I'm a retired geezer studying for my technical license. I fully
intend to learn morse code and not at a mere 5wpm. I figure one is
not truly a ham until one can cw, so I'm hot on it, listening to the
Koch method to learn code. I'm also looking for a GOOD straight key.

I want to invest in quality, but am not wealthy. I was gonna buy a
Vibroplex Know Code key, but the reviews are less than heartening.
So, I talked to Al at Milestone Technologies and he said something that
kinda set me back on my heels. He claimed a straight key is not much
good for anything over 15 wpm. Yikes!

Am I unnecessarily knocking myself out trying to learn code at Just
Learn Code's default 20wpm? Dropping down to 15wpm sure would speed
up the learning curve. If I want to eventually make 20wpm and faster,
would I be better off with a less expensive straight key in the
beginning and later investing the money in a quality bug? I want
to go bug before paddles and keyers. I guess the bottom line is, do I
want to graduate to a bug as soon as possible and maybe lower my
initial goals for a straight key. IOW, just get on the air?

Any advice is appreciated.

nb

On Apr 1, 8:41 pm, notbob wrote:

I'm also looking for a GOOD straight key.

I want to invest in quality, but am not wealthy.
I was gonna buy a
Vibroplex Know Code key, but the reviews are
less than heartening.

There are lots of good straight keys out there. I've used a WW2
surplus J-37 since before I became a Novice in 1967. For my first 7
years as a ham it was the only key I had.

He claimed a straight key is not much
good for anything over 15 wpm. Yikes!

I can do more than 20 wpm on one, even today. That's about top speed
for most people.

What a straight key did for me was to help me learn timing. When I got
a bug in 1974 it was an easy transition.

Am I unnecessarily knocking myself out trying to
learn code at Just
Learn Code's default 20wpm?
Dropping down to 15wpm sure would speed
up the learning curve.

Most people learn best using a combination of the Koch and Farnsworth
methods.

Koch is studying two letters until you know them 90-95%, adding a
third, studying those three until you know them, adding a fourth,
etc.

Farnsworth is having the code sent with the characters fast but
exaggerated spaces between letters so you have more reaction time -
then reducing the exaggerated spaces.

If I want to eventually
make 20wpm and faster,
would I be better off with a less
expensive straight key in the
beginning and later investing
the money in a quality bug?

Yes. A decent straight key need not cost the earth.

I want
to go bug before paddles and keyers.

Then you need to get really good on a straight key (IMHO) because a
bug is not as forgiving as an electronic keyer.

I guess the bottom line is, do I
want to graduate to a bug as soon as possible
and maybe lower my
initial goals for a straight key. IOW, just get on the air?

Yes.

Speed is not the only Morse Code skill, in fact it's not even the most
important.

Any advice is appreciated.

Here are 12 steps to learning Morse Code:

1) Realize that Morse Code is a whole set of skills and they take a
while to learn. They cannot be learned by reading a book, watching a
video, or participating in online forums. They can only be learned by
doing.

2) Set up a place to study code. A good solid desk or table with no
distractions, lots of room to write, good lighting, good chair.
Source(s) of code (computer, HF receiver, tapes, etc.), key and
oscillator. Headphones are a good idea. I recommend starting out with
a straight key. It needs a good solid base and needs to be adjusted
properly.

3) Stay away from gimmicks like CodeQuick. Stay away from printed
charts with dots and dashes on them. Morse Code is sounds, not
printing on a chart or little phrases. Learning to receive consists of
nothing more than learning to associate a certain sound pattern with a
certain letter or number. There are only about 41 of them to learn.

4) Set aside at least a half-hour EVERY DAY for code practice. Can be
a couple of ten- or fifteen minute sessions, but they should add up to
at least a half hour every day. That means every single day, not just
weekends, holidays, etc. If you can do more than a half-hour some
days, great! Do it! But more on one day does not give you an excuse
for the next day.

5) If you can enlist a buddy to learn the code with, or find a class,
do it! But do NOT use the class or the buddy as an excuse to miss
practice or slow down your learning.

6) Download and read "The Art And Skill of Radiotelegraphy". It's free
and available from several websites. Search out other code-oriented
websites, articles, etc. and read what they have to say. But always
remember they're not a substitute for practice.

7) Practice both sending and receiving each and every day. A few
minutes sending is plenty, most of the time should be spent receiving,
but the two help each other. Practice receiving by writing it down.
Copying "in your head" comes later. I find a pencil and block printing
works best for me.

8) A combination of the Koch method and Farnsworth spacing is probably
optimum for most people. Read up on them, understand and use them –
but remember they are tools, not magic.

