ZART – REV 20101008 ZEN AND THE ART OF RADIOTELEGRAPHY Carlo Consoli, IK0YGJ Rev. 20101008 - 1 - ZART – REV 20101008 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction..........................................................................................................................................4 Learning CW........................................................................................................................................6 The four stages of learning...............................................................................................................6 The learning roadmap ......................................................................................................................8 The physiology behind learning.....................................................................................................10 Learning and self-image.................................................................................................................12 First relaxation exercise .................................................................................................................14 Getting started with Morse code ........................................................................................................15 First Week......................................................................................................................................16 Groups of the Week .......................................................................................................................21 Second Week..................................................................................................................................22 Groups of the Week .......................................................................................................................23 Third Week ....................................................................................................................................25 Groups of the Week .......................................................................................................................28 Fourth Week...................................................................................................................................30 Groups of the Week .......................................................................................................................30 Fifth Week......................................................................................................................................32 Groups of the Week .......................................................................................................................33 Sixth Week.....................................................................................................................................34 Groups of the Week .......................................................................................................................35 Increasing speed: let’s go on-air ........................................................................................................37 Second relaxation exercise.............................................................................................................40 Adjusting spacing to speed ............................................................................................................40 A QSO in CW ................................................................................................................................42 The DX Code of Conduct ..............................................................................................................46 Increasing speed.............................................................................................................................46 High Speed CW, going QRQ.............................................................................................................51 Feel the Force Luke! ......................................................................................................................53 “Speed. I am Speed” ......................................................................................................................54 Training to visualize.......................................................................................................................55 Learning new words.......................................................................................................................56 Practice, practice, practice .............................................................................................................57 Changing the telegraph key............................................................................................................57 Discover your limits, and go beyond .............................................................................................58 The rest, coming by itself...............................................................................................................59 Keys and Keyers ................................................................................................................................61 The Straight Key............................................................................................................................61 The Paddle......................................................................................................................................64 The Electronic Keyer .....................................................................................................................69 The Bug..........................................................................................................................................72 The Sideswiper...............................................................................................................................76 Building a CW career.........................................................................................................................79 Naval Clubs....................................................................................................................................80 High Speed Clubs...........................................................................................................................81 FOC................................................................................................................................................83 Amateur telegraphy from a linguistic perspective .............................................................................85 The lexicon.....................................................................................................................................86 The syntax......................................................................................................................................87 A linguistic analysis of amateur telegraphy...................................................................................89 - 2 - ZART – REV 20101008 CW: the Esperanto of the Third Millennium ? ..............................................................................93 Keying techniques compared.............................................................................................................96 Morse code and letter distribution .................................................................................................97 Keys and keying techniques...........................................................................................................99 A quantitative comparison ...........................................................................................................100 Single vs twin lever keys: evaluating the myth............................................................................102 About the author...............................................................................................................................104 Acknowledgments and Dedications.................................................................................................105 Bibliographic References.................................................................................................................106 Copyright Notices ............................................................................................................................107 Revision History ..............................................................................................................................108 - 3 - ZART – REV 20101008 Introduction This book is the result of several years of experience in amateur radiotelegraphy. It suggests, for the first time, a learning methodology based on an integrated and multidisciplinary approach designed to accompany the apprentice from the first steps in ham radio all the way to a world-class proficiency in telegraphy. The book introduces, ad-hoc tailored to amateur radio, techniques used successfully by competitive athletes, including extreme sports such as free diving, adapted to the difficult process of learning telegraphy. This book is not only written for the benefit of amateur radio operators who want to learn this beautiful art, but it also meets the urgent need felt by the author to narrate his own path of development that has radically transformed him and the many friends with whom he shared the pleasure of such a long learning process and the immense joy of the discovery, both from the technical and from the human