Rick -- KA8BMA, kindly shared with me some common QSO words that he uses for practice. These practice groups go from short 2 letter words/symbols up through 6 letter words. Also included here are the most commonly used abbreviations and lastly the most common 100 words used in a QSO.
Work your way through these and develop an ear for the most common words used in a CW QSO.
I've created 22 wpm audio files that you should be able to simply click and listen to, assuming your browser supports embedded audio controls.
Note that I accidentally have some <BT> prosigns thrown in there that are not listed in the text. <BT> means "new paragraph" and operators often throw those in to separate topics or if they can't think of something to send as a space filler. If I get a chance I'll regenerated these audio files without the hidden <BT> prosigns.
If you don't want to hear the code at 22wpm copy the text of these groups into your own CW Trainer application for practice at any speed.
and the you but was not for all one are not can out got now lot had how get see too did and Ive our any rtu tnx rst agn ant pse pwr QRL QRM QRN QRQ QRS QRZ QTH QSB QSY hw?
There is an abbreviation in this set "efhw" that I've never personally heard on-air. I believe it stands for "end fed half wave antenna". I'm including it because it was in Rick's word group but YMMV on how often you hear that word/abbr.
that know yeah they like have just well what them mean dont with when from some were your name beam efhw g5rv test icom knwd temp warm cold cool rain snow hail jt65 hour
to of it in do so is we on or oh uh at my if be as go Im he me up tu cq dx es fb go ge hi hr hw nr om wx 73 KN BK AS = + * me up tu cq dx es fb go ge hi and the you but was not for all one are not can out got now lot had how get see too did and Ive our any rtu tnx rst agn ant pse pwr QRL QRM QRN QRQ QRS QRZ QTH QSB QSY
to of it in do so is we on or oh uh at my if be as go Im he me up tu cq dx es fb go ge hi hr hw nr om wx 73 KN BK AS = + * me up tu cq dx es fb go ge hi and the you but was not for all one are not can out got now lot had how get see too did and Ive our any rtu tnx rst agn ant pse pwr QRL QRM QRN QRQ QRS QRZ QTH QSB QSY that know yeah they like have just well what them mean dont with when from some were your name beam efhw g5rv test icom knwd temp warm cold cool rain snow hail jt65 hour
to of it in do so is we on or oh uh at my if be as go Im he me up tu cq dx es fb go ge hi hr hw nr om wx 73 KN BK AS = + * me up tu cq dx es fb go ge hi and the you but was not for all one are not can out got now lot had how get see too did and Ive our any rtu tnx rst agn ant pse pwr QRL QRM QRN QRQ QRS QRZ QTH QSB QSY that know yeah they like have just well what them mean dont with when from some were your name beam efhw g5rv test icom knwd temp warm cold cool rain snow hail jt65 hour think about thats right other where yaesu sunny clear sleet windy psk31
and the you that a to know of it yeah in they do so but is like have was we its just on or not think for well what about all thats oh really one are right uh them at there my mean dont no with if when can as his from had by some were out other where your up QRL QRM QRN QRQ QRS QRZ QTH QSB qrp QSY r tu rtu tnx name rst cq agn ant inv v dipole beam efhw g5rv windom ocf sloper vertical dx es fb gm ga ge hi hr hw nr om pse pwr wx 73 = + * bk kn rig QRP age yrs test icom knwd yaesu tentec elecraft heathkit alinco collins psk swr wx temp warm hot cold sunny cool cloudy clear rain snow sleet hail windy fog jt65 hour . ? / 599 589 579 479 359 489 559 hw? cw am ssb usb lsb psk31 psk digital
That's all for now.
So lower your power and raise your expectations...
There's more to using Morse Code than Learning Morse Code
It's been about 18 months since I started learning Morse Code in order to use it for making CW contacts in amateur radio. Learning the code allows you to recognize the letters, numbers and punctuation but it's akin to when you learned your "letters" when you were a child. Knowing the alphabet is just the first step to "reading". So it is with learning Morse Code.
When I started making contacts using CW it was fairly formulaic. I even had my QSOs written out with regard to what I was planning to send and what I expected to hear during each exchange.
But then my copy and sending speed increased beyond 17-19 words per minute and I could no longer type or write down what I copied fast enough to comprehend and I began to head copy.
Head Copying
Head copying is when you stop transcribing what you hear and listen to it as you would a conversation and only take notes on salient points. This was a big step for me and it has been a difficult transition.
