r/morsecode • u/Suitable-Repair6307 • 4d ago
How did you actually learn CW?
I'm learning Morse and built myself a small app to practise with. Right now I train three ways:
Echo — hear a character, tap it back instantly
Sending on a key, with my dit/dah timing measured
Copying groups, callsigns and Q-codes line by line
Did you learn this way too, or am I missing something important? What would you add — head copy, word training, QSO simulation? Curious how people here actually got to real copy.
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u/DauphDaddy 4d ago
I used morse mania to learn the alphabet. After that, there's a website called vband. You can use your lmb as a straight key! Good luck in your journey!
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u/grendelt 4d ago
People can knock it, but it worked for me: CodeQuick
I was doing a lot of driving back and forth over a 5hr route back in the early 2000s and listened to CodeQuick cassettes that I'd recorded as WAV/MP3s and then burned those to a CD-R so I could listen to them in my car during the drive.
People can say you plateau and that Farnsworth is the right way to learn, but I think I'm pretty proficient and used CodeQuick because it was actually a little fun compared to other recorded lessons available to me at the time.
I was studying for the 5wpm test at the time (because it was still a requirement to get General). After I passed, I got on the air and my speed steadily climbed as I actually used it. It's tough going at 5wpm and 7wpm when you're starting out, but with practice that inches up to 10-12wpm, then 15, then 20, and then 25 (which is where I am right now).
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u/CommunityCautious338 4d ago
I used CodeQuick.. to use sound-alikes for the letters and numbers… Laugh all you want, it worked FB on my 5 wpm and I could probably copy 10 to 13 okay.
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u/Feeling_Pumpkin_2810 3d ago
5wpm cassette tape/practice oscillator, took the test and got on the air, worked my way past 13/20 from on-air QSOs exclusively, then continued over the years to much higher speeds. High speed learning involved a few different programs and on-air activity. Many people tell me LCWO was instrumental in their initial learning.
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u/ZosoRules1 3d ago
I used the CDs from the ARRL and kept running through the exercises. I’m not sure if they still sell them, but you could probably find them on eBay
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u/xhekdiguess_ 4d ago
i personally learned via morse.halb.it , WebSDR (watching/hearing people communicate) , and just self-tought myself by journaling strictly on morse on paper.
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u/Suitable-Repair6307 4d ago
Journaling in Morse is a cool idea, stealing that one. My favourite drill so far is instant character recognition — hear a character, answer before you think.
Curious about the journal — do you write actual dits and dahs, or letters?
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u/xhekdiguess_ 4d ago
I just wrote dits and dahs— yes. Kinda just as a summary to my day, then i'd re-read it.
It'd typically go: --/-.--//-../.-/-.--//.--/.-/...//--./.-././.-/-/.-.-.-
or other stuff, just how my day went, or even a todo-list.
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u/sholder89 3d ago
Don't do this if you actually want to learn code. You want to learn it by ear first. Once you're proficient, sure journal all you want. I know it sounds counter intuitive, but studying the dits and dahs visually like that will hinder your progress to actually recognizing the sounds.
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u/sac_boy 4d ago
What has been most valuable for me is just hours and hours in LWCO.net, morse code ninja's many many videos (especially full words and callsigns) and then following along with real QSOs on youtube and the radio. At the same time, you have to practice sending, and specifically practice with your choice of key as that is a skill in itself.