CW Academy
BEGINNER Level CW Curriculum
Practice
Instructions and Homework Assignments
(Fourth Edition)
(Release: 4.6 Oct 2, 2024)
By: Ken Rainey, AC5EZ
Click HERE for a PDF of this Document
This document was inspired by “Practice
Instructions and Homework Assignments for the Beginner CW Academy Course” (Third Edition) by : Rob Brownstein,
K6RB, 2016-2022.
Table of
Contents
Welcome to CW Academy’s Beginner Morse code (CW) course
Multiple paths to take on
your Morse code journey4
Suggested readings for incoming students
A few Words on Learning Morse code
Introduction to Morse Code Online Trainer (MCT)
Preparing for Sending practice
How the Sessions are Arranged.
Practice Sessions and Workbook Assignments General
Information
Introduction to Instant Character Recognition (ICR) –
Practice
Appendix A: Some Common CW Abbreviations
Appendix B: Commonly used Ham Radio words
Appendix C: Abbreviated list of Some Common
International Q Signals
Appendix D: Top 100 plus English words
Appendix E: US States, Territories, and Canadian
Provinces
Appendix F: NATO International Phonetic Alphabet
Appendix G: Morse Code Trainer (MCT) Features &
Functions
Appendix H: Manual Settings for Copy Practice
Appendix I: Manual Settings for Sending Practice
Appendix J: CW Daily Practice Log
Appendix K: Farnsworth Timing.
Document Revision History and Copyright Notice
Before starting the Beginner CW (Morse code) course assignments,
you should understand how CW Academy expects you to practice during the eight-week
course. The Beginner CW course uses an online learning tool called Morse Code
Trainer (MCT). A link will be shared to the online learning tool in a moment
but first let’s go over a few ground rules.
The Beginner Morse code course is broken up into 16 sessions. Students
will meet with an advisor twice-weekly online via video conference. Students
are expected to practice the assignment for the current session. For example, practice
session-01 before meeting for the online session-01 so the advisor can assess
your progress and address any problems that arise. So, practice the session-01
assignments for the days preceding session-01, and then practice the session-02
assignment for the days preceding session-02 meeting, and so on.
There are four key tools that will help ensure your success in
this course. This curriculum workbook. This is your guide and workbook
assignment document. It is laid out in a step-by-step fashion for you to
follow.
Second is an online video conference tool like Zoom, Skype, Meet, meet.jit.si,
etc. which enables students and advisors to meet in a virtual training environment
two times per week. This allows everyone to see and hear each other, and the
code being sent.
Third is a daily practice log. Keeping a log of your practice is
essential. A Log will show where progress is made and the characters that need
more practice. Create a spreadsheet, a handwritten paper log, or a paper tablet.
Anything that works. Appendix J is a sample log that can be printed out and used.
The last and most important tool is MCT online learning tool. MCT is an online learning tool that is preloaded
with curriculum workbook assignment sessions. Play the characters, words, abbreviations,
and numbers over and over, until you feel comfortable that you recognize each
letter and number sound pattern. Note,
we did not say each letter or number in dots and dashes or dits and dahs – we
said sound the pattern. That’s the secret to learning Morse code in a way that
will scale up in speed as you progress. Learn Morse code like it is a new
language. Listen to the complete sound of the characters being presented not
the individual dits and dahs that make up the character.
At the beginning of Session-11 you will be introduced to a new
tool called Instant Character Recognition (ICR).
All the letters, numbers, punctuation, and prosigns have been presented in the
learning tool. It is now time to try your hand ICR. The purpose of this tool is
to get you started learning to copy the sounds in your head. Work through all the
characters you have learned.
There are many paths to take in your Morse code journey like
contesting, ragchewing, or short QSOs. And they all
start with learning the basic character recognition. This course will help you
start that journey. Good luck and enjoy the ride!
1. Instant
Recognition by Nancy Kott, SK,WZ8C.
Nancy talks about building your Morse code speed. She also talks
about Instant recognition and how to find out if you have instant recognition.
She goes on to explain how to gain proficiency as well as CW speed using
instant recognition.
2. The
FOC Guide to Morse Code Proficiency by Gary Hinson, ZL2IFB.
In the document Gary goes into great detail
about Morse code speed, and timing that is worth reading several times to
understand the full meaning of the rhythm of Morse code (CW).
3. Controlling
Frustration and Nervousness by Bill Leahy, K0MP. Bill is a CWops advisor
and in this document, he brings up some really good
points everyone should know about while on their Morse code journey. He talks
about the best ways to study and how to overcome frustration. It is well worth
your time to read it.
These documents can
be found on the CWops website at the link:
Additional Info & Practice Material for
Students.
Morse code is an audio language. We don’t write the dits and dahs
that we hear. We train our brain to translate the dit-dah
patterns into characters. These characters are then assembled into words,
phrases, and sentences that we humans can understand. Learning to copy Morse
code in your head takes practice. You will not become proficient in Morse code
without practice and a lot of it.
As with learning anything new we need to start with the basics.
Learning the alphabet, numbers, punctuation, and some basic prosigns are what
this class is designed to do.
There is a predefined order in the learning process and if you
follow the curriculum guidelines by the time you reach session-16 you will be
ready to get on-air and enjoy your newfound skill.
We endeavor to make CW Academy accessible to all. Student resource documents are formatted for accessibility for low-vision and also blind people using screen readers. They are available in both PDF and HTML versions. Many of the daily lessons include abbreviations, random letter sequences and other items that screen readers may attempt to pronounce as nonsensical words. When you encounter those, have it spell the words. Tables and graphical items have descriptive alternate text. Table of contents and structured headers will aid your navigation. If you encounter difficulties with the materials, please tell your advisor and we will try to make improvements.
MCT is an online practice tool designed to work with this CW Beginner
curriculum workbook. It is part of the MorseCode.World website, which offers
many training tools.
This link will take you to the Online MCT Tool. Bookmark it so you can go to the MCT tool anytime. Your advisor can assist you if necessary.
Personalization:
You will need to enter this information when you get to session-11. You
can enter it now or wait until you reach session-11. It’s up to you. You can
fill in this information at any time.
Your copy practice will be set to 25 CPM with
a Farnsworth of 6 CPM for a good reason. You need to be able to translate Morse
code at a high character speed that prevents you from counting the dits and
dahs. You can Increase the character speed if necessary. A brief explanation of
Farnsworth timing can be found in Appendix K.
Follow
these steps when you are ready to start practice:
§ Open the Online
MCT Tool
§ Under Practice Content
·
1: Select the Copying button. MCT tool
will autoload copy practice settings.
·
2: Select the Session (1 to 13) that you want
to practice via the Next and Previous buttons.
·
3: Select the Message Type to practice, such as
characters or words.
Start
each new copy session with Characters. Once you have them committed to memory
move to Words then CW Abbreviations, Numbers, Callsigns, and finally Phrases.
If a message type is grayed out that means they are not available for that
session.
In Playback options there are three repeat
settings:
§ Off no repeat. Plays the message type selected one time.
§ Repeat On will repeat the
message text selected over and over again.
