Tom McCulloch wrote:
I think once we can copy a qso in our heads we are well on our way to
increasing our copy speed.
Absolutely.
A beginner would do well not to right down every letter. Common
things like "RST" and "QTH" are a good place to start and then move
on from there.
This is well said and heeded. IMO, the way I first learned code as a kid --
the traditional "Novice" way, writing down each letter in block caps -- is
completely wrong-headed.
I believe I learned proper Morse despite the way I learned it, not because of
it. During practice, the beginner should not write any decoded characters
down, but gradually learn to understand what is sent in his/her head. This is
equivalent to the "immersion" method of learning a foreign language. Once
fluency has been achieved at a reasonable speed, writing the text down is
easily added because it is a skill you already have, and the brain can cope
with it "in the margins".
This was all impressed upon me at a tender age (albeit not before I had
already learned the code the wrong way) by the legendary Clara Reger, W2RUF
(SK), where I heard her lecture on CW at a meeting of the Rochester [NY]
Amateur Radio Association, probably in 1963 or 1964. Google her to get an idea
of just why she was legendary in her own time, as now.
Bill W5WVO
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