9) Discontinue ANYTHING that impairs your ability to concentrate,
focus, and learn new stuff. Only doctor-prescribed medications are
exempt from this rule. Eat right, get enough sleep and enough physical
exercise.

10) Put away your microphones, stay off the voice radios - all of
them. Besides the automated code generators, listen to hams actually
using code on the air. Copy down what they send. Learn how hams
actually use code. When you get to the point where you can send and
receive code, even slowly, get on the air and start making QSOs.
Remember that you are learning code to be an operator, not pass a
test, and that means you need the whole skill set..

11) If your HF rig doesn't have a sharp filter (400-500 Hz), get one
and install it. Read the manual about how to use the rig on CW. Best
operation usually requires turning off the AGC, turning the RF gain
down and the AF gain up. The S-meter and AGC won't work under those
conditions but that's no big loss; they’re not essentials.

12) Keep at it. There may be times when it seems as if you are making
no progress, and times when you make rapid progress. What matters is
that you keep practicing every day.

---

A bit of work, but well worth it IMHO, because all those steps make
learning the code easier. And the work is trivial compared to what you
can do with the skills once they're learned.

73 es GL de Jim, N2EY

On Thu, 1 Apr 2010 20:41:54 EDT, notbob wrote:

I'm a retired geezer studying for my technical license. I fully
intend to learn morse code and not at a mere 5wpm. I figure one is
not truly a ham until one can cw, so I'm hot on it, listening to the
Koch method to learn code. I'm also looking for a GOOD straight key.

I want to invest in quality, but am not wealthy. I was gonna buy a
Vibroplex Know Code key, but the reviews are less than heartening.
So, I talked to Al at Milestone Technologies and he said something that
kinda set me back on my heels. He claimed a straight key is not much
good for anything over 15 wpm. Yikes!

Am I unnecessarily knocking myself out trying to learn code at Just
Learn Code's default 20wpm? Dropping down to 15wpm sure would speed
up the learning curve. If I want to eventually make 20wpm and faster,
would I be better off with a less expensive straight key in the
beginning and later investing the money in a quality bug? I want
to go bug before paddles and keyers. I guess the bottom line is, do I
want to graduate to a bug as soon as possible and maybe lower my
initial goals for a straight key. IOW, just get on the air?

Any advice is appreciated.

nb

First, I recommend the Farnsworth method. In Farnsworth, the
individual characters are sent at high speed but are spaced out to
slow down the overall speed. I learned with the characters being sent
at 28 WPM but the overall speed at 15 WPM. That way, I learned to
recognize the characters at 26 and was able to speed up without
difficulty.

Regardless of the method you use, you are to be congratulated for
committing to learn the code at a decent speed.

Listen to code on the air in addition to your practice. There's lots
of CW on 40. Don't worry if it's too fast for you -- listen and copy,
even though you may get only 1 out of 5 characters -- it'll come to
you.

Don't get too cranked up about speed. I can copy around 26 WPM but
most of my CW is ragchewing on 40 at 18 WPM; rarely up to 20. In
fact, I recall reading somewhere recently that most CW operation is
around 18 WPM.

I use a keyer but from time to time switch to my straight key. I can
rattle off 20 WPM on a straight key and may be able to go higher than
that. I have never heard that 15 WPM was about all you can get out of
a straight key.

Listen on 40 -- at the low end you'll find DX and speed demons. Above
about 7030 you'll find normal people who work between 15 and 20 WPM.

If you really want to operate CW, you'll want a keyer with paddle,
and, a straight key.

The bug is a fine device, lots of people still use them, but a bug is
difficult to adjust and it has a steep learning curve. Get a straight
key and learn the code. That way, you are learning only one thing at
a time -- the code -- then, you can switch to a bug later on if you
really want to.

Another option is to get a keyer that has built-in code practice. The
better keyers will have practice routines that allow you to set the
character speed and the overall speed. You can then use the keyer
after you get on the air.

For many years, the old military J-38 was pretty much the standard
straight key. If you can find one, go for it.
http://k6ix.net/J38Keys.html

Check out the Bencher RJ-1.
http://www.morsex.com/bencher/index.htm

The Nye Classic Oval Speed-X is a fine key. It's a copy of the J-38.
http://www.morsex.com/nye/index.htm

Friend of mine has one of these and loves it:
http://www.kent-engineers.com/HANDkeyINFO.htm

Some folks swear by the Russian Cherkassy keys. Note this guy's
comment that he sends 25 WPM on a Cherkassy
http://www.aa5tb.com/keys.html

Whatever key you get, you'll want to mount it on a thin piece of
something -- wood, plexiglas, etc. I have a Nye Classic Oval that I
mounted on a 10-inch x 10-inch piece of plexiglass -- mount the key
along the center of one edge so your wrist and forearm are resting on
the plexiglas when you are sending.

