Learning Morse Code: Week 1 (Wish I Known This Earlier)

[@DigiLab360]

I am most accurate reading Morse Code when I don't focus on decoding dits and dahs or trying to anticipate what I'm decoding. I can plan my weekend, relive a past experience, mentally sing a song, all while typing morse code at 35 wpm. Face it, your brain is just too slow to decode dits and dahs. You have to let your brain recognize the sound without even thinking about it. The secret is practice, practice, practice.

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

I think you nailed it! If you don’t mind I will pin your comment at the top so everyone can see this. Thanks for commenting and watching my friend! 73

[@harpo5420]

Thanks for sharing - I learned CW in the Navy some decades ago, and my advice for anyone learning is listen to the sound of each character. Learn similar characters in groups so you can differentiate them, i.e. E, I, S, H; T, M, O; A, U, V; W, J; N, D, B; R, K; F, L; P, X, C; Q, Y; G, Z once you get all the letters digits are easy, and you can start adding punctuation and special characters. I'm a new ham and it's been many years since I used CW, so I expect I would struggle at 10wpm, but getting my HF station together and looking forward to having my first attempt at an amateur CW QSO. Will listen out for you on air soon 73s, John 2M0IOQ

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

That is awesome my friend! Hope to get you in the log. Thanks for watching, 73!

[@KC5TGTRadiosNMore]

I’ve just got to make a commitment to do this. I’m going to try it again and I pray I can see some glimmer of success as you have.

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

That’s awesome! Haha this is my 4th try but it’s going well so far. Good luck and hope to get you in the log as a cw contact! Thanks for watching my friend! 73

[@geizhals0815]

Whow, congratulation to that wonderful success!

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Thank you my friend and thanks for watching! 73

[@vk3crg]

Hi Jeremy, I’ve been trying to learn CW for years and find it so frustrating. I’d actually given up 😂but you’ve inspired me to try again! I’m going to take your advice and I’m gonna sit down and I’m gonna do it! Thanks for the inspiration and tips! More videos on your CW journey would be terrific! Like you I love doing portable as well. 73 from VK land! Craig VK3CRG

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Wow that’s awesome my friend!! Good luck on your cw journey and let me know how it goes. Looking forward to getting you in the log as a cw contact! 73 my friend

[@Scout75PortableRadio]

Awesome job, Jeremy! I listen to Morse Ninja on my commutes too. Frustrating at first, but it really fun when out of a sudden you recognize a character out of the blue that you didn't before and it just started to click.

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Thanks Shane! I’ve been watching your journey as well. Seems like you’re having a lot of fun too. Yeah that was amazing the first time and like a light bulb came on. 73 brother!

[@daveengstrom9250]

How long did it take you do "click" as you say? I have been into this for about a month. Up hill all the way.

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

@@daveengstrom9250 it’s hard to say, it’s frustrating then more frustrating but you keep on then click. Just keep at it! 73

[@WarrenAkerman]

AWESOME STUFF man, Congrats. I was struggling for 3 years at 10wpm, on 1st of January 2023 I bumped it up to 25wpm taking classes every day for 15min. I climbed on the air and had my first QSO on the 9th of December 2023. Always Remember accuracy trumps speed in CW, always. Good luck OM, hope to hear you on the air soon. Best 73 .. es enjoy de ZS6AKW

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

That is awesome my friend! I’m really looking forward to it and hopefully can get you in the log one day. Thanks for commenting and watching, 73!

[@chrisbillings2050]

A very encouraging message to all who wish to learn CW Jeramy. I thank you for the many SSB contacts from Alaska... and look forward to logging that first CW POTA P2P with you in the near future. 73 de Chris WA7RAR

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Thank you Chris! Thank you for all the P2P as well my friend and definitely looking forward to that CW contact. Thanks for watching my friend, 73!

[@mattstosh6960]

This is GREAT to hear. With CW - you can bust through to Europe DX on your POTA activation.

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Sweet! Thanks for watching my friend! 73

[@JohnHill-qo3hb]

Good on you, mate, keep up the good work, speed comes with use, I ought to know, I got faster and faster... then for some reason I stopped using CW, now I'm at the bottom of the CW pile looking at learning it all over again. Thanks for the tip on CW Ninja, will check it out.

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Thank you my friend! You should be able to pick it back up and be at that speed in no time. Thanks for watching my friend and good luck! 73

[@alvarogaitan2529]

Another fantastic video Jeremy 73 from kb2uew

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Thank you my friend! 73

[@vinniec5286]

Congratulations, friend! I have tried multiple times over the years and told myself that this is going to be the year!

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Very nice! Hopefully it’ll be my year as well. Good luck and let me know how it goes. Thanks for watching my friend! 73

[@rw3m]

Its cool dear Jeremy, you are on right way! Good luck - 73!

