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I was
not always enamored with Morse Code
like I am now. This is a personal story that began when I was
about 16 years old or so. When I was in high school, I wanted to
become a Ham. I had the fortune of having an electronics teacher,
Mr. Benson, who was already a licensed Ham. We had a club station
at school; and from demonstrations of the radios, I knew I wanted to
get "in" on this great hobby. Mr. Benson tried to teach a bunch
of us the Morse Code; but I wasn't getting it. In addition to the
standard printed out sheet, I went to our local Lafayette Electonics
store and purchased an Ameco Code Phonograph Album (remember
those?). No matter how much I practised, it was no use. It
was all mumbo-jumbo; and unfortunately for me, I gave up after a
relatively small amount of frustration.
Fast forward four years. I had graduated college; had a full time, but not-so-great paying job; and had some free time on my hands, now that homework days were pretty much gone forever. The local newpaper was advertising an Amateur Radio course that was to be given by a neighboring town's Adult Continuing Education Program. The spark had reignited and was now a bonafide blaze. I vowed to myself that this time I would actually do it.
Eight weeks later, as a result of hard work, study and perserverance, I had passed my Novice test. The teacher had faked us out by promising to give us a "pre-test" so we would feel more comfortable taking the actual code test. Little did we know that the "pre-test" would negate the need for us to take the "actual test". We all passed with flying colors! Approximately six weeks later, I received an envelope through the mail from the FCC with the much coveted "ticket". I was a "gen-you-ine" Ham radio operator, licensed as KA2DOH.
Still with big dreams in my head, I worked towards my General license. Visions of sitting behind a desk, with my legs on top, leaning back in a chair, all the while clutching the magic microphone working all the juciest DX, filled my brain. Code was for Novices! I was to leave it all behind !!! The next few months saw my code speed rise to the magic 13 WPM mark. My General Class license study guide was my constant companion. Six months after receiving my Novice license, I took the test before an FCC examiner and was awarded my General! I had done it - my hand was firmly grasping the Holy Grail !! Look out DX, here I come !!!
I rushed home to my "new" used Kenwood Twins, the T599D and R599D. These were my gift to myself for passing the General exam. I fired the rig(s) up and got on 20 Meters (the Big Boys band, the promised land - Heaven!). I took that ol' Astatic D-104 in hand and listened intently for a clear frequency and began to send my voice through the aether as I called CQ. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, I was playing wierd LSD style dream games with the TV downstairs. The picture was a mess, the speaker sounded like a rabid and psycho Donald Duck was trapped inside. Welcome to RFI, Mr. KA2DOH - welcome to stark reality. This never happened in the six months of pounding the straight key !!! The TV never so much as whimpered while I was pounding the brass.
The next few weeks were spent trying to overcome the RFI problem. Various solutions were tried with varying success. But it never went away entirely. If I was to operate during "prime time" it was going to have to be Morse Code or be relegated to family imposed "quiet hours". It soon became apparent to me that good old CW was to be my salvation. And you know what ? I came to love it !! Once I stopped railing against it; I found that I enjoyed it immensely. I came to love the sounds, the rhythms, the "song" that Morse Code is. Today, I operate using CW 100 percent of the time. In fact, right now I do not even own a rig that has SSB or AM capability. If you want to find W2LJ, he'll be in the CW portion of the band, pounding brass and loving every second of it.
Using a bug is a real fun part of using Morse Code. Adjusting one properly so that it works right for you and doesn't frustrate the heck out of you is easy; if you take your time and work methodically. Refer to the photo below for reference.
The first thing you do is to back off all the adjusting screws quite a bit. Not all the way; but far enough out so that everything is nowhere near being set. Once that's done you want to adjust the action of the pendulum. Unscrew "A" - this is the pivot point for the pendulum. Slowly tighten it. You'll know you have it adjusted correctly when the pendulum moves from side to side freely with no binding; but, at the same time, you can move the finger pieces up and down with your fingers and feel very little or no play.
The next thing you want to do is to adjust screw "B". Allow the pendulum to hit the damper. Screw in "B" to the point where you can either see or just perceive the pendulum has moved away from the damper. Stop there and secure the screw with the knurled lock nut. It is important not to move the pendulum too far away from the damper or else you will not be able to reliably stop your "dits".
Next you want to adjust the "dah" contact. This is done by adjusting screw "C". Many sources recommend you set the gap to a very small distance, maybe a 1/10th of an inch or so. I like my gap to be a tiny bit bigger; so that my "dahs" are more defined and not mushy. Make adjustments to what feels good for you. Just be careful you don't make the gap too big; because if you do you will not be able to alternate between "dits" and "dahs" smoothly.