If you look at the photos of the J-38 you'll see that the key has a
small base. When you press down on the key, it wants to tip up --
that's why you want to mount it on a long base so the key remains
stable.

Go to this website and scroll down to the photos of the J-37 -- note
the long base that extends beyond the knob -- this keeps the key from
tipping toward you when you are really pounding brass.
http://www.k5prt.com/equipment_keys.html

Here's one guy's collection:
http://sites.google.com/site/wb9lpu/straightkeynight


I recommend the Nye Oval Speed-X -- order it with the "Navy knob."

You may find these helpful:

http://www.morsecode.nl/index2.html

http://www.fists.org/

http://home.windstream.net/yoel/

On 4/1/2010 7:41 PM, notbob wrote:
I figure one is not truly a ham until one can cw

Out of curiosity, could explain why not?

I was gonna buy a Vibroplex Know Code key, but the reviews
are less than heartening.

This one? http://vibroplex.com/know_code.html

I own the Standard version and I haven't had any issues with
it. What exactly were the faults with this?

He claimed a straight key is not much good for anything over
15 wpm.

Well, yeah, although there are people that can do quite well
with a straight key at more than 20 wpm.

If I want to eventually make 20wpm and faster, would I be
better off with a less expensive straight key in thebeginning
and later investing the money in a quality bug?

My opinion: Learn to send proficiently and accurately with a
hand key first. There's a learning curve for a bug that takes
a bit of getting used to even with an already good fist.

By the way, you can use a bug as a straight key, using just the
"dash" motion. It's called a side swiper at that point.

I guess the bottom line is, do I want to graduate to a bug as
soon as possible and maybe lower my initial goals for a
straight key. IOW, just get on the air?

As I mentioned above, you can start with a bug and use it in the
side swiper mode, but you'll have to force yourself to avoid the
temptation tp try using in the semi-automatic mode until you gain
proficiency at using it as a straight key at lower speeds.

Jeff-1.0
wa6fwi

notbob wrote:
I'm a retired geezer studying for my technical license. I fully
intend to learn morse code and not at a mere 5wpm. I figure one is
not truly a ham until one can cw, so I'm hot on it, listening to the
Koch method to learn code. I'm also looking for a GOOD straight key.

I want to invest in quality, but am not wealthy. I was gonna buy a
Vibroplex Know Code key, but the reviews are less than heartening.
So, I talked to Al at Milestone Technologies and he said something that
kinda set me back on my heels. He claimed a straight key is not much
good for anything over 15 wpm. Yikes!

Am I unnecessarily knocking myself out trying to learn code at Just
Learn Code's default 20wpm? Dropping down to 15wpm sure would speed
up the learning curve. If I want to eventually make 20wpm and faster,
would I be better off with a less expensive straight key in the
beginning and later investing the money in a quality bug? I want
to go bug before paddles and keyers. I guess the bottom line is, do I
want to graduate to a bug as soon as possible and maybe lower my
initial goals for a straight key. IOW, just get on the air?

A lot of what you're asking is really personal preference.

I don't know that I'd say a straight key is worthless beyond 15wpm.
But IMHO it gets fatiuging (sp) pretty quickly for long operating
sessions at *any* speed. IMHO a bug is interesting, fun to use for
nostalgia's sake, just like making QSOs with an old tube-based radio.
But for work where the point is to communicate, IMHO a solid-state rig
-- and a paddle/keyer -- is the way to go.

But again, there's a LOT of personal preference in that paragraph.
Nobody's answer is absolutely correct.

I would not limit one's CW receive training speed based on what you can
send. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being able to receive
faster than you can send. (certainly much less of a problem than the
other way around!) Absolutely, I would listen to the individual
letters at 20wpm from the beginning. You *can't* think "dot, dash,
dot, OK, that's "R"" at that speed -- you have to immediately associate
that sound with a letter -- and that'll get you past the "10wpm hump".
You'll also start hearing some of the shorter -- and more common --
words as a single sound. Words like "and" and "the" etc...

I think I'd start with a decent paddle and keyer. Good paddles are,
I'm afraid, not cheap. (decent keyers are, since you can make one from
a simple PIC chip & some fairly simple software)

--

Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View, TN EM66

When I learned the code, back in high school in the 60's, my "elmer"
made a great suggestion.

When you're out and about, when you see a street sign or a billboard,
translate that into code (preferably "in your head" so as not to attract
undue attention). This was highly effective for me; it helped to develop
both sending and listening skills. I still find myself doing this from
time to time, and I still enjoy working CW.