Using Morse Code to communicate at speeds faster than it can be written straddles the weird place between hearing and reading. We learn morse code by its sound but at slower speeds, say below 30wpm what we are "hearing" is letters, not words so we are having to buffer those letters in our head to spell words. When we "listen" to someone speak we are not hearing them speak letters but complete words, when we "read" our brains are not looking at individual letters but at complete words. When we hear Morse code at 20-25 wpm we are hearing very slowly pronounced words and it is a new skill that has to be learned.
This skill is necessary for ragchewing. A ragchew is a long QSO between two amateur radio operators. This is generally what amateur radio operators are doing on the radio when they're not contesting, ...
How to practice for a ragchew
So after you learn the code, how do you learn to use it in a conversation?
I struggled with copying ragchew QSOs at 20+ words per minute for most the spring and early summer of 2016. Just listening to QSOs alone wasn't cutting it for me. During my lunch time at work I began regularly using my CW training application on my phone to send the top 500 words at 25wpm and it has been a big help to me.
I had to learn the skill of not just recognizing letters but holding what I was hearing in my brain long enough to turn it into a word and just as importantly not to get hung up on a word that I couldn't immediately recognize but let it go and pay attention to the next. To me, this has been a bigger learning curve than recognizing the alphabet and numbers at speed.
In addition to learning to buffer the letters until they form a word I must also keep the slowly accumulating set of words in my head until it forms a sentence or makes sense as to what is being communicated.
THIS IS COMMUNICATION with Morse Code and it is different than anything else we are familiar with so treat it as learning a new skill.
Now if all you are trying to do with CW is contests, you don't need this skill. You just need to be able to copy a call and whatever designators are sent after it for the contest rules (state abbreviation or a contest number or grid square) and get it copied into your logging program. But if you want to communicate at speeds above 20wpm you will need this new skill.
Next steps
After you've practiced with machine sent top 100 or top 500 words you'll still need time copying actual QSOs because more often than not, most operators you will communicate with have lousy spacing and run their words together or use so many abbreviations that you'll have to learn to hear the abbreviations as new words. When I work an operator who runs things together I'll first try to really exaggerate my word spacing during my exchange to give them a hint and if that doesn't work I ask them put more space between their words. Some will comply, but some folks just don't seem to know how to leave space so I'll catch what I can, politely respond to what I could understand and then move on.
So if you're getting discouraged when you reach a wall of comprehension, try the steps above and with time I think you'll find your comprehension during a ragchew improving and it will take you to a new place in the hobby.
That's all for now
So lower your power and raise your expectations... and put extra space between your words!
73
Richard AA4OO
Update 11/7/2016:
KA8BMA pointed me to a nice reference created by W0XI for the top 100 "Ham Words" used in QSOs... check it out most common ham words
I had the privilege to be part of the Knightlites WQ4RP 2016 Field Day event. They are a great bunch of folks dedicated to QRP radio. They operated CW and SSB on 80m, 40m, 20m, 15m, 6m, 2m and 440.
After listening to CW for nearly 19 hours straight; my brain is turning even normal sounds into morse code... I may have had a psychotic break.
Gary, N3GO, operating 80m straight through the night without leaving the oh-so-comfortable lawn chair
My 80m/15m station
This is my first year operating CW and my first full, field day event. I've dabbled in field day (FD) in the past but did not work it as part of a club.
For this FD I was responsible for supplying the equipment to get a station on the air for 80m and 15m. The WQ4RP club operates QRP only using battery power, so anything associated with transmitting was to be battery powered including the computer. My Elecraft KX3 was powered by a 12 year old 50ah UPS battery and the laptop was powered using an inverter with a large deep cycle battery. Following 20 hours of operation the UPS battery had only dropped to 12.2v The Elecraft KX3 is frugal with power even after hundreds of contacts.
My antenna was the one we'd previously installed at Excalibur during the spring. Paul brought it down for us to use at the FD site. We cut the 40m part of the fan dipole to work for 15m. Tall trees on either side of the tent provided the antenna supports and the tent was positioned to be close to the feed point of the ladder line.
80m - 15m Fan dipole with home brew ladder line
Honda generators powered the lights in the evening and fans/AC during the heat of the day. Honda generators are quiet in both the audio and radio spectrums. Three Knightlite stations used Honda generators to power equipment not related to transceivers.
Power was supplied to all stations by Honda i-series generators
Operating CW during Field Day
Unfortunately for FD operations I'm the opposite end of a CW contester. Since starting my CW/Morse Code journey last year I've just worked at getting my ragchew (conversations in CW) skills improved. I practice listening to the most common 500 words and listening to e-books sent as Morse Code. I'm not good at copying calls, when they are sent at 25wpm. Compounding my new(ish) operator struggle is that FD uses an abbreviated exchange, so it was tough going for me when operations kicked off at 2PM local time Saturday and the exchanges began flying by...