§ Repeat-one will repeat the single message selected again and again.
Once
you have learned to copy all the characters in a message type try setting Repeat on
and turning Random on.
Your advisor can explain how each repeat button works.
Your sending practice will be set to 15 CPM with a Farnsworth of 6
CPM for a good reason. You need to be able to send Morse code at a character
speed that allows you to form good rhythm and timing habits. Try to stay at the
15 CPM character speed. It is plenty fast to carry on an “ON-THE-AIR”
QSO. As you progress try increasing the Farnsworth speed.
§ If not already
open start the online MCT tool
§ Practice Content
·
1: Select the Sending button. MCT tool
will autoload sending practice settings.
·
2: Select the Session (1 to 13) that you want
to practice.
·
3: Select the Message Type to practice.
Start
each new sending session with Characters. Once you have good rhythm and timing move
to Words the CW Abbreviations, Numbers, Callsigns, and finally Phrases. If a
message type is grayed out that means they are not available for that session.
In Play options there are three repeat
settings :
§ Off no repeat. Plays the message type selected one time.
§ Repeat On will repeat the
message text selected over and over again.
§ Repeat-One will repeat the single message selected again and again.
Once
you have learned to send all the characters in a message type try setting Repeat-on and turning Random on.
Learning
to copy Morse code uses only your brain to memorize and to recognize letter
patterns as words or phrases. Learning at a high character/per/minute (CPM) rate
allows you to hear the characters as a unique sound pattern not the individual
dits and dahs that make up the character.
Sending
involves mechanical motion and dexterity. You form the character or word in
your brain, the brain tells the hand to move in certain ways, and then the hand
reacts to the brain’s command. Wow, that’s a lot of steps. Well
actually, it all happens very fast but the problem most beginners have
is not knowing what to send but learning the hand motions needed to form the dit dahs patterns with a mechanical keying device. This is
why your sending practice is set to a slower CPM rate. Trying to send as fast
as you can copy will only lead to frustration. The question a lot of new CW
operators is how to send faster. The question should be how to send well-formed,
readable code that another person can copy. You do this be learning to send a
speed that is fast enough to make the conversation meaningful yet slow enough
for the message to be understood by the other person. Speed will come with
practice and getting on the air and making contacts is the goal of this course.
Keep
track of your time by watching the Elapsed practice timer in the Playback
Controls section. Try to limit your practice time to around 15 minutes a
session.
Let us look at an example of how to get started. Your first curriculum
workbook assignment is to play the following messages, one at a time, until you
feel you can recognize them. New characters introduced in each session will be
identified and highlighted in RED.
We offer some additional practice in the form of a sending/keying
drill in each session to help you practice sending each character. For example,
the Daily Sending Drill
is designed to help master the spacing and rhythm of Morse code by sending each
character repeatedly. One way to judge an individual’s sending skill is to
record what is being sent and then play it back and try to copy your own
sending. You can use a phone or a PC to record your sending.
Learning Morse code takes determination and practice to master.
Repetition is the best way to lock in the sound and rhythm of the characters
you are learning. Sending the Daily Sending Drill is a great way to practice the CW
rhythm. Once you have learned the characters, begin each session by sending the
Daily Sending Drill several times to warm up your keying hand and to get your
brain ready to learn.
If you decide to do the daily sending drill, please note that it
does not appear in the online Morse Code Trainer tool. It is presented in each
section to help you gain proficiency in Morse code sending.
Daily Sending Drill:
AAAAA EEEEE NNNNN TTTTT
Before meeting for session-01, you should be able to recognize and
send the patterns using the character’s ‘T’,
‘E’, ‘A’ and ‘N.’ And
be able to recognize the words ‘TEA,’ ‘TEN,’ ‘NET,’ and ‘TEE.’ And be able to
do that at a character speed of at least 25 wpm and Farnsworth spacing of at
least 4 wpm or higher.
During this first session, your advisor will
be sending those characters and words to everyone, individually, to see if you
have learned them. Then, he/she will ask individuals to send the characters and
words with their keyer to assess how well everyone has learned good element (dit or dah) timing and spacing.
Sessions
1 through 10 will introduce new letters, numbers, punctuation, and prosigns.
Sessions 11 through 13 is where you will put all that has been learned into
practice. The building of a simple QSO is introduced here as well as simple
contesting practice. Sessions 14 through 16 are set aside for your advisor to
help you prepare for getting “ON-THE-AIR”.
Sessions
1 through 10 are broken down into several parts. First will be the setup
instructions for the online Morse Code Trainer program. Start with the initial
setup instructions mentioned above.
·
Characters
for this session are those you will be working on in this session. New
characters introduced in the current session will be identified and shown in red.
·
Characters
learned (x) is a running list of all the letters, numbers, punctuation, and prosigns
that have been presented so far.
The next part is the Copy Practice portion of the session. The message
types presented here are preloaded in the online MCT tool. They are listed here
for reference so you can see what will be presented in the online MCT. The Copy Practice portion has the following labels:
§ Words
§ Numbers
§ Callsigns
§ Phrases
The
labels are there to better understand what you are learning. Notice that some
words look a little strange and you might think they are misspelled. Actually, these are CW abbreviation words we use to convey
our message in as few keystrokes as necessary. Refer to Appendix A for the
definition of the shorthand words and how they are used in a QSO.
This is
followed by the Sending practice
section. When entering the sending portion on the MCT tool, listen to the message
and then try emulating the sounds with a key or keyer. The Sending practice portion is also divided into
the following labels:
§ Characters
§ Words
§ CW Abbreviations
§ Numbers
§ Callsigns
§ Phrases
At
the end of session 10 there is an introduction to Instant Character Recognition
(ICR). ICR is the process of listening to and recognizing the characters
without writing them down. Yes, using the conscious and subconscious portions
of the brain. If you want to increase your Morse code speed above 13 to 15 wpm
ICR is the only way to go.
Your
advisor can help you to get started using the ICR tool if you choose to use it.
Sessions
11-13 is also where you will put your knowledge to use by going through QSO
scripts.
Sessions
14 through 16 are set aside for your advisor to help you prepare for getting “ON-THE-AIR”.
Characters for this
session (all are new): A E N T
Characters
learned 4: A
E N T
Work through the copy practice for each message group using the MCT
tool. Once you have committed all the copy practice to memory proceed to the
sending practice section and go through each section in the same way.
Characters:
A T E N
Words:
NEAT TEN TAN
CW Abbreviations:
AA ANT NET
Phrases:
EAT AT TEN AN ANT AT TEE A
NEAT ANT
Characters:
A T E N
Words:
TEA TEN TEE
CW Abbreviations:
AA ANT NET
Phrases:
EAT AT TEN AN ANT AT TEE A
NEAT ANT
Daily Sending Drill:
TTTTT EEEEE AAAAA NNNNN
Characters for this session: previous A E N T plus
new S I O 1 4
Characters
learned 9: A E I N O S T 1 4
Work through the copy practice for each message group using the
MCT tool. Once you have committed all the copy practice to memory proceed to
the sending practice section and go through each section in the same way.
