Quent I think it's possible to overcome the speed plateau. I learned the wrong way too but was able to get up to 25 at some point, though I am back around 20 now. I took a class from CW-Ops... That really helped. The key is to find a buddy to practice with, like I did with CW-Ops and Ray. Practice at a higher wpm than you can copy... Like 5wpm higher than your max copy speed...

Gil.

Gil,

Your Morse Code videos, Learn Morse Code the Right Way, and Learning Morse Code, Straight Key or Paddles?, are both well done.  When I was starting out, I attempted to learn it with flash cards and by sending with a straight key into a dummy load -- some of the many wrong ways!  I got stuck at 10 WPM, but managed to kludge through the 5 wpm and 13 wpm exams.  20 wpm?  No way. In light of my experience, I really think you nailed it with those videos.

LCWO.NET is a great resource.  Here are a few suggestions for using it:

Set the Character Speed at 25 wpm and the Code Speed at 15 wpm.

When listening to the generated code, don't attempt to write or type anything.  IMO, that gets in the way of the assimilation and integration of the code into the brain.  Writing characters will throw you off, and will frustrate you.  Most of us can't write very fast, and typing is faster, but not useful.  The necessity of writing will create tension and negative reinforcement, IMO.  You shouldn't be writing characters down and then going back to read the text to see what was sent.

Set the code sample time for 2 or 3 minutes and just listen to it, attentively, but relaxed.  If you are having trouble, your brain will tell you. Don't worry about it, just listen to the sample copy a few times until the letters appear in your mind without effort.  You don't need the machine to tell you, based on the percentage of wrong answers, how you are doing.  Don't work at it too long, a half hour once or twice a day is plenty.  Go through the 40 initial lessons this way, then go back and do them again with both the character and code speed set to 25 wpm.

After that, do each subsequent section of the course two times in the same way.  At some point, you can start using a simple word processor and a semi mechanical keyboard plugged into your computer. For real world contacts in the field where you will be using a notepad, it is best just to make notes rather than copy every word. 

Finally, in the beginning, don't worry about sending.  I recommend starting with paddles rather than a straight key, because you can develop really bad sending habits with a straight key before you develop an "ear" for the code.

 

Thank you Ray!
Gil.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58f4e114be6594c2f9bcc9f6/t/594ae675893fc03d52ba3304/1498080889272/Road_to_CW_de_W4ALF.pdf

A very good booklet to read for new and 'seasoned' operators. Have a look at page 12, second half of the page, where it explains the reasons why a 5 Watt Morse signal is equivalent to an SSB signal of 100W for conveying the same message. No computer required, other than the one between your ears ;-)

73 de RadioRay  ..._ ._

Excellent. I just got one, now I need to put the antenna together and get on the air. I have the QRPBoyz tri-Band and their EFHW. I just need to watch Gil's kit assembly videos three or four more times to get up the courage to wind those toroids and get to soldering...

Wish me luck and guts...

Don't forget to boast about it here ;-)
Try for Extra while you're at it, it won't cost you more than some study time..
Gil.

Thank you for posting these. I've had my technician "ticket" for about a month, and after stumbling across Gil and Julian on YouTube, my entire interest has shifted to mobile, low-power comms. I'm hoping that my local club's zoom meeting happens this evening so I can draft an Elmer, but this forum has been a tremendous help.

Hoping to hear you out there on HF in a month or so after my General exam.

73,
Reid

Quote from: daedalus on November 06, 2019, 11:38:52 PMHow does a magnetic loop "know" it is to pick up magnetic waves and not electric , probably something very simple and if so apologise for asking !

This is a paragraph taken from Leigh Turner's (VK5KLT) most outstanding white paper entitled "An Overview of the Underestimated Magnetic Loop HF Antenna", a must-read 33 page document on magnetic loops that can be quickly found on Google:

Current flow through the loop's radiation resistance results in RF power being converted / transmuted into electromagnetic radiation.  A propagating radio wave transporting power in the Poynting (*) vector must comprise of both magnetic (H) and electric (E) field components in a prescribed ratio in order for it to exist.  In the case of the STL, a strong magnetic field is generated by passing a substantial RF current through the loop conductor and this magnetic field in turn generates a corresponding electric field in space, thus providing the two essential and inextricably linked E and H component elements.  This is where the term "magnetic loop" antenna originates.  The radiation resistance of a small loop antenna is proportional to the square of the peak magnetic dipole moment of the antenna.  This dipole moment is roughly the product of the peak current times the area of the magnetic loop antenna.  Reciprocity applies in the antenna receiving sense.

(*) – Poynting vector represents the directional energy flux of the electromagnetic field.

I have the parts to make a 10ft coax mag loop. The only thing i need is a little bit of time to build it.

Hello everyone!

I had some trouble with a Simple Machine (the software used for this forum) update and honestly did not have the time to fix it until now. I also renewed hosting and upgraded the hosting plan for more disk space. This is your site as much as mine, and a participation would help a great deal.
Buy me a coffee! Actually will pay for hosting...
I thought about ditching the site but then, there is a mountain of useful information to newcomers here and it would be a shame to lose it all. Fortunately I had a backup of the database and reinstalled the software. Let me know if you notice any glitches...
Thank you! Glad to be back online :-) This site has been running for many years thanks to you (and me, LOL), so please use it as much as possible, it is the best way to keep it going!
Gil.