Using The Program

I hope this program will help you (and myself) to learn and improve reading of Morse Code – the most efficient form of radio communication.  Expert advice is not to learn Morse as ‘dot – dash’ sequences, as this will make it more difficult to read faster morse.  Morse is an aural communication method – not a visual one.   Learn the sound, not the ‘dot – dash’ pattern.

The program has several reading practice modules:

Listening to Letters, Numbers, or other symbols.
Learning Letters and numbers with the Koch method.
Practice identifying characters sent by the computer.
Copying random groups of 5 characters.
Copying random words.
The sending speed and the tone can be selected to suit your preference.
You can set the morse format to either Normal or Farnsworth.

One module is included for sending practice.  This is more a fun feature than a serious sending trainer, as I've not yet found a good way to control Window's sound facilities for rapid and precise on/off tones and spaces.
 

Listening to Letters, Numbers and other symbols

In this module, the computer will send random characters at timed intervals.  The interval between characters varies depending on the chosen morse speed - slower speed gives longer intervals.

Characters will flash onto screen while the morse code is being sent - this is to reinforce recognition.  If you are just starting, you will probably be tempted to set the speed right down to 5 words per minute.  That probably is not the best way to learn, so I wouldn't recommend you do more than a short introductory period at this speed.  Look rather at using the Koch method.

It is better to try to learn the character sound patterns at a quicker speed right from the start.

Learning Letters and Numbers with the Koch method

The basis of this method is to begin learning the morse sounds at a reasonably fast speed (15 wpm) right away, but to concentrate initially on just two characters.  Each character will then be sent randomly.  Once you are familiar and comfortable with these two characters, you add a third, and so on.

Simply click on the characters you wish to learn.  If you click on a character twice, the selection is cancelled.

The sending speed is fixed at 15 words per minute with this method, so the Speed Change menu item is inoperative.

Practice identifying characters sent by the computer

In this module, a character is sent at 3 second intervals.  If you recognise it, press the corresponding key on the keyboard. If you can't guess it, press the 'show me' button.   Then go on to the next character.

You can opt to have any mixture of random characters from letters, numbers or other symbols, by clicking the appropriate option buttons.

Copying random groups of 5 characters

This is quite difficult, so try a slower morse speed than you would usually use.

The computer will send 5 groups of random letters and numbers.  Write them down if you can copy them, and then type what you copied into the edit boxes.  If you get lost, or miss a character, just enter a '/' or space character where the missed character should go.  This ensures that what you copied and what the computer actually sent are aligned properly when your accuracy is checked.

Once all 25 characters have been sent, and you've entered your copy in the edit boxes, press the compare button.  The computer will then compare characters and report your percentage correct.

Copying random words

In this module, the computer sends a word (or sometimes two words) chosen randomly.  Write down what you copy and then press the reveal button to see if you were right.

Farnsworth Mode

With this learning method, characters are sent at reasonably high speed (15wpm), but the spaces between characters and words are lengthened to maintain the overall speed at some lower chosen rate.  Obviously if you choose the morse speed at 15 wpm or higher in the first place, there will be no effect.

So if you opt for an overall morse speed of say 10 wpm, and then select Farnsworth mode, you will get characters sent at 15 wpm with longer spaces between them.  You could call this 10/15 wpm morse.

This enables you to begin to recognise morse sounds at the higher speed.

Farnsworth mode is only applied in the copying random words section.

Finally

This program has been written in Creative Basic.

There are a lot of routines in the program.  Some testing has been done, but there may still be bugs and coding deficiencies which I haven't dealt with.  If you find a problem, let me know - or better still, get your own copy of CBasic and fix it yourself.

Enjoy,

Graham (G4EVW)

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