Good ways to learn Morse Code

[SteveShannon]

5 minutes ago, WRYZ926 said:

That's better than what we use to do with the crank generators out of the old telephones. If we weren't shocking fish in the pond or using it to get night crawlers, we were shocking each other with those things.

Yes I am showing my age. Most people under 30 won't know what I am talking about and I bet some between 30 and 40 don't either.

In 1969 I was in the 8th grade. We put on a play that called for an on-stage telephone to ring. I hooked up a crank generator that the school had to an old dial phone I brought from home. It rang great!

[Elbowmac]

39 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

Marconi is proud of you!!!

If it had worked I would have had to build a coherer. No leyden jars though. Old computer psu jury rigged

[Elbowmac]

32 minutes ago, WRYZ926 said:

That's better than what we use to do with the crank generators out of the old telephones. If we weren't shocking fish in the pond or using it to get night crawlers, we were shocking each other with those things.

Yes I am showing my age. Most people under 30 won't know what I am talking about and I bet some between 30 and 40 don't either.

Getting old isn't a sin, but it is dang inconvenient!

[Elbowmac]

26 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

In 1969 I was in the 8th grade. We put on a play that called for an on-stage telephone to ring. I hooked up a crank generator that the school had to an old dial phone I brought from home. It rang great!

Non electrical, but when someone that hunts snakes for fun has a son who disassembles a mechanical alarm clock and leaves it in the back floorboard of a car and it rings (no bell) sounds just like a rattlesnake. Immediate pull off the road...................... Tinkering is fun, in the right hands

[RayDiddio]

3 hours ago, WRYZ926 said:

Everyone learns differently. Go with the method(s) that work best for you. The computer programs and phone apps are good to help learn CW but it is also important to use an actual key to get the feel of it.

I have actually been considering getting a Sparkgap Labs MCT-73 Morse Code Trainer Kit since I like to tinker and build things anyway. And I will probably use some apps/programs when I am ready to start learning CW.

Completely agree on using an actual, physical key. The apps will teach you the tones and how to identify them but you WILL need to practice on a physical key at some point.

[WRUU653]

1 hour ago, SteveShannon said:

In 1969 I was in the 8th grade. We put on a play that called for an on-stage telephone to ring. I hooked up a crank generator that the school had to an old dial phone I brought from home. It rang great!

On the side subject of projects, I’ve seen some projects out there that turn your old phone into a door bell using a ring generator. This phone still works but no land line anymore so I’ve been toying with the idea. 

[RayDiddio]

6 minutes ago, WRUU653 said:

On the side subject of projects, I’ve seen some projects out there that turn your old phone into a door bell using a ring generator. This phone still works but no land line anymore so I’ve been toying with the idea. 

That may actually be a lot of fun.

Rotary dial was annoying but once you figured out that you could dial numbers by rapidly tapping the hook switch it sort of became more interesting at least.

[WRQC527]

2 hours ago, SteveShannon said:

In 1969 I was in the 8th grade. We put on a play that called for an on-stage telephone to ring. I hooked up a crank generator that the school had to an old dial phone I brought from home. It rang great!

What I find interesting is that I can select an "old-fashioned" ringer for my smart phone. If enough people at my work have that ring tone, my office starts to sound like the boiler room of an old Jerry Lewis Telethon. 

[SteveShannon]

3 hours ago, RayDiddio said:

Completely agree on using an actual, physical key. The apps will teach you the tones and how to identify them but you WILL need to practice on a physical key at some point.

Morse nania allows you to practice “keying” on the touchscreen and some people have worked on interfaces to physical keys and keyers. 
Also, my Yaesu FT-DX10 radio allows me to practice without transmitting. 

[RayDiddio]

2 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

Morse nania allows you to practice “keying” on the touchscreen and some people have worked on interfaces to physical keys and keyers. 
Also, my Yaesu FT-DX10 radio allows me to practice without transmitting. 

True. My point was more to the fact that tapping a physical key, if you have one, is necessary. My physical practice key feels very different from a touch screen.