Characters:
A E N T S I O 1
4
TEN TON TIN TIE TOE NO NOT
NOTE IT AT ONE NEAT NET NITE
TOES STONE TEASE NOISE
CW Abbreviations:
ES SAE SASE SN STN
Numbers:
1441 4114 1414
Callsigns:
N1AS N4ON S41T NO1S AI1E IT4O EA1ON ES4IT
Phrases:
NO NET STN 1 TO 4 ITS A TEST 4
TON STONE
Characters:
A E N T S I O 1
4
Words:
TIN TIE NO NOT IT AT ONE
CW Abbreviations:
ES OT SAE SASE SN STN
Numbers:
1441 4114 1414
Callsigns:
N1AS N4ON S41T NO1S AI1E IT4O EA1ON ES4IT
Phrases:
NO NET STN 1 TO 4 ITS A TEST 4
TON STONE
Daily Sending Drill:
AAAAA EEEEE IIIII NNNNN OOOOO
SSSSS TTTTT 11111 44444
Characters
for this session: previous O I S
plus new D H L R 2 5
Characters learned 15: A D E H I L N O R S
T 1 2 4 5
Work through the copy practice for each message group using the
MCT tool. Once you have committed all the copy practice to memory proceed to
the sending practice section and go through each section in the same way.
Characters:
O I S R H D L 2 5
Words:
ALL TELL TALL DEAL THE THEIR DOLL
DELL HALL HILL HOLE LOAD LEAD LATE
LATER SEAL SELL SOLE SHE HER HEAR
CW Abbreviations:
AA ES SN STN DE DN HI
HR LSN NR RST
Numbers:
142 451 1425
Callsigns:
DL1AT HH5H HS1TD ND2T NA4T
LSN DN 1 RST IS 555 HAIL
ES RAIN DE NR4DL LSN DN 2
Characters:
O I S R H D L 2
5
Words:
ALL TELL THE LEAD LATE SHE HER
CW Abbreviations:
DE DN HI HR NR RST TR
Numbers:
142 451 1425
Callsigns:
DL1AT HH5H HS1TD ND2T NA4T
Phrases:
Daily Sending Drill:
AAAAA DDDDD EEEEE HHHHH IIIII LLLLL NNNNN
OOOOO RRRRR SSSSS TTTTT 11111 22222 44444
55555
Characters for this
session: previous
R H D L 1 4 plus new C U
Characters
learned 17: A C D E H I L N
O R S T U 1 4 2 5
Work through the copy practice for each message group using the
MCT tool. Once you have committed all the copy practice to memory proceed to
the sending practice section and go through each section in the same way.
Characters:
R H D L 1 4 U C
Words:
CHAT CHAIR CHIN CHART OUCH COUCH TOUCH
SUCH TEACH REACH SUN SON HOLD TOLD
SAIL RAIL TAIL NAIL OIL SOIL TOIL
COIL RAIN CAUSE SAUCE TOSS TOLL TALL
TELL CELL CALL
CW Abbreviations:
ADR CL CS CUL DE DN ES
NR RST SOTA STN TU UR
4241 1452 5441 2145
Callsigns:
NC5A NA2T CU1LL CO5NO NU4R CT1AC CE1NI
Phrases:
UR RST IS HR IN UT CUL TOD LSN
DN 1 SOTA 2514
Characters:
R H D L 1 4 U C
Words:
CHAT CHIN TEACH SAIL RAIN TALL TELL
CW Abbreviations:
CUL DE ES NR RST TU UR
Numbers:
4241 1452 5441 2145
Callsigns:
NC5A NA2T NC5A NA2T CU1LL CO5NO NU4R
CT1AC CE1NI
Phrases:
UR RST IS HR IN UT CUL TOD LSN DN 1 SOTA 2514
Daily Sending Drill:
AAAAA CCCCC DDDDD EEEEE HHHHH IIIII LLLLL
NNNNN OOOOO RRRRR SSSSS TTTTT UUUUU 11111
22222 44444 55555
Characters for this session: previous U C 2 5 plus new M W 3 6 ?
Characters learned 22: A C D E H I L M N O R S T U W 1 2 3 4 5 6 ?
Work through the copy practice for each message group using the
MCT tool. Once you have committed all the copy practice to memory proceed to
the sending practice section and go through each section in the same way.
Characters:
U C 2 5 M W 3 6 ?
Words:
WAIT WALL WELL WILL MALL MILL CHUM
MOW MUCH SUCH WATER WET WHAT DEW
DATE ATOM TOW TOWER WERE WHERE WAS
WISH WASH MAT MATT MEL HIM HER
HIS HW?
CW Abbreviations:
CS CUD CUL DE ES HR HW?
OM RST SHUD STN TU UR WL
Numbers:
3354 1432 6122 5564 4321 2346
Callsigns:
W3AA N3AM DM5RA W6AM N2AT RW5L ON4UN
Phrases:
NAME? UR RST IS 56N CU TMW DON SWR
IS 2 TO 1 CUL TOM
Characters:
U C 2 5 M W 3 6
?
Words:
WAIT WELL MALL MILL WET DATE
CW Abbreviations:
CUL DE ES HW? RST TMW TU UR
Numbers:
3354 1432 6122 5564 4321 2346
Callsigns:
W3AA N3AM DM5RA W6AM N2AT RW5L ON4UN
Phrases:
NAME? UR RST IS 56N CU TMW DON SWR
IS 2 TO 1 CUL TOM
Daily Sending Drill:
AAAAA CCCCC DDDDD EEEEE HHHHH IIIII LLLLL
MMMMM NNNNN OOOOO RRRRR SSSSS TTTTT UUUUU
WWWWW 11111 22222 33333 44444 55555 66666
?????
Characters for this session: previous M W 3 6 plus
new F Y ,
Characters learned 25: A C D E F H I L M N O R S T U W Y 1 3 4 2 5 6 , ?
Work through the copy practice for each message group using the
MCT tool. Once you have committed all the copy practice to memory proceed to
the sending practice section and go through each section in the same way.
M W 3 6 F Y ,
Words:
YOU TOY FOOT TOOTH ROOT CUTE NOISE
LARRY ROY TON TEETH FEET YET THEY
SAY RAY HAY YRS FAIR FARE FAR
FUR FURRY
CW Abbreviations:
CUL CW DE DWN ES FER HR
HW? NAME RF RST SWR TU MI
Numbers:
1512 3316 4352 6135
Callsigns:
F5IN YO1AR HH5H NO3M AA3U S52R
Phrases:
NAME IS WILL UR RST 56N HOME IS CODY, WY UR NAME?
Characters:
M W 3 6 F Y ,
Words:
CUTE SAID RAID STIR HIM FEET HW?
CW Abbreviations:
CUL DE ES FER DWN TU UR
Numbers:
1512 3316 4352 6135
Callsigns:
F5IN YO1AR HH5H NO3M AA3U S52R
Phrases:
NAME IS WILL UR RST 56N HOME IS CODY, WY UR NAME?