The next thing you want to do is adjust the "dits" making part of your bug. This is done by adjusting "D" and "E". "D" will control how far the pendulum will travel when you make a "dit". Adjust it so that when you move the lever to the "dit" side, it doesn't travel too far. You don't want to be wildly swinging your pendulum arm back and forth in too wide of an arc; because then you won't be able to make a smooth transition between "dits" and "dahs" and you will produce choppy, sloppy code. When that's done and you feel comfortable with your arc, then adjust "E" so that when you make "dits" you get clean sounding, robust "dits" that are not choppy or cut off. When "D" and "E" are adjusted correctly, you should get 10 to 15 "dits" before the pendulum dampens out and comes to a rest.
"F" comtrols the tension of the "dit" action. I find it best to tension the spring about half way. Hopefully, if you follow this guide and play around a little bit and experiment, you will find the "sweet spot" that will allow you to send really glassy smooth Morse Code.
Sending with a Bug is just as much fun as sending with a keyer and paddles. However, sending with a Bug allows you to add a little personality. Listening to CW sent with a keyer sounds sterile compared to that sent with a Bug.
If you need to slow down the speed of your Bug to a point that's even slower than what you can get with the weight(s) positioned all the way to the end of the pendulum, then clip a clothes pin or a few alligator clips to the end of the pendulum. This will slow down a Bug to an effective speed as low as 13 words per minute or so.
Fast forward four years. I had graduated college; had a full time, but not-so-great paying job; and had some free time on my hands, now that homework days were pretty much gone forever. The local newpaper was advertising an Amateur Radio course that was to be given by a neighboring town's Adult Continuing Education Program. The spark had reignited and was now a bonafide blaze. I vowed to myself that this time I would actually do it.
Eight weeks later, as a result of hard work, study and perserverance, I had passed my Novice test. The teacher had faked us out by promising to give us a "pre-test" so we would feel more comfortable taking the actual code test. Little did we know that the "pre-test" would negate the need for us to take the "actual test". We all passed with flying colors! Approximately six weeks later, I received an envelope through the mail from the FCC with the much coveted "ticket". I was a "gen-you-ine" Ham radio operator, licensed as KA2DOH.
Still with big dreams in my head, I worked towards my General license. Visions of sitting behind a desk, with my legs on top, leaning back in a chair, all the while clutching the magic microphone working all the juciest DX, filled my brain. Code was for Novices! I was to leave it all behind !!! The next few months saw my code speed rise to the magic 13 WPM mark. My General Class license study guide was my constant companion. Six months after receiving my Novice license, I took the test before an FCC examiner and was awarded my General! I had done it - my hand was firmly grasping the Holy Grail !! Look out DX, here I come !!!
I rushed home to my "new" used Kenwood Twins, the T599D and R599D. These were my gift to myself for passing the General exam. I fired the rig(s) up and got on 20 Meters (the Big Boys band, the promised land - Heaven!). I took that ol' Astatic D-104 in hand and listened intently for a clear frequency and began to send my voice through the aether as I called CQ. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, I was playing wierd LSD style dream games with the TV downstairs. The picture was a mess, the speaker sounded like a rabid and psycho Donald Duck was trapped inside. Welcome to RFI, Mr. KA2DOH - welcome to stark reality. This never happened in the six months of pounding the straight key !!! The TV never so much as whimpered while I was pounding the brass.
The next few weeks were spent trying to overcome the RFI problem. Various solutions were tried with varying success. But it never went away entirely. If I was to operate during "prime time" it was going to have to be Morse Code or be relegated to family imposed "quiet hours". It soon became apparent to me that good old CW was to be my salvation. And you know what ? I came to love it !! Once I stopped railing against it; I found that I enjoyed it immensely. I came to love the sounds, the rhythms, the "song" that Morse Code is. Today, I operate using CW 100 percent of the time. In fact, right now I do not even own a rig that has SSB or AM capability. If you want to find W2LJ, he'll be in the CW portion of the band, pounding brass and loving every second of it.
