Become a CW “head case”

A reader recently wrote:

Hello Dan. I’m working at becoming proficient with code once again and would like to ask your advice on how one transfers from copying (with pen/pencil) to reading it in your mind. Years ago I passed the 5 wpm Novice test and later the 13wpm for General. Now I’m trying to get back into the code and am doing a weak 15 wpm. I can’t write as fast as I used to, and would like to copy in my head. I’m hoping to get to 25/30wpm. Any suggestions?

I didn’t reply immediately because I don’t really have a good answer for this question. What I did was simply go “cold turkey.” One day I decided to put away the paper and pencil and just do it. That worked for me.

Carlo Consoli, IK0YGJ, espouses a different philosophy in his book, Zen and the Art of Radiotelegraphy. Consoli says that what operators need to do is to program themselves to copy in their heads and counsels operators to practice relaxation and visualization exercises. Visualize yourself as a high-speed operator, and maybe one day you will be one. The book is a free download, so get a copy if you don’t have one already.

Visualization seems to be at least part of what I did, but I’m not sure that what works for one person will work for another. Having said that, I decided to do a Google search for “copying morse code in your head.” Here are some tips that I gleaned from some other operators who have posted things to the Internet:

• There’s some good advice in the eHam thread, “Copy in your head”:
  • copy plain text at high speeds,
  • listen to live on-air QSOs,
  • listen to CW in the background as you’re puttering around the shack (letting the subconscious work at it).
• There’s an online “head copy trainer” written by N3HEE at http://morsecodemasters.com/trainer/Examples/hct.html.
• I can’t vouch for this bit of advice, but on PA3BSK’s Ultimate Morse Code website, there is this from Bob, KK5R: “When learning to copy higher speeds, practice writing down the character only after hearing the following character. Once this is practiced a bit, hold off writing down the character until hearing the second character afterwards. Once this copying-behind method is learned, the code speed seems to slow down and it practically eliminates making corrections to the copy. It also is a significant step in the process of learning to copy in your head and not on paper which is necessary at significantly higher code speeds.”
• The Malta Amateur Radio League also gives some good advice on their Web page, “Learning the Morse Code”.
  • LISTEN!
  • Throw away your pencil.
  • Whatever you miss, let it go.
  • Listen for meaning. The goal is to learn to listen to the code as you would to the spoken spoken word. Eventually the sound will trigger your consciousness just as the spoken word does.

I know a lot of this advice is kind of nebulous. Much of it is anecdotal, and as I said before, what works for one person may not work for another. I know you’re all probably tired of hearing this, but the best advice, whether it be for learning the code, learning to copy code faster, or learning to copy in one’s head is to just keep practicing. It’s just like any skill whether it be bowling or woodworking or playing a musical instrument, you gotta work at it.

If you learned to copy in your head, I’d love to hear what worked for you. Please e-mail me or comment below.