Daily Sending Drill:
AAAAA CCCCC DDDDD EEEEE FFFFF HHHHH IIIII
LLLLL MMMMM NNNNN OOOOO RRRRR SSSSS TTTTT
UUUUU WWWWW YYYYY 11111 22222 33333 44444
55555 66666 ?????
Characters for this session: previous F Y 3 6 plus new G P Q 7 9 /
Characters learned 31: A C D
E F G H I L M N O P Q R S T U W Y 1 3 4 2 5 6 7 9 / , ?
Work through the copy practice for each message group using the
MCT tool. Once you have committed all the copy practice to memory proceed to
the sending practice section and go through each section in the same way.
Characters:
F Y 3 6 G P Q 7 9 /
Words:
PAGE PAPER PEPPER GLAD GLARE LARGE LEDGE
GEORGE GEO CHAS CHASE CHANGE PEG PUG
PIG PEN
PENCIL PIPE PIT GAIN GARAGE
GUARD GAS GUS CHUG YES YET YONDER
COY
CW Abbreviations:
AGN? CPI CUL DE GM GE LID
OM OP QTH RIG RST QRM TU
7423 14253 579 599 2N222
Callsigns:
G4AN/3 N1AR/5 W9UCA/9 W3/PY2AA F6/N6AM
Phrases:
GD SIG RON SOLID
CPI MAT RIG IS ICOM QTH IS TRAPPE, MD HW CPI?
Characters:
F Y 3 6 G P Q 7 9 /
Words:
PAGE GLARE LEDGE GEORGE PEN PIT
CW Abbreviations:
AGN? CPI CUL DE GM GE LID
OM OP QTH RIG RST QRM TU
Numbers:
7423 14253 579 599 2N222
Callsigns:
G4AN/3 N1AR/5 W9UCA/9 W3/PY2AA
F6/N6AM
Phrases:
GD SIG RON SOLID CPI MAT RIG IS ICOM QTH IS TRAPPE, MD HW
CPI?
Daily Sending Drill:
AAAAA CCCCC DDDDD EEEEE FFFFF GGGGG HHHHH
IIIII LLLLL MMMMM NNNNN OOOOO PPPPP QQQQQ
RRRRR SSSSS TTTTT UUUUU WWWWW YYYYY 11111
22222 33333 44444 55555 66666 77777 99999
///// ,,,,, ?????
Characters for this session: previous 7 9 / plus new B V <AR>
Characters
learned 34: A B C D E F G H I L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 / , ? <AR>
Work through the copy practice for each message group using the
MCT tool. Once you have committed all the copy practice to memory proceed to
the sending practice section and go through each section in the same way.
Characters:
B V 7 9 / <AR>
VOTE VAT VIEW WAVE PAVE SAVE VOW
VALVE SOLVE VOLT VAULT BAD BODY BORE
BORN BARN BARNEY BRAD BREAD BED BETTER
BEST BILL BUILD BUILT BOLT BULB BLAME
BLEND BLAND BLOW
CW Abbreviations:
73 AGN B4 BURO CS CUL DE
DN EFHW ES FB FER GA GE
HI HW? LID OP POTA PSE PWR
QRM RCVR RPT SIG TU UR <AR>
Numbers:
6146 5514 2345 9765
Callsigns:
BV2AA BA1RO WB2AE N6RB/4 W2/VE1AR VE2/W2LE
Phrases:
NAME IS BOB NAME IS BILL SOME QSB NAME IS VAL
UR RST IS 559 UR RST IS 459 BENS BEST BENT WIRE GOING QRT
Characters:
B V 7 9 / <AR>
Words:
VOTE VALVE BED BEST
CW Abbreviations:
73 AGN FB FER HW?
QRM RST <AR>
Numbers:
6146 5514 2345 9765
Callsigns:
BV2AA BA1RO WB2AE N6RB/4 W2/VE1AR VE2/W2LE
Phrases:
NAME IS BILL NAME
IS TED UR RST IS 579 BENS BEST BENT WIRE
Daily Sending Drill:
AAAAA BBBBB CCCCC DDDDD EEEEE FFFFF GGGGG
HHHHH IIIII LLLLL MMMMM NNNNN OOOOO PPPPP
QQQQQ RRRRR SSSSS TTTTT UUUUU VVVVV WWWWW
YYYYY 11111 2222 33333 44444 55555 66666
77777 99999 ///// ,,,,, ?????
Characters for this session: previous B V plus new J K 0 8 <BT>
Characters
learned 39: A B C D E F G H
I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 / , ? <BT> <AR>
Work through the copy practice for each message group using the
MCT tool. Once you have committed all the copy practice to memory proceed to
the sending practice section and go through each section in the same way.
Characters:
B V J K 8 0 <BT>
Words:
JACK JAY JOHN JIM JERRY BACK RACK
TACK TECH TACH REACH EACH TEACH HELP
HIGH HILL FACT FACE FAR FEAR THEN
THEIR HIM HER HIS HERS THEM THEY
THEIR SWITCH LINE ANT DIPOLE VERTICAL OHMS
HOME AWAY TEST ASIA AFRICA
CW Abbreviations:
AGN BK CPI CUAGN DE ES FB
GUD K OK OP R RCVR RPT
RST SK SKED TKS TMW WKD YL
Numbers:
807 7300 4250A
Callsigns:
K1JD N1AR W2TT K2UMU N2NW VE3NE VA3KP
K4BAI N5KO
Phrases:
HW CPI? NAME IS JOE NAME IS JOHN NAME IS JIM
UR RST IS 579 UR RST IS 339 SRI NO CPY QRM ON YR SIG
Characters:
B V J K 8 0 <BT>
Words:
JACK TACH REACH EACH FEAR HIS ANT
CW Abbreviations:
K OK OP RPT RST SKED TKS
UR WKD YL
Numbers:
07 7300 4250A
Callsigns:
K1JD N1AR W2TT K2UMU N2NW VE3NE VA3KP
K4BAI N5KO
Phrases:
HW CPI? NAME IS JOE NAME IS JOHN NAME IS JIM
UR RST IS 579 UR RST IS 339 SRI NO CPY QRM ON YR SIG
Daily Sending Drill:
AAAAA BBBBB CCCCC DDDDD EEEEE FFFFF GGGGG
HHHHH IIIII JJJJJ KKKKK LLLLL MMMMM NNNNN
OOOOO PPPPP RRRRR SSSSS TTTTT UUUUU VVVVV
WWWWW YYYYY 11111 2222 33333 44444 55555
66666 77777 88888 99999 00000 ///// ,,,,,
????? <AR><AR><AR><AR> <BT><BT><BT><BT>
Characters for this session: previous K J 8 0 Q plus new X Z . <BK> <SK>
Characters learned 44: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 / . , ? <BT>
<BK> <SK> <AR>
Work through the copy practice for each message group using the
MCT tool. Once you have committed all the copy practice to memory proceed to
the sending practice section and go through each section in the same way.
NOTE: There are some that say <BK> is not an “official” prosign and should not be sent as one character. Although <BK> is used quite often when working
POTA and SOTA contacts. As a new Morse code operator, you will hear it sent
both ways, BK and <BK>.