Prosigns
There seems to be a lot of confusion out there amongst CW operators (newer ones, especially) about the proper use of prosigns in a CW QSO. Here's a table of the most common prosigns and their proper use:
There seems to be a lot of confusion out there amongst CW operators (newer ones, especially) about the proper use of prosigns in a CW QSO. Here's a table of the most common prosigns and their proper use:
| Prosign | Meaning |
How
to use |
| CQ |
An
general invitation to any Amateur for a QSO |
CQ CQ CQ de W2LJ W2LJ W2LJ K |
| R | Received
..... perfectly! Do NOT use "R" unless you have copied 100% |
W3BBO
DE W2LJ R FB BOB ..... |
| AS |
Wait |
W3BBO
DE W2LJ FONE IS RINGING AS |
| BT |
A
pause or a seperator |
NAME
HR IS LARRY BT QTH IS ..... |
| AR |
Used
at end of transmission when you are sending it back to the other station. Also used at the end when you answer a CQ. |
BTU
BOB AR W3BBO DE W2LJ KN W3BBO W3BBO DE W2LJ W2LJ W2LJ AR |
| SK |
Pretty
much the same as AR;
but to be used only at the END of your last transmission of a QSO. |
TNX
QSO BOB BT 73 ES GN SK W3BBO DE W2LJ K |
| BK |
Used
as a break in a transmission, when you expect the other station to reply quickly without going through station ID. |
(W3BBO
sends) WHAT RIG U USING? BK (W2LJ replies) RIG HR IS K2 |
| K |
Go
ahead .... over. Use this when you are turning it over to another station. You also use this at the of a CQ. Do NOT use at the end when you answer a CQ; because you're not sure the CQing station will be coming back to you. |
HOW
CPY NOW BOB? AR W3BBO DE W2LJ K |
| KN |
Almost
the same as K; but used only when you want a specific station AND NO ONE ELSE to come back to you. This can be useful when your in a multi-op roundtable QSO. |
W3BBO
DE W2LJ KN |
| CL |
Use
this only when you intend this to be your last QSO and you will be turning off your equipment. A good way to let other ops know that you will not respond to any further calls. |
NICE
QSO BOB BT 73 ES GN CUL SK W3BBO DE W2LJ CL |
Adjusting
a Bug
Using a bug is a real fun part of using Morse Code. Adjusting one properly so that it works right for you and doesn't frustrate the heck out of you is easy; if you take your time and work methodically. Refer to the photo below for reference.
The first thing you do is to back off all the adjusting screws quite a bit. Not all the way; but far enough out so that everything is nowhere near being set. Once that's done you want to adjust the action of the pendulum. Unscrew "A" - this is the pivot point for the pendulum. Slowly tighten it. You'll know you have it adjusted correctly when the pendulum moves from side to side freely with no binding; but, at the same time, you can move the finger pieces up and down with your fingers and feel very little or no play.
The next thing you want to do is to adjust screw "B". Allow the pendulum to hit the damper. Screw in "B" to the point where you can either see or just perceive the pendulum has moved away from the damper. Stop there and secure the screw with the knurled lock nut. It is important not to move the pendulum too far away from the damper or else you will not be able to reliably stop your "dits".
Next you want to adjust the "dah" contact. This is done by adjusting screw "C". Many sources recommend you set the gap to a very small distance, maybe a 1/10th of an inch or so. I like my gap to be a tiny bit bigger; so that my "dahs" are more defined and not mushy. Make adjustments to what feels good for you. Just be careful you don't make the gap too big; because if you do you will not be able to alternate between "dits" and "dahs" smoothly.
The next thing you want to do is adjust the "dits" making part of your bug. This is done by adjusting "D" and "E". "D" will control how far the pendulum will travel when you make a "dit". Adjust it so that when you move the lever to the "dit" side, it doesn't travel too far. You don't want to be wildly swinging your pendulum arm back and forth in too wide of an arc; because then you won't be able to make a smooth transition between "dits" and "dahs" and you will produce choppy, sloppy code. When that's done and you feel comfortable with your arc, then adjust "E" so that when you make "dits" you get clean sounding, robust "dits" that are not choppy or cut off. When "D" and "E" are adjusted correctly, you should get 10 to 15 "dits" before the pendulum dampens out and comes to a rest.
"F" comtrols the tension of the "dit" action. I find it best to tension the spring about half way. Hopefully, if you follow this guide and play around a little bit and experiment, you will find the "sweet spot" that will allow you to send really glassy smooth Morse Code.
Sending with a Bug is just as much fun as sending with a keyer and paddles. However, sending with a Bug allows you to add a little personality. Listening to CW sent with a keyer sounds sterile compared to that sent with a Bug.
If you need to slow down the speed of your Bug to a point that's even slower than what you can get with the weight(s) positioned all the way to the end of the pendulum, then clip a clothes pin or a few alligator clips to the end of the pendulum. This will slow down a Bug to an effective speed as low as 13 words per minute or so.
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