Telegraphy in Morse Code

Since the begining of my amateur radio days, even before, the telegraphy and the morse code always has had a fascination on me. The military operators, the little big radios in handbag that the resistence in France hides in the most insuspitious places, and the last minute run way, after their transmitions was detected and located are images in my mind a long time ago.

In this page I'll try to report my experience when learning Morse Code, that has already a few years of pratice, but speacialy in the last ones I'm more interested and resoluted. I have periods when, constantly, I Listen records of morse code, when I go to my job, in the bus, when I wait for "XYL" in the car wile she goes shopping, before I go sleep, I do not waste a moment when I can to practice.

Nevertheless, sometimes I'm not in the mood or in my days, and others I'm so tired that I get sleep. I have difficulty in practice in frequency, my HF antenna is in the balcony and I don't get much contacts, but now there are this GPCW - Portuguese Group of CW and they have what they call "QRS Radiotelegraph Actions" - every Tuesdays at night.When I can I go There, even if I can't contact with anyone, I only listen and practice.

Some morse straight or iambic keys are specialy, they are the state of art, in technic, manufactoring precision but also in beauty, like this one, the Begali Stradivarius, it's a gorgeous key:

For me, these kind of objects, beside the history, are a pieces of art. I do not own one like this in the image, but I would like it very much.

Anyway, before owning a piece of art like this one, first of all we have to learn morse code to use with this beauty and I will report my success and unsuccess on the odyssey of learning morse code.

A young sailor morse telegraphy operator, told me once that a good velocity was around 18-20 wpm.

I'm trying to listen at higher velocities, sometimes better than others, using Farnsworth method or normal. There's who says that we should learn at 25 wpm velocities, I found now that velocities arround 28 wpm seems to be good for me, but there are a if, most of the time I only catch words with 3-4 letters, also it seems that I'm not reading it like when I was a young child, joining slowly the letters, I noticed that at that velocity I seem to recognize de words.

I do not know if we must learn naturally, as when we where childs, joining the words together very slowly. Probably when we are learning the morse alphabet we should do that but after that, after we already know the morse alphabet, we should try to practice at higher velocities.

My incursions on telegraphy

A QRS QSO with CT7ABE on a tuesday, a GPCW day, CW Portuguese Group morse activity.

Was a good initiative to increase morse. There were a number of radio amateurs who wanted to learn or increase their practice and did not have many times with whom to do it.

I have no many time, and no good antenna for HF, but when I can I try to go there to learn and practice.

Another QRS QSO this time with CT1DBS, once more a GPCW day, on a tuesday.

Pedro is a real gentleman, he has a lot more telegraphy practice than I do, and as he knows it, whenever he listens to me, he slows down to the point where I'm transmitting faster than he. However, speed is not synonymous of better.

In this video you can see my confusion when I'm nervous and thinking about the spelling of words, you have to do it all at the same time or if you want, very fast and normaly, automaticaly as if you where talking, telegraphy is also a language and as all languages, you start as you start all languages, slower, like hwen you you were a child. Pedro knows that, and also that he is one of the few stations nearby with whom I can practice.

I was trying to say him that I'm experimenting a new kind of antenna, but I already say that for a long time, and experienced several kinds of antennas, this is one more. Maybe next time I decide to send a more stealth wire as possible to a palm tree, and they decide not to force me to take it down.

In this video you also can see that I have not practiced much in the traditional straight key, it is full of dust, maybe when I have a nice long wire to one of the palm trees, I can practice more with it, meanwhile I only get to the conclusion that indoor or balcony antennas does not work properly, and as much I experimented severeal kinds of antennas, still not invented one that can do it properly, the structure of the building absorbs most of the waves, maybe when I have a nice long wire to one of the palm trees that is down in the street, I can practice more with it.

TNX FER READ ES GD DX 73 GL TU SK EE

Thank you Enrique (EA5DIF) for your patience with us, to the EACW Club, whose president is Jordi (EA4W) and to David Quental (CT1DRB) to help me and to introduce me to the EACW Club.

I found very good friends on here, teacher Enrique yet follow us, me and Esther (LU9DKU) in the training sessions we steel maintain, because is necessary practice to evolve, and some times I watch high speed sessions with teacher David Quental, trying to catch something.

CS25GNR

25 April 2024

CS25GNR Telegrafia 2.mp4

CS25GNR fonia 40 metros LSB.mp4

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of April 25, 1974, the carnation revolution in Portugal, the Associação de Radioamadores da Região de Lisboa (ARRLx), installed a commemorative station with a special call sign CS25GNR at the headquarters of the Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR), a special military force with gendarmerie characteristics.

The publication of this video was with the permission of the radio telegraphist herself, Mrs. Slavomira, who did very well, as did her husband, Mr. Hugo Silva, who made the radiotelephone contacts and also allowed the publication of his video. Congratulations to both of you, you were exceptional.

And although this page should only be dedicated to telegraphy, I can't think of a better place to publish radiotelephone contacts.

73 to you both.