![]() In principle FSK can be implemented by using completely independent free-running oscillators, and switching between them at the beginning of each symbol period. All you need is the discipline to spend 10-20 minutes/day practicing and you’ll be sending and receiving CW at 10-15 WPM before your next issue of Nuts & Volts arrives.Main article: continuous-phase frequency-shift keying Because it can use any text file as an input, the content never grows stale. I keep the app on my cell phone for practice on long trips. At $5 from the App Store, it’s still a bargain, even compared with the free Morse tutoring apps. I’m running version 8.1.1 on my iPhone and iPads, and it’s by far the most feature packed, easy-to-use Morse Code training app available. I can turn it on and listen to a simulated CW communication in about a second - less time that it would take me to find an app icon on my cell phone.įor the latest in full-featured electronic tutoring for CW, my pick is Morse-it by ICOM. About the size of a deck of cards, this unit with LCD screen and internal 9V battery is out of production but turns up regularly on eBay. The MFJ-407E is a desktop unit with a self-contained speaker and easy-to-use front control knobs for volume, speed, tone, and weight.įor learning to receive CW, my all-time favorite is another MFJ product: the MFJ-418 Pocket Morse Code Tutor. ![]() If price is no object, then consider the MFJ-407E Deluxe Electronic Keyer with Memory available from Amazon and ham radio stores, such as GigaParts ($99). The website provides full schematics and printed circuit board layouts for each practice oscillator model. eBay is, of course, another option.įor the iambic oscillator, the most affordable option I’ve used is an electronic keyer module from ($18). Check out Morse Express for a variety of iambic keyers. It’s about double the size of the TC-701, but it’s also significantly cheaper at $37 from GigaParts ( Although it’s more challenging than using a straight key, you could also start learning to send CW by using an iambic keyer and an iambic practice oscillator. A slightly cheaper option is the MFJ-557 code practice oscillator/key. When you’re done learning to send CW, you can easily remove the oscillator circuit and use the key with your HF transceiver. ![]() Unlike most key/oscillator combinations, the TC-701 is based on a regular key, but with a code oscillator built into the base. ![]() The best I’ve used is the Japanese made High-Mound TC-701 Practice Key, available for $54 from Morse Express ( ). For receiving, you could rely on a receiver tuned to W1AW, one of the many YouTube CW communications videos, or, better still, a dedicated CW training device or any number of apps for your smartphone or laptop.įor sending, my recommendation is to pick up an affordable straight key/practice oscillator combination. To learn to send CW, you’ll need a straight key, an audible oscillator, and a pair of ear buds or headphones. Well, you’ll need to address both sending and receiving CW. What are the best ways to get up to speed? So, let’s say you’re at least intrigued with the possibility of using CW as a radio amateur. It’s fun decoding a noisy signal from the crud and then using a quality straight key or iambic keyer to connect with the operator on the other end of the signal chain. That said, my primary reason for using CW isn’t practical or logical - I simply enjoy it. Straight keys and iambic paddles don’t make much noise compared with loud verbal discussion using a microphone. My chief practical reason for using CW over voice is the ability to operate in the early morning without disturbing anyone. Well, there are the often touted practical and theoretical technical benefits of CW over SSB (single-side band), and some forms of digital communications: Minimal bandwidth and power requirements simplicity of transmitter and receiver circuitry relative immunity from noise and security and privacy. However, whether or not removing the code component of the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) test was a good thing for the amateur radio hobby, there is merit in learning and using CW. If you’ve picked up your amateur radio license in the past dozen years, then there was no CW component of the test, and you may not know CW.
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