Learning Morse Code The Ludwig Koch Way
upstart writes in with an IRC submission for Bytram:
Learning Morse Code The Ludwig Koch Way:
Most countries have dropped the requirement for learning Morse code to become a ham radio operator. Because of that, you might think Morse code is dead. But it isn't. Some people like the nostalgia. Some like that you can build simple equipment to send and receive Morse code. Others like that Morse code is much more reliable than voice and some older digital modes. Regardless of the reason, many people want to learn Morse code and it is still a part of the ham radio scene. The code has a reputation of being hard to learn, but it turns out that is mostly because people haven't been taught code in smart ways.
[...] If you want to learn the code, or if you want to learn it better than you know it now, the Koch method is pretty simple. If a bunch of students can learn code in 14 hours, you should be able to, as well. Even spending an hour a day, that's only two weeks.
There are plenty of resources, but one we like is LCWO (Learn CW Online - CW or Continous Wave is ham-speak for Morse code). The site costs nothing and will track your progress. Once you've learned it, you can practice text, words, callsigns, and common ham radio exchanges.
Even if you don't need Morse for a ham license anymore, it does open up new opportunities. If you don't want to do ham radio, think of all the Arduino projects you could do where the device could signal you with a blinking LED and you could command it with a single switch contact. Not that we'd use a scheme like that to count blackjack cards. We'd never do that. If you don't want to use the computer and still need a coach, you could try this 1939 code trainer.
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