<BK> is presented here, as a
prosign, to offer practice in hearing and sending it
as a prosign. Your advisor has the option as to how
it is presented.
Characters:
K J 8 0 X Q Z . <BK> <SK>
Words:
NAME MEMPHIS NYC SF DALLAS HOUSTON TOKYO
PARIS LONDON HAMBURG SYDNEY
BTU CUL ES DE DX FB FER
GLD HR KW OP PSE RPT RST
SRI TKS TU VY WX XYL YL
Numbers:
8044 7400 73 88
Callsigns:
ZL2TT VK4OM JE1TRV BA1CW KH6LC AL2A AA3B
Phrases:
U HV QSB U HV QRM NAME? QTH? QTH IS NY QTH IS PARIS
PSE QSY TO 7054
Characters:
K J 8 0 X Q Z . <BK> <SK>
Words:
WL UR OK PSE RIG WX ANT
PWR KW OP TKS RST FER GLD
CW Abbreviations:
BTU CUL ES DE DX FB FER
GLD HR KW OP PSE RPT RST
SRI TKS TU VY WX XYL YL
Numbers:
8044 7400 73
Callsigns:
ZL2TT VK4OM JE1TRV BA1CW KH6LC AL2A AA3B
Phrases:
UR RST IS 579 QTH IS NR TULSA NAME IS BARRY UR RST IS 559
QTH IS DAYTON
OH NAME IS JOHN
Daily Sending Drill:
AAAAA BBBBB CCCCC DDDDD EEEEE FFFFF GGGGG
HHHHH IIIII JJJJJ KKKKK LLLLL MMMMM NNNNN
OOOOO PPPPP QQQQQ RRRRR SSSSS TTTTT UUUUU
VVVVV WWWWW XXXXX YYYYY ZZZZZ 11111 2222
33333 44444 55555 66666 77777 88888 99999
00000 ///// ,,,,, ????? <BT><BT><BT><BT>
<BK><BK><BK><BK> <SK><SK><SK><SK>
<AR><AR><AR><AR>
ICR practice will use Morse Code trainer at this link:
Morse Code Trainer Instant Character
Recognition
Instant character recognition is learning
to copy Morse code in your head without using a pen and paper. After you have
performed the copying and sending exercises in each session to a point where
you can recognize the characters and words it’s time to begin working on your
ICR skills.
Your advisor can explain and
assist you in getting started using the ICR tool in your daily practice. There
is an additional getting started document called Guidelines for MorseCodeWorld ICR available on our student
resources webpage.
ICR Copying:
Select the CW Academy
tab then select the session(s) you want to practice. When you select the
session button the characters presented in this curriculum workbook will be
highlighted.
You can add characters or remove
characters by simply clicking on each character.
Select Speech After in the
Playback style dropdown menu.
You have three ICR options to work
with: Individual characters, random nonesense words
using the characters in the sessions being practiced, or sentences of various
number of words.
For this class you need to focus on single character recognition first.
You need to have a good character ICR foundation before advancing to words and
sentences.
§ Choosing
Letters, the program will play each individual letter.
§ Choosing
words allows you to select how many characters the words should have.
§ Choosing
sentences allows you to build sentences of various number of words.
Play:
You are now ready to practice ICR. Select the Next button. Set back with your
eyes closed and listen to the characters. visualize the character in your mind before
the computer says the character. Keep working on this until you can beat the
computer.
When you reach about 75% correct
copy it is time to increase the Farnsworth speed by 1 or 2 WPM.
Putting what
you’ve learned into practice.
It’s now time to
put all the letters, numbers, punctuation, and prosigns together in QSO scripts
that you can use as a model when you get on the air. This session and the next
several sessions will give you some actual QSO practice.
Make sure you
fill out all the information in the Personalization section. This information
will be used in the copying and sending practice that follows.
For the next six
sessions you want to set your character speed to 25+ WPM and Farnsworth set to
6+ WPM. Remove any extra time gap settings you might have set. This is the goal
for the beginner class.
Work through the copy practice for each message group using the
MCT tool. Once you have committed all the copy practice to memory proceed to
the sending practice section and go through each section in the same way.
[your callsign] DE K6RB UR RST 579 NR SF
<BT>
NAME ROB HW? [your callsign]
DE K6RB K
[your callsign] DE N3JT UR RST IS 5NN
<BT>
QTH MCLEAN VA MCLEAN VA
OP IS JIM DE N3JT
[your callsign] DE W1RM <BT>
UR RST 569 569 IN CT NAME IS PETE <BK>
K6RB DE [your callsign] UR RST 57N IN [your town/city and ST abbrev]
<BT>
NAME IS [your name]
BTU K6RB DE [your callsign]
K
N3JT DE [YOUR CALLSIGN] UR RST 56N IN [your town/city and ST abbrev]
<BT>
NAME IS [your name]
N3JT DE [your callsign]
K
W1RM DE [your callsign] UR RST 45N WID QRN IN [your town/city and ST abbrev]
<BT>
NAME IS [your name]
W1RM DE [your callsign]
K
ICR Single Character Practice:
Letters to Practice: Sessions
01 thru 10
Message Options: Letters. Practice single characters.
Work through the copy practice for each message group using the
MCT tool. Once you have committed all the copy practice to memory proceed to
the sending practice section and go through each section in the same way.
[your callsign] DE K6RB WX CLDY TEMP 58
<BT>
RIG RUNS 100 W TO VERT <BT>
AGE IS 66 SO HW?[your
callsign] DE K6RB K
[your callsign] DE N3JT <BT>
WX RAIN TEMP 42 <BT>
RIG IS K3 ES ANT IS 4 EL YAGI <BT>
AGE IS 65
OK? DE N3JT
[your callsign] DE W1RM WX SNOW TEMP 24 <BT>
RIG IS IC 7700 PWR IS KW ES ANT IS DIOPLE <BT>
AGE IS 70 HW? <BK>
K6RB DE [your callsign] WX SUNNY TEMP 82
RIG RUNS [your power]
W TO [your antenna]
AGE IS [your age]
HW? K6RB DE [your callsign]
K
N3JT DE [your callsign] WX RAIN TEMP 54
RIG RUNS [your power]
W TO [your antenna]
AGE IS [your age]
HW? N3JT DE [your callsign]
K
W1RM DE [your callsign] WX OC TEMP 70
RIG RUNS [your power]
W TO [your antenna]
AGE IS [your age]
HW? W1RM DE [your callsign]
K
ICR Single Character Practice:
Letters to Practice: Sessions
01 thru 10
Message Options: Letters. Practice single characters.
Work through the copy practice for each message group using the
MCT tool. Once you have committed all the copy practice to memory proceed to
the sending practice section and go through each section in the same way.
