 14,150 mhz best days and nights
30 meters…….10,100 to 10,125 mhz best mornings
40 meters……. 7,000 to 7,060 mhz best days and evenings
80 meters……..3,500 to 3,700 mhz best evenings and nights
160 meters ……1,800 to 2,000 mhz this is a night owl band
Other bands, like 10 meters, 12 meters, and 17 meters are not very active now but should be soon. Each of the above bands is active at different times of the day, as indicated. Weekends are usually more active and if you happen to hit a contest weekend you will find Morse code everywhere and at all speeds and skill levels. If you have an international call sign book you can identify stations from all over the world. Sit back, listen, enjoy and soon you will feel a desire to join in on the fun, and it truly is fun.
20 meters…….14,000 to 14,150 mhz best days and nights
30 meters…….10,100 to 10,125 mhz best mornings
40 meters……. 7,000 to 7,060 mhz best days and evenings
80 meters……..3,500 to 3,700 mhz best evenings and nights
160 meters ……1,800 to 2,000 mhz this is a night owl band
Other bands, like 10 meters, 12 meters, and 17 meters are not very active now but should be soon. Each of the above bands is active at different times of the day, as indicated. Weekends are usually more active and if you happen to hit a contest weekend you will find Morse code everywhere and at all speeds and skill levels. If you have an international call sign book you can identify stations from all over the world. Sit back, listen, enjoy and soon you will feel a desire to join in on the fun, and it truly is fun.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Much Fun With Little Power
I apologize for my absence lately. I have been enjoying the warm Winter in the panhandle of Florida. I also have been enjoying the challenge of working QRP(very low power, under 5 watts) Morse code with my Elecraft KX1 with hamstick antennas clamped to my condo balcony railing When at home with my big rig (over 100 watts) I usually have no trouble being heard, at least not in the United States.
With QRP it is very different. 5 watts is still capable of reaching around the world but it is much more critical that all conditions are in your favor. Often, many attempts will result in failure but when a contact is finally made, it seems to be a bit more satisfying. QRP rigs are compact and easily portable. They fit in backpacks or suitcases and can operate on flashlight batteries and with many types of antennas.
If you are now into CW (Morse code), or are thinking of doing so, you should try QRP. You are pretty much excluded from DX (distance) work or some of the contests but the fun is there if you have the patience.
With QRP it is very different. 5 watts is still capable of reaching around the world but it is much more critical that all conditions are in your favor. Often, many attempts will result in failure but when a contact is finally made, it seems to be a bit more satisfying. QRP rigs are compact and easily portable. They fit in backpacks or suitcases and can operate on flashlight batteries and with many types of antennas.
If you are now into CW (Morse code), or are thinking of doing so, you should try QRP. You are pretty much excluded from DX (distance) work or some of the contests but the fun is there if you have the patience.
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About Me
- Jack Stahl
- One of the wonderful aspects of using Morse code as a communications mode is that it is very indifferent as to the operator’s age. A good fist (one who sends well) can be ten years old or one hundred. I say this is wonderful because I am happily enjoying my sixty ninth year. I am new to the hobby of amateur radio, however, since I passed my technician test in September of 2006 and was awarded the license and call sign of KD8EJY by the FCC. I then passed my General exam in November and was granted my vanity call sign request of K8ASA by the FCC Although I am new to the amateur radio hobby, I am not new to Morse code. The ASA in my call sign refers to the Army Security Agency who sent me to a special school in 1956 to become efficient in Morse code. I was sent to Ethiopia for two years to give the army the benefit of my new skill. While back in those days my knowledge of Morse code was beneficial to our national security, 51 years later it now brings me pure pleasure. There has been a hiatus of fifty years between my army discharge and my becoming a ham and I do truly regret the fact that I missed out on all those years of enjoyment with the amateur radio hobby.