A Field Day CW exchange
Calling Station sends an abbreviated CQ, sometimes the CQ and the ending FD were omitted:
CQ FD N4HOG N4HOG FD
Answering Station sends call by itself, repeating as necessary:
WQ4RP (repeat call after a brief pause if no response)
Calling Station sends my call back to me then his station class and section:
WQ4RP 1E NC
Answering Station sends station class and section:
3A NC
Calling Station sends thank you and that's it, you're done:
TU
Since we were operating QRP we often had to repeat our call and our class and sections. I don't have much experience at copying calls at speeds above 20wpm. The 15m band was weak and most signals were no better than S2 or S3. I was trying to copy calls sent at speeds higher than my norm with QSB (fading) and I was getting frustrated. Paul came and sat beside me to coach and provide some encouragement. He is a patient tutor.
I was advised to operate "search and pounce" rather than sending CQ myself because I needed to hear a caller complete a QSO once or twice to copy their call and their response but even then copying the section was often harder for me than the call. Many of the sections are 3 letter designations that I was unfamiliar with (i.e. California has 10 sections abbreviations). Between QSOs Paul would explain where each of the sections were located. I should have studied up on this stuff prior to FD.
I'd hear the station class (a number and a letter) and then while my brain was chewing on that I'd miss the section. So I was sending a lot of AGN? to get the stations to repeat their response. Sometimes I'd finish a contact and realize I'd mistyped part of the response so I would wait and listen for the caller to go through another contact to hear what they sent to copy it correctly for the log. I wasn't really racking up the contacts.
This type of operating is very challenging for me. While I can understand why contesters enjoy honing these skills, for me, it was stressful and wore me down mentally. I took breaks at least every hour and asked other, more seasoned operators to take the helm (errr. key) while my brain cooled down.
80m magic
When dusk arrived 15m contacts were few and far between and I switched to 80m. Gone were the weak signals and speed demons on 15m. The 80m band was surprisingly QRN free and stations sending FD calls were stacked like firewood throughout the CW portion of the band. Our QRP station was also heard better by the callers with fewer needs to repeat the call or the response. I had more enjoyable time working 80m. Paul still sat with me and offered advice which I greatly appreciated.
Gary N3GO, loves the 80m band and he is the Knightlites anchor man for running 80m through the night. Gary sat down at 10PM to begin his shift on 80m and he didn't get out of that chair until 5AM. I was dozing on and off (more off than on) in the tent and doing my best to head copy what he was working. Seven straight non-stop hours of CW later Gary needed a break and I spelled him for a while. After a bit of rest he was back for more and operated until the band gave out in the morning.
N3GO is the anchor man for 80m through the night shift
WQ4RP Knightlites
The Knightlites operate using the club call WQ4RP. Here are some of the participants from the 2016 FD.
Left to right: AA4OO, WA4GIR, WF4I, (visiting ham in red ????), KD4PBJ, KC4PHJ, AA4XX, AB4PP
Thanks to W4MPS for taking the photo
Photos
"JP" AB4PP -- 20m Band captain
Kurt N4KJK - assisted with 15m CW
6m / 2m / 440 stack - Thanks Alex!
Alex KC4PHJ -- Band captain for 6m / 2m / 440
Joe WA4GIR - 40m band captain
40m Station
40m Loop
Derek WF4I - working 40m at dawn
Sunday daybreak and the 80m station is still cranking
Lots of weed eater support lines tied off at the base of this tree
Summary
My first FD as a CW operator was challenging but fun, The WQ4RP club has some patient and talented operators, many of whom have rarely missed operating a FD since becoming hams. I enjoyed getting to learn from them.
Next year I will make the effort to practice copying FD exchanges prior to the event so that I'm not so overwhelmed. It also turned out I'd made a poor choice for logging software. The RumNLog software for my Mac laptop didn't have a preset for the FD contest. I had to use a general contest setting and now will have to programmatically manipulate the resulting ADIF output to have the necessary fields for submission.
The Elecraft KX3 is unsurprisingly a good QRP field day radio. It's small size, low power consumption and phenomenal internal auto tuner made it a pleasure to work with. It has a knob, button or display element for everything you could want. For instance, the dedicated knob for changing internal keyer speed was very useful to fit each station we worked during an exchange. I also used the secondary frequency display area to check on the power supply voltage throughout the event. The KX3 truly does have the kitchen sink.