[your callsign]
DE K6RB TNX FER QSO ES HPE CU AGN 73 <SK>
[your callsign]
DE K6RB
E E
[your callsign] DE N3JT NICE QSO TNX CUL 73 <SK>
[your callsign] DE N3JT GN
[your callsign]
DE W1RM ENJOYED QSO <SK>
[your callsign]
DE W1RM
E E
K6RB DE [your callsign]
TU FER QSO CU AGN 73 <SK>
K6RB DE [your callsign]
N3JT DE [your callsign]
CUL ES NICE QSO 73 <SK>
N3JT DE [your callsign]
E E
W1RM DE [your callsign]
ENJOYED QSO ALSO 73 <SK>
W1RM DE [your callsign] CU
E E
ICR Single Character Practice:
Letters to Practice: Sessions
01 thru 10
Message Options: Letters. Practice single characters.
Before your online sessions, listen to HF radio on CW sub bands. Listen for slower stations calling CQ and copy their callsigns. Listen to slower stations in QSO and see if you can copy some of what they are saying. Practice sending your callsign, QTH and name, over and over again.
Before your online sessions, listen to HF radio on CW sub bands. Listen for slower stations calling CQ and copy their callsigns. Listen to slower stations in QSO and see if you can copy some of what they are saying. Practice listening to your callsign using many different methods.
Before your online sessions, listen to HF radio on CW sub bands. Listen for slower stations calling CQ and copy their callsigns. Listen to slower stations in QSO and see if you can copy some of what they are saying. Practice sending first, second and wrap exchanges.
A great time to practice callsigns, name, and location abbreviations is during K1USN’s Slow Speed Contest (SST) Friday afternoon and Sunday evenings. You can read all about the SST by going to K1USN Radio Club website. This is an easy contest where you can make that first “ON-AIR” contact. Your advisor can offer logging suggestions that assist during the SST event.
AA All after
AB All Before
ABT About
ADR Address
AGN Repeat, Say Again
ANT Antenna
AS Standby, wait
BCI Broadcast
Interference
BCNU Be seeing you
BK Break, Break
in
BTU Back to you
BUG Semi-Automatic
key
BURO Bureau
B4 Before
CFM Confirm, I
confirm
CL I am closing
my station; Call
CLG Calling
CONDX Conditions
CQ Calling any
Station
CS Callsign
CPI, CPY Copy
CUD Could
CUL See you later
CUZ Because
DE From; This is
DN Down
DX Distance
EMRG Emergency
ENUF Enough
ES And
FB Fine business
FER For
FM Freq
Modulation; From
FREQ Frequency
GA Good afternoon
GE Good evening
GG Going
GLD Clad
GM Good morning
GN Good night
GND Ground
GUD Good
HI Laughing
HR Here, Hear,
Hour
HV Have
HW How
K Invitation
to transmit
LID Poor operator
LSN Listen
MNI Many
NIL Nothing, not
in log
NR Number
NW New
OB Old boy
OK Correct
OM Old man
OP Operator
OT Old Timer
PSE Please
PWR Power
R Roger,
Received
RCVR Receiver
RFI Radio Freq
interference
RIG Station
equipment
RPT Report
RST Signal Report
RTTY Radio teletype
RX Receive,
receiver
SASE Self-addressed
stamped envelope
SED Said
SEZ Says
SHUD Should
SIG Signal,
Signature
SK Out, clear,
end of contact
SKED Schedule
SN Soon
SRI Sorry
SSB Single
sideband
STN Station
TEMP Temperature
TKS Thanks
TMW Tomorrow
TNX Thanks
TRE There
TT That
TU Thank you
TX Transmitter,
Transmit
U You
UR Your
URS Yours
VY Very
WID With
WKD Worked
WL Well, Will
WID With
WUD Would
WX Weather
XCVR Transceiver
XMTR Transmitter
XYL Wife
YL Young lady
73 Best regards
? Question
A
ABOUT
AGE
AGN
ALINCO
ALL
AM
AND
ANT
ARE
AS
AT
BEAM
BK
BUT
BTU
BY
CAN
CLEAR
CLOUDY
COLD
COLLINS
COOL
CPI
CPY
CQ
CW
DIGITAL
DIPOLE
DO
DONT
DX
EFHW
ELECRAFT
ES
FB
FLEX
FOG
FOR
FROM
G5RV
GA
GE
GM
HAD
HAIL
HAVE
HEATHKIT
HI
HIS
HOT
HOUR
HR
HW
HW?
I
ICOM
IF
IN
INV
IS
IT
ITS
JT65
JUST
JUST
KENWOOD
KN
KNEW
KNOW
LIKE
LSB
MEAN
MY
NAME
NO
NOT
NR
OCF
OF
ON
ONE
OR
OTHER
OUT
PSE
PSK
PSK31
PWR
R
RAIN
REALLY
RIG
RICH
RST
SLEET
SLOPER
SNOW
SO
SOME
SSB
SUNNY
SWR
TEMP
TENTEC
TEST
THAT
THE
THEM
THERE
THEY
THINK
TNX
TO
TU
UH
UP
USB
VERTICAL
WARM
WAS
WE
WE
WELL
WERE
WHAT
WHEN
WHERE
WINDOM
WINDY
WITH
WX
YAESU
YEAH
YOU
YOUR
YRS
.
,
?
/
5NN
599
589
58N
579
57N
479
47N
359
35N
489
48N
559
55N
A Q signal followed by a ? asks a question.
A Q signal
without the ? answers the question, unless otherwise indicated.
QRA |
What is the name of your
station? |
QRG |
What's my exact frequency |
QRH |
Does my frequency vary? |
QRI |
How is my tone? (1 – 9) |
QRK |
What is my signal intelligibility? (1 – 5) |
QRL |
Is the frequency in use? |
QRM |
Man made interference |
QRN |
Natural interference |
QRO |
Shall I increase transmit power? |
QRP |
Shall I decrease transmit power? |
QRQ |
Shall I send faster? |
QRS |
Shall I send slower? |
QRT |
I’m closing my station down |
QRV |
Are you ready? |
QRX |
When will you call again? |
QRZ |
Who is calling me? |
QSA |
What is my signal strength? (1 – 9) |
QSB |
Are my signals fading? |
QSD |
Is my keying defective? |
QSK |
Can you work breakin? |
QSL QSO QSY |
Acknowledge receipt Communicate with Shall I change frequency? |
QTH |
What is your location? |
QTR |
What is your time? |
For a full list of CW abbreviations with
explanations go to the CWops website at: https://cwops.org/additionalpractice/ and click on
CW Abbreviations.