--
Chuck WV8A
Detroit MI

notbob wrote:

I want to invest in quality, but am not wealthy. I was gonna buy a
Vibroplex Know Code key, but the reviews are less than heartening.
So, I talked to Al at Milestone Technologies and he said something that
kinda set me back on my heels. He claimed a straight key is not much
good for anything over 15 wpm. Yikes!

When I was studying for my Novice we had a club member who was military
trained.. We also had a military surplus code practice set

This device used paper tape, you could vary the speed with which the
tape was pulled past a light sensor.. It also had a key input

Now if you pressed the key you got one tone, if the ink strip did the
"Pressing" you got another tone and if you pressed the key at the
precise moment the ink strip keyed the unit you got a 3rd tone (or at
any time when the ink was keying it)

This guy was sending in step with the tape

There was only one tone (Indicating he was in perfect lock-step with the
tape and that he was sending "Machine perfect" code)

It was pulling at 30 WPM

In article ,
notbob wrote:

I'm also looking for a GOOD straight key.

I want to invest in quality, but am not wealthy. I was gonna buy a
Vibroplex Know Code key, but the reviews are less than heartening.
So, I talked to Al at Milestone Technologies and he said something that
kinda set me back on my heels. He claimed a straight key is not much
good for anything over 15 wpm. Yikes!

NB-

My favorite straight key is a WWII surplus J-38, mounted on a more
stable base.

The Model J-37 is the same key without a shorting switch. This may be a
better choice, because an accidentally shorted key can be a pain to
troubleshoot!

When I took my Extra code test at an FCC office, there was only a
straight key available for sending 20 WPM. If it is adjusted for the
right amount of "bounce", you should be able to manage 20 or 25 WPM.

I waited until I had the Extra class license, before trying any kind of
keyer. The one I have was built from a QST article, "The WB4VVF
Accukeyer". It was fun to build and works with an "iambic" paddle.

The Accukeyer is somewhat less tiring to use than a straight key when
sending at higher speeds. I prefer it to the keyers built into many
modern transceivers, because of its automatic character spacing feature.
It takes a bit of coordination to use!

Fred
K4DII

On Apr 2, 4:21�pm, Fred McKenzie wrote:

My favorite straight key is a WWII
surplus J-38, mounted on a more
stable base.

The Model J-37 is the same key without
a shorting switch. �

They're similar, but not the same key. Both are good choices IMHO.

Here are links to pictures so you can recognize them:

J-37 (sometimes called "J-41" when mounted on its knee-clamp base):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2257/...a553a9acf4.jpg


J-38:

http://www.hamradiocenter.biz/photos/preowned/j-38.jpg


Note that the J-37 has a plastic base and painted-steel lever, while
the J-38 is almost all metal.

----

Morse Code lo The shorting switch on keys was not originally
intended as a tune-up aid.

In the wire-telegraph days, many line circuits were left normally
closed when not in use. That way, any break in the line would be
detected. The shorting switch was used to close the line when *not*
sending.

In radio use, it could be used for tuneup, of course. Also, when a
ship was in grave distress and the radio operator was abandoning ship,
the shorting switch would be closed so that the transmitter would stay
on the air as long as possible.

73 de Jim, N2EY

notbob wrote in :

I'm a retired geezer studying for my technical license. I fully
intend to learn morse code and not at a mere 5wpm. I figure one is
not truly a ham until one can cw, so I'm hot on it, listening to the
Koch method to learn code. I'm also looking for a GOOD straight key.

I want to invest in quality, but am not wealthy. I was gonna buy a
Vibroplex Know Code key, but the reviews are less than heartening.
So, I talked to Al at Milestone Technologies and he said something that
kinda set me back on my heels. He claimed a straight key is not much
good for anything over 15 wpm. Yikes!

Am I unnecessarily knocking myself out trying to learn code at Just
Learn Code's default 20wpm? Dropping down to 15wpm sure would speed
up the learning curve. If I want to eventually make 20wpm and faster,
would I be better off with a less expensive straight key in the
beginning and later investing the money in a quality bug? I want
to go bug before paddles and keyers. I guess the bottom line is, do I
want to graduate to a bug as soon as possible and maybe lower my
initial goals for a straight key. IOW, just get on the air?

Any advice is appreciated.

nb


Back in the dauys of ships having to carry radio operator, the requirement
here in Canada was 25 wpm for a commercial operaators license. You had to
take the test using a straight key not even bugs were allowed for the
test. If memory serves I used a SpeedX hand key to pass the test. There
were also some very nice German and English had keys around, left over
from WWII that you could use and get upwards of 30 wpm from if you had the
skills. The speed recprd holder is W9YZE(SK) at 35 wpm. I believ it is
still recorded in the Guinness Book of Records.

See:

http://oldqslcards.com/W9YZE.pdf


--
Panzer