Update 7-11-2016
Paul sent me the Knightlites field day results. Lists below. I'm interested to see how our group fared .
Call Used: WQ4RP GOTA Station Call: (none) ARRL/RAC Section: NC Class: 3A
Participants: 10 Club/Group Name: KnightLites QRP Society
Power Source(s): Battery
Power Multiplier: 5X
Bonus Points:
100% Emergency power 300
W1AW Field Day Message 100
Submitted via the Web 50
Total Bonus Points 450
Score Summary:
CW Digital Phone Total
Total QSOs 539 0 58
Total Points 1078 0 58 1136 Claimed Score = 5,680
In honor of Mothers Day this weekend here in the U.S. we recall what our wise Mothers told us...
Listen more than you talk because God gave you two ears but only one mouth
Learning CW is more about learning to copy what you hear than sending. So listen, listen, listen.
Listening to on air CW QSOs using your own HF radio...
Of course the best CW copy practice comes while listening to stations using your own HF radio and having on-air QSOs. So make the most of your opportunities to listen to live QSOs from your home station. Find conversations that are at different speeds for your practice copy. In my experience, when I only practice copying higher speed CW for a time, my ability to recognize slower CW gets rusty so practice copying all speeds. I was worked by a station some months back when I was sending at only 13wpm who came back on the second exchange and replied that I was too slow to copy and he quit the QSO. I don't want to be like that. Along with copying QRS stations, practice copying stations that are well above your comfortable copy speed in order to stretch yourself. You will likely miss much of the conversation but your ability to start recognizing common words and abbreviations will increase. Another side effect I find is that when I listen to a 25wpm (well above my present copy speed) exchange between two operators who have equally strong signals, I'll usually copy one station better than the other. I try to figure out why that's the case. Something about that operator's style is easier to copy and when I discern why that is, I try to emulate it. I want to be able to copy all speeds of CW; both to encourage new QRS operators and ragchew with the QRQ old-timers.
On Air Practice
Listen to on air CW QSOs using remote radios
When you don't have hands-on access to an HF radio or when propagation is poor at your QTH web SDR stations are great resources for CW copy practice. Web SDR stations are accessible from http://websdr.org and allow you to listen to CW anytime you have access to the internet. Web SDR stations are available from around the world, potentially from countries you haven't been able to regularly hear from your QTH. So it allows you to hear different sending styles from around the world.
Web SDR station
Listen to machine generated CW
When live CW is unavailable you still have machine generated CW as an option. Practice copy of machine generated CW is a pale comparison to actual CW QSOs but it has it's uses and it's always available. The Morse Trainer App for Android devices offers most features standard in other learning applications plus a built-in list of randomized top English words and an e-book reader.
Morse Trainer app for Android
Sights and sounds
This following video demonstrates the copy methods above.
So listen more than you send and your CW copy, as well as your interpersonal skills, will improve with practice at listening.
Ok so maybe all the cool kids aren't doing it... who wants to be a cool kid anyway? They have issues.
So whats up with all this beeping?
Morse code is fundamentally a method of encoding every letter in the alphabet plus numbers and punctuation as two pieces of data. Two sounds actually, one 3 times longer than the other. If you were to speak the two sounds out loud one would sound like DIT and the other DAH. That's it. That's all you have to know. Two sounds, one 3 times longer than the other. There, and you thought this would be hard? Pah!
Beep Beeeeeep -- There you have it... Morse Code. Any questions?
Why is it called Morse Code?
Samuel Morse was a painter. Yep, a portrait painter. Ah, you're thinking he must have painted numerology into his portraits thus developing a "code". Nope, nothing so cloak and dagger. The motivation for his invention was due to a sad event in his life.
While he was painting a portrait of the Marquis de Lafayette in Washing DC he received a message delivered by a messenger on horseback telling him that his wife at home in New Haven Connecticut was sick. He received another message the following day informing him that she had died. He immediately returned home but she was already buried. Morse was heartbroken that his wife had been ill for days before he could receive a message. He decided to explore a means of long distance communication. Along with his assistant Alfred Vail they developed the primary language used in telegraphy across the world and collaborated with other men to design the mechanism to deliver messages in Morse Code over long distances.
Morse code has been in use for over 160 years, the longest of any electrical coding system. Morse code is still transmitted by some automated aviation beacons and the US Navy still (?) employs the code when using signal lamps for radio silence operations. Submarines have signal lamps in their periscopes. Morse code is still taught by the Air Force at Goodfellow base in Texas.