A
ABOUT
AFTER
ALL
ALSO
AN
AND
ANY
ARE
AS
AT
BACK
BE
BEEN
BUT
BY
CALL
CAN
COME
COULD
DAY
DID
DO
EACH
EVEN
FIND
FIRST
FOR
FROM
GET
GIVE
GO
GOOD
HAD
HAS
HAVE
HE
HER
HIM
HIS
HOW
I
IF
IN
INTO
IT
ITS
JUST
KNOW
LIKE
LOOK
MAKE
MANY
MAY
ME
MORE
MOST
MY
NEW
NO
NOT
NOW
OF
ON
ONE
ONLY
OR
OTHER
OUR
OUT
OVER
SAID
SAY
SEE
SHE
SO
SOME
TAKE
THAN
THAT
THE
THEIR
THEM
THEN
THERE
THESE
THEY
THINK
THIS
TIME
TO
TWO
UP
US
USE
WANT
WAS
WAY
WE
WELL
WERE
WHAT
WHEN
WHICH
WHO
WILL
WITH
WORD
WORK
WOULD
YEAR
YOU
YOUR
AL |
Alabama |
AK |
Alaska |
AZ |
Arizona |
AR |
Arkansas |
CA |
California
|
CO |
Colorado |
CT |
Connecticut |
DE |
Delaware |
DC |
District
of Columbia |
FL |
Florida |
GA |
Georgia
|
HI |
Hawaii |
ID |
Idaho |
IL |
Illinois |
IN |
Indiana |
IA |
Iowa
|
KS |
Kansas |
KY |
Kentucky |
LA |
Louisiana |
ME |
Maine |
MD |
Maryland
|
MA |
Massachusetts |
MI |
Michigan |
MN |
Minnesota |
MS |
Mississippi |
MO |
Missouri
|
MT |
Montana |
NE |
Nebraska |
NV |
Nevada |
NH |
New
Hampshire |
NJ |
New
Jersey |
NM |
New
Mexico |
NY |
New
York |
NC |
North
Carolina |
ND |
North
Dakota |
OH |
Ohio |
OK |
Oklahoma |
OR |
Oregon |
PA |
Pennsylvania |
RI |
Rhode
Island |
SC |
South
Carolina |
SD |
South
Dakota |
TN |
Tennessee |
TX |
Texas |
UT |
Utah |
VT |
Vermont
|
VA |
Virginia |
WA |
Washington |
WV |
West
Virginia |
WI |
Wisconsin |
WY |
Wyoming |
GU |
Guam |
PR |
Puerto
Rico |
VI |
(US) Virgin Islands |
Canadian Provinces and Territories
AB |
Alberta |
BC |
British
Columbia |
MB |
Manitoba |
NB |
New
Brunswick |
NL |
Newfoundland
and Labrador |
NT |
Northwest
Territories |
|
|
NS |
Nove
Scotia |
NU |
Nunavut |
ON |
Ontario |
PE |
Prince
Edward Island |
QC |
Quebec |
SK |
Saskatchewan |
YT |
Yukon |
Appendix F: NATO International Phonetic Alphabet
Letter |
Phonetic |
A |
Alpha |
B |
Bravo |
C |
Charlie |
D |
Delta |
E |
Echo |
F |
Foxtrot |
G |
Golf |
H |
Hotel |
I |
India |
J |
Juliet |
K |
Kilo |
L |
Lima |
M |
Mike |
N |
November |
O |
Oscar |
P |
Papa |
Q |
Quebec |
R |
Romeo |
S |
Sierra |
T |
Tango |
U |
Uniform |
V |
Victor |
W |
Whiskey |
X |
Xray |
Y |
Yankee |
Z |
Zulu |
The online MCT tool is very flexible with many settings and
adjustments that you can make to change how the tool works. Experiment, you can
always reload the setup files
MCT trainer is divided into several sections
Let’s briefly look at each section to see how they can
be tailored to help you work through the “Practice Instructions and Homework Assignments
Beginner CW” curriculum workbook. There is a help tab in the main banner that
you can use to get a full definition of each feature. Your advisor can also
help you with any questions you may have.
Personalization
You will need to enter this information when you get to
session-11. You can enter it now or wait. It’s up to you. You can fill in this
information at any time.
Practice Content
There are sixteen sessions in the Beginner CW
curriculum workbook. The first 10 sessions are set up to teach you the
alphabet, numbers, 4 punctuation marks, and 4 Morse code prosigns. Sessions 11
through 13 puts everything you learn into real QSO practice. Sessions 14
through 16 are set aside for advisors to help new CW operators get on the air.
In the Practice Content the Next and Previous
buttons will step through the sessions. The session currently being played will
be in the gray Sessions box.
Learning
Morse code starts with learning the sounds of each character, number,
punctuation, and prosign.
The list below represent the six
practice message types presented in each section of the CW Beginner curriculum workbook.
The term message[1]
is used to describe the type of information to be played.
·
Characters
·
CW Abbreviations
·
Callsigns
·
Words
·
Numbers
·
Phrases
Message (Show/Hide):
The
message box displays the characters, words, CW abbreviations, numbers,
callsigns, or phrases i.e., messages that are being played.
Playback Controls Morse| | Speech| | Bell| | Help|
This is where most of the settings that control speech,
timing, repetition, and sound reside.
Detailed controls can
be hidden once they are set to your liking. If in doubt about any function you
can always use the Help| tab
for more information.
History
As you go through the exercises the messages are
displayed in the history box. You can turn off the History visibility so
it will not interfere with the learning. You can even Download the history
file if you wish. Clear
history will clear the history box.
Settings
Here
is where you can Upload,
Download,
or Reset
the program functions and controls. There are some java script files that will
be loaded to configure the MCT tool for either copying or sending practice.
Here
are the default settings for copy practice in Morse Code Trainer. Nearly every
section is adjustable meaning you can turn a feature on or off. You
can even adjust the timing values as well. 1000
ms equals 1
second in time. The best way to hear the effects of a feature is to
try it.
§
Practice Content: [ Copying ] button is highlighted.
§
Check any of the Message radio buttons. Default is Characters.
Others are CW Abbreviations, Callsigns, Words, Numbers, Phrases.
§ Message (show/hide): Hide
§ Detailed
controls off Morse| | Speech| | Bell| | Help|
§ Playback style:
Custom
§ Character /
Farnsworth are set to 25 / 6
§ Reset the Elapsed practice time by clicking on the
reset button
§ Play options: Repeat on Random: off
·
Repeat off the current message will play once.
·
Repeat on will continuously play all messages
sectioned.
·
Repeat 1 will
continuously play the current message.
§ 1: Show &
Say Before: Flashcard off and Speech: on Flashcard Time: 0 ms.
§ 2: Morse Count
set to 5 Extra Gap: 0 ms.
§ 3: Recognition
Time is grayed out, Additions Recognition Time: 0 ms.
§ 4: Show &
Say After: Flashcard off and Speech
off Flashcard Time: 0 ms.
§ 5: Morse Repeat:
off Extra Gap:
0 ms.
§ 6: Bell: on Bell Gap: 200 ms.
(0.2 sec.)
A note about Extra Gap space: As you
progress through the sessions if you want to shorten the gap time between
messages here are some suggestions you can try. Reducing the gap time will
force the program to play the messages quicker. Appendix A gives you a
complete breakdown of the copying practice setup.
§ 2: Morse play…:
Extra Gap of 250 - 500 - 750 - 1000 ms.
§ 3: Recognition
– optional…: Recognition Time of 250 - 500 - 750 -1000 ms.
§
5: Morse Repeat – option…: Extra Gap of 250 - 500 - 750 -
1000 ms.
Here are the default settings for sending practice in Morse Code
Trainer. Nearly every section is adjustable meaning you can to a feature on or off.
You can even adjust the timing values as well. 1000
ms Equals 1
second in time. The best way to hear the effects of a feature is to
try it.
