Increasing your code speed

This help topic assumes that you have already learned the code characters and, given time, you can write down the character after hearing the code sound for that character at low speed. If you are not yet at this stage then you may find the Learning Morse Code help topic useful.

The basic method is practice, practice and yet more practice. NuMorse Pro can help by making the practice sessions more interesting and by providing feedback on your progress. This help topic lists some alternative ways to use your practice sessions. Some techniques may appeal to you more than others. Sometimes a change of technique will revive your flagging interest or allow you to break through a learning barrier.

Learning barriers and plateaus. When trying to increase your code speed you will inevitably reach a stage where you feel as if you are not making progress. Your maximum copy speed will appear to stick for several days. This is normal! Take a break and then continue with practicing the code. Typically, after a period of apparent stagnation your copy speed will begin to increase again.

If this is the first time you have used NuMorse Pro then read through the Checking out NuMorse help topic.

Here is the basic method for practicing code in NuMorse:

Select Play\Play Morse code. (or press F9)

Click on the Drill button

Listen to the code, view the on-screen characters.

After a few characters have been played NuMorse Pro will stop. It is waiting for you.

Enter the characters that were just played. They are shown on the screen.

NuMorse Pro will send a fresh block of characters

Continue as long as you want, then click on Reset to stop.

Experiment with deliberately entering the wrong characters and see how NuMorse Pro responds.

This practice session is called a Drill Session.

If things didn't go as you expected then the program may need some adjustments. Here are the required settings for the basic drill method described above:

Drill Settings options checked: (Shift+F6)

Check user keypresses every 1 word sent

Wait for user to catch up

Show error

Enable Smart Spaces

Restart drilling every 1 second

Input--random characters (Shift+F4 or input tab if docked)

Character filter settings: (Ctrl+F9)

F.C.C., checked

Dynamic filter, none.

Use preset filters, checked

Random weighting, checked

Random group length, 5

File window options (Shift+Ctrl+F2)

Code source file..Sequential read

Wrap round at file end

Soundboard (F5 or sound tab if docked)

Volume, 100

Real Morse Code, unchecked

Click filter time constant, 10 ms

Tone, 800 Hz

So far, the Drill Session has been little more than typing practice and getting used to how the program operates since the characters you are expected to enter are shown on the screen. You need to blank out these “clues” by unchecking the checkboxes next to them. Uncheck some or all of the checkboxes and try the exercise above again.

Not so easy now huh? Your ultimate aim should be to enter the correct characters close to 100% of the time at a code speed somewhat above the speed of the test you are planning to take.

Here are just a few of the hundreds of possible variations on the basic Drill Session method described above. Experiment with your own variations or use several techniques in combination:

Select a few characters to play

Play code from text files

Practice listening to amateur radio conversations (QSOs)

Set up NuMorse Pro to increase and decrease speed automatically

Activate the on-screen “thermometer”

Set a time limit on Drill sessions.

See how well you did

Practice code one character at a time.

A challenging drill session