So that's cool but the main reason to learn and use Morse code is for use in amateur radio. CW (continuous wave) communication is the most energy efficient mode of electronic wireless communication that doesn't require computerized encoding/decoding. In the case of Morse Code the human is the modem. CW mode allows amateur radio operators to communicate world wide at QRP (low power) and QRPp (very low power) levels. CW's power density and simple transmitter/receiver requirements provides for simplified station operations and ideal emergency operations. You can carry a small, battery powered radio and some wire in your backpack and talk around the world.
CW is small but powerful
CW uses between 100Hz and 150Hz of bandwidth compared to 2400Hz - 3000Hz used by phone modes. That makes it about 20 times more efficient, or put another way, your signal to noise is improved by a factor of 20 over phone. It's also easier to copy (interpret) a CW signal down in the noise than a spoken voice.
But the real reason to learn Morse code is that it's fun and unique. Learning it can be the mental equivalent of climbing a mountain and, most importantly, all the cool kids are doing it.
So you want to learn "the code"
Usually your first exposure to Morse code will be some chart that shows you what combination of DITs and DAHs (or dots and dashes) make up each character. This might encourage you to listen for the individual DITs and DAHs to learn the code. But it's a trap. There is a part of your brain that counts and another part that handles language. The part that counts will quickly hit a limit as to how fast it can count and interpret what you are hearing. The part that handles language is designed to interpret and transmit communication at incredible speed but the language part of you brain works with sound.
Thus you have to approach learning Morse Code as a language by the way it sounds. An "A" sounds like DIT DAH. Say it out loud a couple of times, go ahead, don't be embarrassed, the people around will simply think you've finally lost it and pull out that power of attorney they've been keeping in the drawer. Ok are you saying DIT DAH? If so you are hearing the letter A. Congratulations, you just learned the first letter of the alphabet in Morse Code.
A "C" in Morse Code sounds like DAH DIT DAH DIT. It has a beautiful rhythm when you listen to it out loud. Go ahead and shout it out, you've got nothing to lose at this point.
So, if you have toyed around with learning Morse Code and have some visual chart with dots and dashes. Shred that chart right now. Go ahead and do it. I'll wait... Did you shred it? Ok let's proceed.
Methodology
There are probably as many ways to learn Morse Code as there are days of the year but I'll address the two ways I learned it. First, a wrong way, then a right way.
One wrong way
Morse Code was a requirement for my General amateur radio license in 2006, but I only had to prove copy skills at 5 words per minute. Someone recommended a set of tapes that employed mnemonic phrases to memorize each letter. Basically each letter "sounds" like some phrase. I'm going to tell you one of the mnemonic phrases as an example but please immediately erase it from your memory because it takes a long time to un-learn this method. The letter "Y" sounds like the following phrase said out loud "Why did I die?" OK, now just imagine you've memorized some phrase like that for every letter of the alphabet and punctuation mark. Now every time you hear a letter in Morse Code one of these phrases runs through your head and you have to let it run its course before the letter pops out on the other side of your consciousness. You can understand how crippling this becomes when the speed goes above 5 words per minute. Trying to counts DITs and DAHs hits the same wall.
One right way
I'm not going out on a limb to say there is only one right way to learn Morse Code so I will say that what follows is "One right way" to learn the code and it is working for me.
Learn the code by its sound. Learn the code by its sound. Learn the code by its sound. Let's review: Learn the code by its sound.
There are lots of different software applications out there that will teach you the code by the way it sounds. Many employ two well established methodologies; the Farnsworth Method and the Koch Method.
Farnsworth Method
Learn the sound of the letters at the full target speed you wish to be able to copy.
Keep the speed of the letter spacing (silence between the letters) to be at your current learning speed to give you thinking time. I.e. you're letter spacing may be set at 8-10wpm to start out with while you're actually learning the characters at a target speed of 20wpm.
This method is recommended by the ARRL and is implemented by many applications used for Morse Code training. This allows you to learn the sound of the letters at the full target speed you want to operate at. If you learn the sound of the letters at 13wpm then you will find yourself stuck there until you relearn them at a higher speed because you're learning to recognize sounds, not DITs and DAHs. Our brain has an easier time of slowing a sound down than speeding it up so if you start at the target speed the slower speeds will work themselves out. I started with a target speed of 18wpm and I am kind of stuck there right now, while learning the sound of the characters at a higher speed to progress. I wish I had originally chosen 20wpm as my target speed because in my experience that is a common speed in many QSOs.
Your training should also incorporate the Koch Method which directs the order in which you learn the letters, numbers and punctuation and determining when to progress to the next element.
Koch Method
Begins with just two characters (K, M). Once strings containing those two characters can be copied with 90% accuracy, an additional character is added, and so on until the full character set is mastered.
