Practicing CW / Morse Code by Listening to Real Stations
I’ve come to the realization that it is much more interesting to practice CW by listening to real live stations. Lately I have been tuning around the bands to find a QSO or station that is transmitting somewhere near what I think I can copy. Often times I am not able to copy very much but ever once and a while I realize that I have written down a small word (or two) and maybe even a callsign or name.
Tonight while surfing 40m, I came across W1AW’s slow code practice session. This was great. I was actually able to copy multiple sentences. It was much more fun than using a practice application that spits out random strings.
If you are interested, I’ve posted the current W1AW operating schedule. You can find the original (and updates) on the ARRL website.
| Pacific | Mtn | Cent | East | UTC | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 am | 7 am | 8 am | 9 am | 1400z | Fast Code | Slow Code | Fast Code | Slow Code | ||
| 7 – 9 am 10 am -12:45 pm |
8 – 10 am 11 am -1:45 pm |
9 – 11 am Noon – 2:45 pm |
10 am – Noon 1 – 3:45 pm |
1500z to 1700z
– 1800z to 2045z |
Visiting Operator Time | |||||
| 1 pm | 2 pm | 3 pm | 4 pm | 2100z | Fast Code | Slow Code | Fast Code | Slow Code | Fast Code | |
| 2 pm | 3 pm | 4 pm | 5 pm | 2200z | Code Bulletin | |||||
| 3 pm | 4 pm | 5 pm | 6 pm | 2300z | Digital Bulletin | |||||
| 4 pm | 5 pm | 6 pm | 7 pm | 0000z | Slow Code | Fast Code | Slow Code | Fast Code | Slow Code | |
| 5 pm | 6 pm | 7 pm | 8 pm | 0100z | Code Bulletin | |||||
| 6 pm | 7 pm | 8 pm | 9 pm | 0200z | Digital Bulletin | |||||
| 6:45 pm | 7:45 pm | 8:45 pm | 9:45 pm | 0245z | Voice Bulletin | |||||
| 7 pm | 8 pm | 9 pm | 10 pm | 0300z | Fast Code | Slow Code | Fast Code | Slow Code | Fast Code | |
| 8 pm | 9 pm | 10 pm | 11 pm | 0400z | Code Bulletin | |||||
I think I am making some respectable progress. It’s hard to find time with two kids and a full-time job but a few minutes of practice here and there really does pay off.
73 for now!
VE1XT
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