§
Practice Content: [ Sending ] button
is highlighted.
§
Check any of the Message radio buttons.
Default is Characters. Others are CW
Abbreviations, Callsigns, Words, Numbers, Phrases.
§
Message: (show/hide): Hide
§
Detailed controls on Morse| | Speech| | Bell| | Help|
§
Playback style: Custom
§
Character / Farnsworth are set to 15 / 6
§
Reset the Elapsed
practice time by clicking on the reset button
§
Play options: Repeat on Random: off
·
Repeat off the current message will play once.
·
Repeat on will continuously play all messages
sectioned.
·
Repeat 1 will
continuously play the current message.
§
1: Show & Say Before: Flashcard off and Speech: off Flashcard Time: 1000 ms. (1 sec.)
§
2: Morse Count set to 5 Extra Gap: 3000 ms. (3
sec.)
§
3: Recognition Time is grayed out, Additions Recognition Time: 3000 ms.
§
4: Show & Say After: Flashcard off and Speech off Flashcard Time: 1000 ms. (1 sec.)
§
5: Morse Repeat: off Extra Gap:
3000 ms. 3 sec.)
§ 6: Bell: on Bell Gap: 200 ms.
(0.2 sec.)
A note about Extra Gap space: As you
progress through the sessions some of the messages my take longer to key than
the time initially allowed. If you find that you do not have sufficient time to
key the message before the program starts playing again here are some extra gap
adjustments you can make.
§ 2: Morse play…:
Extra Gap of 5000 - 6000 ms. (5 - 6 sec.)
§ 3: Recognition
– optional…: Recognition Time of 5000 - 6000 ms.
§
5: Morse Repeat – option…: Extra Gap of 5000 - 6000 ms.
Class:
Student Name:
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TIME |
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TIME SPENT |
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Traditionally, reducing the speed of Morse code has been done by making everything take longer, i.e. both the sounds and the silent periods between them.
Using Farnsworth timing, characters are sent at a high rate of speed, while extra spacing is inserted between characters and words to slow the transmission down. The advantage of this is that you get used to recognizing characters at a higher speed, and thus it will be easier to increase the word speed later on.
The ARRL uses a Farnsworth setting of 18 WPM (90 CPM) timing for its daily Morse code transmission announcements.
Farnsworth timing was invented by Donald R. Farnsworth (W6TTB) in the late 1950s.
©Copyright 2023
This document is the sole property of Rob Brownstein K6RB, Ken Rainey, AC5EZ and the CW Operators club. It may be downloaded and printed for use by CW Academy students. It may not be reproduced on paper and/or any digital format for any other purpose without the express written consent of Rob Brownstein K6RB or Ken Rainey and the CW Operators club.
Revision History:
Date Revision Author Description
2016 2.0.0 Rob Brownstein, K6RB Original Document
2019 2.1.0 Bob Carter, WR7Q Change course name from Level 1 to
Beginner.
2020 – Apr 2.2.0 Bob Carter, WR7Q Change Session 7 Sending Segments to
Copying
Segments.
2020 – Sep 2.3.0 Bob Carter, WR7Q Added Zoom .
2022 – Jul 3.0.0 Bob Carter, WR7Q Added 6 WPM speed suggestion for class
completion,
daily practice time and
WPM
to 25.
2023 – Feb 3.1.0 Bob Carter, WR7Q Moved ‘Z’ to section 10 from 9.
2023 – Apr 3.2.0 Bob Carter, WR7Q Changed ‘sk’ to <SK>;
removed ‘-’ from
sections
11 thru 13.
2023 – Jul 4.0.0 Ken Rainey, AC5EZ Creation of version 4.0 CW Academy
Beginner
CW Course.
“Practice-Instruction-sand-Homework-
Assignments-Beginner-CW“
Initial
document
release.
2023 – Jul 4.1.0 Bob Carter, WR7Q Minor corrections.
2023– Aug 4.2.0 Ken Rainey, AC5EZ Minor format corrections.
2023– Sep 4.2.1 Ken Rainey, AC5EZ Replaced “RIG” with “STN” in advanced
section
of sessions 3,4,5,6.
Session07
changed characters learned
from
24 to 29.
2023Sep 4.2.2 Ken Rainey, AC5EZ Session04 changed 1 to L.
copy
phrases changed BOB to TOD.
Sending
Phrases changed BOB to TOD.
MCT
script updated to reflect changes.
Added
Release note to page one.
2023Sep 4.2.3 Ken Rainey, AC5EZ Session06 replaced LOG with DWN,
UP
with MY, YOUR with YRS.
Sending
Phrases: Removed “?” to match
copy
phrases. Replaced “HW CPY” with
“UR
NAME?”.
Session07
removed B4 from abbreviations.
2023Oct 4.2.4 Ken Rainey, AC5EZ Added CPY to Appendix A .
Added
CPI and CPY to Appendix D.
Added
Numbers
copy segment in
Session02.
2023Nov 4.2.5 Ken
Rainey, AC5EZ Added the
comma “,” to session06.
Moved
the letter “Q” from session10 to
Session07.
Added
prosign <AR> to session08
2023Dec 4.2.7 Ken
Rainey, AC5EZ 1. Replaced
the word “segment(s)” with
the
work “practice”.
2.
Removed CW Abbreviations from all
Additional
Practice sections
3.
Added Characters to sending practice,
section
in all sessions.
4.
Changed Sending Drill font to Courier.
5.
Removed Additional practice and made it
Daily
Sending Drill.
6.
Replaced Morse Code Trainer data with new
Images
and data.
7.
Miscellaneous formatting updates.
2023Dec 4.2.7.1 Ken Rainey, AC5EZ 1.Fixed typo in “Preparing for Copy practice” section
Repeat on Changed “t” to “text”.
Changed color of Q from red to black.
2. Fixed typo on page 6.
3. Added “.” to new characters this session.
2024Jan 4.2.7.2 Ken Rainey, AC5EZ Updated the default settings in Appendix H & I to
Match
the MCT online training tool.
2024Jan 4.2.7.3 Ken Rainey, AC5EZ Session06: changed NANE to NAME, MY to MI.
Updated
QRL definition in Appendix C.
Removed
OC from session04.
Removed
OT from session02.
Removed OC, OT, OM from Appendix B.
2024Mar 4.2.8 Ken Rainey, AC5EZ Removed <BK> as a prosign.
2024Mar 4.2.8.1 Ken Rainey, AC5EZ Added <BK> back into syllabus with a note in
Session10 explaining usage of BK and <BK>.
2024Jul 4.3 Gary Johnson, NA6O Reformatted
for blind accessibility. Added student log
and intro section for blind students.
2024Sep 4.4 Bob Carter, WR7Q Updated the Canadian Provinces.
2024Sep 4.5 Bob Carter, WR7Q Corrected the Canadian Provinces.
2024Oct 4.6 Bob Carter, WR7Q Added Q codes a
[1] The term message is used collectively in both this document and the MCT online trainer to refer to Characters, Words, CW Abbreviations, Numbers, Callsigns, and Phrases.[1]