Code Trainer
I looked at a number of different code trainers. I tried PC applications, mobile device apps and internet based applications. I live in a very internet connected place and I nearly always have access to the internet. I don't always have my PC with me but I do usually have access to a guest PC or a mobile internet capable device so I chose a website that has a training application that incorporates both the Farnsworth and Koch methods and would keep track of my progress.
Learn CW Online is a really nice Morse Code tutor. You create a login for it to keep track of your progress and settings for character speed and effective speed. It has multiple ways to train so try the different ones out to find out what works best for you. I used the Koch Method CW Course which is accessible after you log in. It starts out with two letters and keeps track of your accuracy, making suggestions as to when you should add an additional letter. There are 40 lessons in that course which include the alphabet, numbers and punctuation. I've read that other people really like the MorseMachine application on that site.
After you've gone through all 40 Koch lessons you may still have trouble with a particular set of characters. Use the Code Groups application to work through your stumbling blocks. Lastly natural language training is provided in the plain text training application which sends real sentences at your speed settings. You can also paste text into the convert text to cw application and download the resulting MP3 to practice off-line.
Machine learning is patient tutor and the best way to get started but after you have learned your letters and numbers and a comma you should incorporate copy of real on-air QSOs into your learning regimen.
Copying real QSOs will teach you a couple of things. First, you'll realize that people by and large do not send perfect, machine generated code. Much of the slower code you will hear on HF is being sent with straight keys, bugs and cooties. Some of these manual key operators will send with timing that is, let's say, creative. At first you may be dismayed that you can't copy a single complete word from some of these operators but give it time and your brain will adjust to the unique cadence used by many manual key operators. Some manual key operators pride themselves in their distinctive style of sending and there are a few operators that I recognize before they ever send their call just by the unique style of their FIST. I'm not encouraging you to emulate that style because it is in essence communicating with a thick accent but you should begin to become familiar with hearing the code sent by these folks because you will eventually have QSOs with them. Even operators using paddles and electronic keyers won't sound like the machine generated code because their letter and word spacing will vary, or in some cases, be nearly non-existent. I describe some operators FIST as sending one extended prosign (no space between the letters) for an entire transmission.
Secondly you'll begin to start copying the myriad of abbreviations and prosigns and jargon used during QSOs that exists nowhere outside of amateur radio CW conversations. As you come across new "words" that you copy. Circle them until you begin to recognize what they mean. Some of the abbreviations are standardized but many others are just shorthand and sometimes unique to a particular operator or region. You'll also start to become familiar with the way operators communicate their goodbyes which vary greatly in content, abbreviations and length. Some goodbyes in morse code seem to take as long as the entire previous part of the QSO. In other cases the conversation ended and you didn't even hear the door slam behind you.
Update 2016-05-06: This article concerns a couple eays to practice your CW copy skills.
A word about Morse Code translators
There are a number of Morse Code translation programs available for mobile devices and computers. My recommendation is to NOT use them when you're learning to copy. They will become a crutch and in real QSOs they tend to not be accurate (excepting for CW-Skimmer) and will get you distracted from trying to actually copy the code yourself. Where they ARE USEFUL is in translating your own sending (see below).
Pace yourself and have fun
The most important thing is to have fun. No one makes their living as a telegraph operator any longer and the code is no longer required for a license. So don't stress out about learning the code or push yourself too fast. This is just a hobby and hobbies should be fun.
If you can, practice a little every day. When you start, if you're like me, you will find that you mentally tire out after about 15-20 minutes so don't push it. You are exercising a part of your brain that hasn't had to work much since you learned to talk, and that may have been a few years back.
Different people will learn at a different pace but I haven't met anyone that doesn't make progress if they keep plugging away at it a little every day and if you miss a day no big deal, just try not to let it lapse. You are building a new muscle in your brain. You may also hit a couple walls along the way where you don't seem to progress but it's coming. Just be patient. Morse Code is not fast food.
Morse Code is a mode for folks that don't have a lot to say but want to take a long time to say it; so why rush?
Sending Morse Code
Learning to send code is a different skill than learning to copy. Your ability to send good code is primarily formed by your ability to hear good code. You have to be able to hear the code as properly timed sound bites in your head before you can expect to send properly.
Personally, I'd recommend that you hold off practicing sending code until you have worked through all the lessons and can properly copy. Your brain needs time to memorize the proper sound for each letter. If you start practicing too soon you could develop poor timing habits that will take time to correct.
