KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog

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Use these apps to check your fist

Posted: 25 Dec 2018 05:57 PM PST
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I often get asked by amateurs learning the code, How do I check my sending?
Well, there are now a couple of programs that can help you do this:
fldigi

fldigi by W1HKJ has been around a long time. Many amateurs think of it as
simply an RTTY program or maybe a PSK31 program. Now, however, it can both
send and receive Morse Code, and it does a pretty good job of decoding
over-the-air Morse Code.

To use it to check your fist, you could configure it to use a cmputers
built-in microphone as the fldigi audio source and use your code practice
oscillator or keyer sidetone to provide the audio. If fldigi receives what
you sent correctly, then you know your fist is pretty good.
Precision CW Fistcheck

Another program that I recently found out about is Precision CW Fistcheck
by Ernst, DJ7HS. You can send code to this program in exactly the same way
that you send to fldigi. Not only will this program attempt to decode what
you sent, it will produce a display similar to the one shown below:

As you can see, Precision CW Fistcheck will show you the duration of the
dits and dahs as well as decode the character. If youre using a paddle and
keyer, the dits and dahs should be very consistent, but if youre sending
with a straight key or a bug, then this program will give you an idea of
how consistent you are in making the dits and the dahs.

If you really want to get fancy, you can use a program called Morse Keyer,
to send code with a key or paddle connected to a serial port. This program
will send the code through your computers sound card. You can then use the
program VB-CABLE to virtually connect the sound card output to either
fldigi or Precision CW Fistcheck.

Finally, in researching this post, I found The FOC Guide to Morse Code
Proficiency. It doesnt recommend any programs like the ones above, but on
page 11, it has a lot of good tips on sending better CW, including:

Make sure that your key is set up properly.
Concentrate on the quality of your sending, not the speed.
Practice, practice, practice. This is, of course, my favorite.


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