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Thank you my friend! Thanks for watching, 73

[@k6nvg541]

Something I’ve been trying for a long time too. I remember watching Marine Recon comm guys doing CW with leg mounted paddles in the 90s. My great uncle was a radio operator in WW2 and copied CW at 50 words a minute. Told me same thing to listen for sound and not count dits and dahs. And if you make a mistake copying , just keep going. You don’t have time to think about it.

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Oh absolutely! I think that’s my biggest issue I’m trying to work out. If I miss a letter I’m trying to figure it out and missing everything after. It’s a mental thing I guess but hard to break. Thanks for watching my friend and good luck on your cw journey! 73

[@k6nvg541]

He was on an aircraft carrier and would listen to news wires in CW at night and type a newspaper for the ships crew the next day. It was a huge morale booster for them even with all his typos. I’m trying to find some of them on eBay

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

@@k6nvg541 That would be so cool if you could find some of his work!

[@tomkissinger83]

Awesome! Can't wait to get you in the log on cw!

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Hey Tom! No doubt my friend. Thanks for watching, 73

[@betterbprepared]

Great job Jeremy! I can't believe how far you progressed after week 1. I am in a similar situation. I have been practicing for about 4 months now. I know the numbers and letters. I can send with a straight key easy enough with minor errors here and there, but I can't for the life of me copy. I can make out enough of the characters to hunt POTA, but that is almost like cheating. If you can send and you can make out the prosign, you can hunt POTA. I have over 100 CW POTA contacts now. I am slowly improving, but it is a long, slow road for me to copy. I do listen to Morse Ninja as well every chance I get, but even at that the improvement to copy the CW code is way slower than I expected. Great job and thanks for sharing.

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

I believe it was all the other times plus that week and something just clicked. I had a chance to make a pota contact the other day and didn’t do it. I think I could have done it but for some reason had key fright haha. Don’t give up my friend and thanks for watching, 73!

[@kikodv1ksantos936]

As always very nice share, please continue to share informative videos for all ham operators. Francis de DV1K 73

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Thanks brother! Hope all is well, 73!

[@akhepcat]

Ah, this is something I still need to do - learn Morse! I'll have to keep an ear out for you on the local nets - KL5BN

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Yeah, wish I would have got it sooner! Thanks for watching my friend! 73

[@Kd4stt.]

Congratulations 🎉 I want to retry using your method. Thanks.

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Thanks my friend! Let me know how it goes, 73

[@Kd4stt.]

@@KL7ECoutdoors absolutely.

[@DXJungle]

Great progress. Keep up the great work. 🤝

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Thank you my friend and thanks for watching! 73

[@DXJungle]

@@KL7ECoutdoors Hope to make contact someday. I need AK for my POTA WAS award. Doing it via morse code would be the cherry on top. Greetings from Texas. 🤝

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

@@DXJungle hopefully we can make that happen soon! Will probably be out this weekend at some point. I might try pota hunting a little on CW. See how that goes! 73

[@N8ESP]

I got my first ticket when code was required, but drifted away from the hobby for many years. By the time my interest rekindled, code was no longer required. I used to be fairly proficient in it, but my more recent "rust busting" attempts haven't gone as well as hoped. Like you, turning up the letter speed actually helped. I think that helps us focus on the rhythm and pattern sounds rather than trying to count dots and dashes. I'm still fighting two problems. One is anticipating the word and getting out of whack when it's something unexpected. Second is letting one missed letter turn into 5 missed letters. Maybe one of these days I'll build up the nerve to try a CW QSO. Keep up the good work! 73 de N8ESP

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Thanks my friend and thanks for watching! Yeah I still have the same problem of missing one character. Like you said now I’ve missed 5 characters. We gotta keep practicing. 73 my friend

[@N8ESP]

@@KL7ECoutdoors Yep -- practice it is! Hopefully we'll have a CW QSO one of these days! 73 de N8ESP

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

@@N8ESP looking forward to it!

[@gregiep]

Awesome for one week.

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Thank you my friend! 73

[@michaelmcghie]

That sounds great i have been learning through LICW and learned quute a bit also. However i am caregiver to Mom so cant focus a lot of time. I will be watching your growth. - 73 KL5NU

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Thank you my friend and thanks for watching! Hopefully we can make a cw contact one day. 73

[@anthonyfetcho3995]

Nintendo Switch carry case fits perfect for that TX500 - K7ZEX

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Would have never know , thanks. Currently been using the case the GoPro 11 came in. Thanks for watching my friend! 73

[@dorvinion]

Good for you. You'll be hunting parks before long. Closing in on the 1 year anniversary of committing to learn morse. Used Morse Ninja as well, but during walks rather than driving Still get a bit lost when someone sends me something unexpected. I do wish I had got on the air a little sooner. I waited six months before I tried to hunt pota, and only within the last few weeks did my first activation. Easy to tell ourselves we aren't ready yet.