When you are ready to practice; try sending something like a news article. Or write a few sentences about your weekend and practice sending them. At some point you should begin practicing simulated QSOs. The SKCC beginners corner has a good sample QSOs to practice. When I started real over the air conversations I had my QSOs written out with blanks for the other station's call-sign. I didn't try to stray far from the text in the beginning since trying to think of what to say while spelling it in my head and remembering the sound for it was just too much for my puny brain. But after a couple dozen real QSOs the nervousness starts to wear off and you can think and send.
I have had a little over 300 CW QSOs (as of Fall 2015) and while that is still a relatively small number easily a 3rd of them have been lengthy ragchews lasting over 20-30 minutes so I've spent a lot of time "off-script" from the standard exchange. At this point I don't have to concentrate much on what I'm sending, it just comes out. I only have to think about spelling long words.
When you practice I recommend that you record yourself and then go back maybe a day later and see if you can copy what you sent. You will think you're doing great until you listen to yourself. Then you will practice sending more carefully!
Remember the golden rule. It's better to send good code than receive.
Another useful practice tool for sending is a Morse Code Translator but as stated previously only use a translator to work on your own code sending. Don't use one to copy in real QSOs or you will become dependent on it.
What kind of key
Of course there are different opinions on whether to learn to send code with a straight key or a paddle with an electronic keyer. They each have their merits and detractors. I wouldn't recommend starting with a cootie (sideswiper) or bug, they introduce too many variables for a beginner, but they are lots of fun to use after you're solid with a straight key and paddle..
Straight Key and Paddle... which to start with?
The video below discusses some difference in learning to send on a straight key versus a paddle...
Straight key
Straight Key (manual key)
Straight keys are simple, inexpensive and can work with many inexpensive practice oscillators such that you don't need a radio to practice sending. The disadvantage of straight keys is that your reflexes are entirely responsible for properly spaced DITs and DAHs in addition to intra-character and word spacing. The advantage is that after some practice they become an extension of your arm and simply repeat what you're hearing in your head. I personally started with a straight key and still like to use one regularly for QSOs under 17wpm. My reflexes are not good enough yet to use my straight at higher speeds so I use a paddle when I talk with an operator at speeds above 18wpm.
Paddle with electronic keyer
Paddle -- requires electronic keyer
A paddle works with an electronic keyer. The disadvantage of a paddle is it requires additional equipment and that you will be learning a different reflex from the actual code that is in your head. I.e. when you send an I or an S or an H you are not reflexively sending the DITs that make up the letter but are instead training yourself how long to depress the paddle for the string of DITs. This is a new skill and doesn't directly correspond to what you hear in your head. The advantage to using a paddle with an electronic keyer is that the keyer will send perfect length and ratio DITs and DAHs every time so your reflexes don't have to be as quick or precise. Also it requires far fewer movements of your hand to send code with a paddle and you won't tire as quickly as you would with a straight key. I won't go into the concept of squeeze keying here. For now don't worry about it.
As to the specifics of using a paddle with a keyer:
The electronic keyer may be external or built-in to the radio. If it's external then it will normally have a speaker or mic jack to provide a sidetone allowing you to practice without connecting to a radio. If you don't have an external keyer and want to practice with a paddle you will need a radio with a built-in electronic keyer and be aware how to set it to not transmit for practice. Usually this is accomplished, strangely enough, by turning off VOX (which stands for voice activation) in the radio's menu. Keyers have a speed setting and weighting. Speed seems pretty obvious. Weighting is the ratio of the length of the DIT to the DAH in length. In general the weighting should be set to a higher value when you are sending at a slow speed and set to a lower value as your speed goes up.
Update (5/3/2016): Here is a video I made a few months later regarding equipment for practicing sending CW. Among other key types, this video shows me using a Vibroplex Bug. I do not recommend a Bug for a beginner, and at the end of the video you can see why...
Your first on-air QSO
So now you've practiced your copy skills and you can confidently copy on-air stations at the speed you wish to operate. You have also been practicing sending and when you listen to a recording of yourself it actually makes sense.
You are ready to venture into your first, heart pounding, fight or flight response on-air QSO
If you can find a local ham who already knows the code to practice with that certainly makes for a less intimidating first foray. If you don't know anyone ask your local 2m repeater club if they have any CW Elmers who are within ground-wave distance of your station to work with you. Barring that ask someone in a forum and see if you can schedule a QSO but scheduling QSOs is often hit or miss based on propagation.
If none of those options present themselves then just go for it on-air. Find an ongoing QSO that you feel you can copy or is moving just slightly faster than you can copy. Copy the call-sign of the station you can best copy and wait for them to sign with each other (they will each send their 73s / 72s and send a DIT DIT at the very end). Then call that station.
AA4XX AA4XX DE N4PBQ N4PBQ N4PBQ PSE QRS KN
If you've been listening to regular QSOs you'll recognize the form above. The repetition of the other station's call is to get their attention. You repeat yours for their benefit. The PSE QRS is asking them to slow down and the prosign KN means you're asking only them to respond. Have a prepared QSO text ready in terms of what to send. The SKCC beginners corner has a good sample QSOs.
Here is a sample QSO from when I was just venturing onto the air.
What is going on in the radio
As far using Morse Code in radio communication is concerned; a transmitter modulates a 100Hz to 150Hz wide signal called a Continuous Wave or CW at a particular frequency. The time the signal is transmitted corresponds to the length of time the trasnmitter key is depressed. When listening on a receiver you hear a tone whose pitch is determined by your offset from the frequency of the transmission. If you are listening exactly on the same frequency you will hear nothing because there will be zero Hz offset. So most modern receivers offset the receiver frequency above or below the signal and offset their own transmit frequency by the chosen offset. So if the offset is 750Hz you will hear a 750Hz tone if you are exactly on frequency with the other station. Confusing? Good, you're well on you way.
Summary
So you know as much as I know now... well admittedly I don't know a lot, I'm just learning this stuff myself but I can almost promise you that it will be fun if you have some patience with it and you will meet some of the nicest people in ham radio... well meet them virtually, well meet them as monotone beeps, well meet them as decoded signals sent from one human computer to another human computer, but trust me; after you've had a 15 minute conversation with them and only exchanged your names, where you live and what the weather is you'll feel as though you've known them your entire life.
So lower your power and raise your expectations
73 / 72
Richard - AA4OO (formerly N4PBQ)
Update 11-05-2016:
I wrote this article after about 6 months of operating in the Fall of 2015. A year later now I have over 1,100 CW QSOs not counting contest operations for Field Day using our club call WQ4RP. I'm presently operating up to 23 wpm during ragchews and still working through the challenges of improving my operating skills. I still think this old post is valid for new operators and I re-visit it occasionally to make sure I still agree with myself... Usually I argue with myself all the time but by and large I think this is still a decent primer. I appreciate corrections and constructive pointers.
My interest in amateur radio was re-kindled due to a dinner conversation with N4HAY.
We were both at a dinner for the Wake County Master Gardeners of which both his wife and mine are active members and we began talking of hobbies. He mentioned his deep interest in QRP operations, building small radios and operating CW (morse code). I told him that I was a licensed operator but had not been involved in the hobby for years. We talked a bit more, exchanged call signs and that was it... except it wasn't.
Back story:
To get my upgrade to a General amateur radio license back in 2006 I was required to learn morse code at 5 wpm. The requirement in the past was to learn it at a higher speed. The problem with learning Morse at 5wpm is that it's so slow it allows you to learn morse code with "tricks" such as syllabic mnemonics that mess you up as you try to improve your speed. Well I took the easy path with tricks and then I couldn't proceed. I also didn't find someone to practice my code with at the time. I just launched out and tried to make contacts after getting my General "ticket". I failed horribly. Some hams will slow down to 5wpm but most (in my experience) will not or cannot send that slowly. My CW contacts were few and far between and eventually I just stopped trying.
I decided that my pain with CW was worth moving beyond. The idea of operating with low power and communicating solely via CW became intriguing to me. I went digging through my closet and found that I still had my cheap, practice MFJ straight key.
I also still have my Bencher Paddles but I didn't have a keyer so I could only practice with the straight key. I also made extensive use of a nice website Learn CW Online to learn to copy as well as listening to ARRL practice code files. I got a Morse code app for my phone to see how sloppy my sending was. I'd set it next to my practice keyer and see what I was sending. I was amazed at how poor my timing was and was glad to have the app to show me my errors.
After nearly 600 practice groups on the Learn CW Online website (I'm a slow learner), I borrowed a friend's QRP radio so that I could start practice copying real transmissions.
TenTec 4030 QRP
Listening to real QSOs makes all the difference. I have written gibberish on page after page whilst trying to copy actual stations with fading signals, abbreviations I don't recognize and code sent with less precision than the computer generated stuff I was learning from. But with practice copying and an on-the-air scheduled QSO with couple of nice local hams I gained enough confidence to start sending my call out there and start communicating.
I have a lot to learn and my copy skills are still lousy but I'm working on it and I encourage every licensed amateur operator to at least consider brushing off their CW skills and seeing who they can talk to with 5watts or less and a piece of wire.