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Yeah I listened to a park the other day in Oregon and probably could have made a contact but got key fright haha. I need to just hunt! Thanks for watching my friend! 73

[@dorvinion]

@@KL7ECoutdoors Watching your CQ sending I think you'd do fine hunting once you learned the typical hunter exchange. Can always keep the response in a memory just in case. I still do just in case my head goes totally blank.

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

@@dorvinion that’s a great idea! I might try to do that this weekend. Hopefully the bands have recovered by then. 73 my friend

[@jackharness8061]

Careful Jeremy, Morse code may very well become your preferred mode of operation! 😊

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Haha, you know I think you might be right! Thanks for watching! 73

[@k9kj]

Love it! Keep it going brother!

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Thank you my friend and thanks for watching! 73

[@brentsowers]

Awesome advice!!

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Thank you my friend and thanks for watching! 73

[@daveengstrom9250]

I am doing the Ninja thing too. I think it helps. Good luck with it (I need it too). What happens to me is I hear a string of code and my mind just cannot pick up the individual letters. It just turns into noise.

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

It does me as well if I’m trying to copy to fast. It just takes time. Stick with it and thanks for watching! 73

[@jakep5121]

Very impressive.

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Thank you my friend and thanks for watching!

[@theramblingsoflarry9290]

That is awesome I learned the same way I had to learn 5WPM for novice and 13 WPM for general 20 WPM for Advanced Do you have a link to the Morse code Ninja?

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Thank you my friend! Yes it’s in the description or you can search Morse Ninja on KZbin. Thanks for watching! 73

[@Lifeguard326]

Great job! Which of the Morse Code Ninja files are you listening to? He seems to have a few hundred.

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Thank you my friend! It’s the Farnsworth 20/10 wpm videos on KZbin. Thanks for watching! 73

[@rodgermckeon]

👍🏻 Go Jeramy!

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Thanks brother!

[@historyhunternl7365]

Yes great, good luck with your learning. 73 PA2ROB

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Thank you my friend! Thanks for watching! 73

[@FjHenderson]

I was learning CW and it was a requirement for me to when I got my genetal to. But it changed and they dropped the cw so I quit learning it just like you. I have been looking for a good morse code tutor and haven't really found one I like yet.

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

I would definitely try out Morse Ninja! Everybody is different on how we learn but this one really helped me. Check it out and give it a try. Thanks for watching my friend! 73

[@garryharris9098]

I got the Jerry Zilliac code tapes in 1992 or so where they sent the code characters at 21 wpm and speed at everything from 5 to 23 wpm speed I learned counting at 5 wpm and the 20 wpm with Jerry's tapes and never did the 13 wpm general test just went to extra class. 73s -.- .. ..... . ... how's that for a CW call

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Thank you KI5ES! That is awesome my friend. Thanks for watching, 73

[@mrcoog3k832]

What key are you using?

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

It’s the Vibroplex code warrior jr. Thanks for watching my friend! 73

[@donniedotson3318]

Can you share what sites the guy shared with you.

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

That’s a great idea! I’ll get some together and add them in the description. Thanks for watching my friend, 73

[@donniedotson3318]

@@KL7ECoutdoors Thanks

[@DK5ONV]

💯💥👊👍

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Thanks for watching my friend!

[@cornbread-KO5RN]

CW IS HARD CORE RADIO ..ANYBODY THAT DOES CW IS “A RADIO MAN “ my 11 year old son is better than me 😂we working together 👍 GO ALASKA 😎

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

That’s awesome brother! Thanks for watching!

[@chuckcrizer]

BZ OM.

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

What is BZ? Thanks for watching, 73

[@Tokyo1991.JL1AJE]

Posted some helpful info but it looks like it got censored by the ‘AlGorithm’. Odd…

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Thanks for watching my friend! 73

[@johnpfeifer8592]

Great video Jeramy! Glad to see you embracing CW. It’s my favorite POTA mode. Hope to do a P2P with you soon! KH6RF/KL7

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

Hey John! Thanks my friend, I appreciate that. I’m really enjoy learning CW now. When do you come back to Alaska? Thanks for watching my friend! 73

[@JohnMcIntosh-io3fe]

Also just starting my CW journey. Using LICW , Long Island CW Club. I’m progressing, slowly. Good luck and hope to get ua logged via CW down the road. KE8OGT

[@KL7ECoutdoors]

That’s awesome my friend! Good luck on your CW journey. Looking forward to getting you in the log. Thanks for watching, 73!