How to learn Morse Code?
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Dallas, TX USA
Posts: 739
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Last edited by Flight Safety; 15th Mar 2003 at 12:01.
I learnt it by envisigaing each letter drawn by their respective dots and dashes. Passed the test in 1988 and have never used it again! What a waste of effen time.
Here in Oz, they write the morse ident next to the frequency box for the navaid right on your enroute chart. Easy. Just listen and read. Wouldn't that be more sensible?
Here in Oz, they write the morse ident next to the frequency box for the navaid right on your enroute chart. Easy. Just listen and read. Wouldn't that be more sensible?
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: 1 deg south, avoiding Malaria P Falciparium
Posts: 385
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
W1AW code practice
Morse...
I learnt it as a kid. The ol man was big into the amateur radio. At one point i was doing 30+ wpm.
Here is a good way if you start to memorize the tapes and get bored. Find a cheap sw reciever . Go to the ARRL (american radio relay leauge) web page. They broadcast morse code practice several times a day accorss the full spectrum of bands, from leauge headquaters in CT. You will be able to hear it on one of the frequeiences no mater where in the world you are. They start at 3wpm and go up to 25 , I think.
They broad cast a page from the magazine, QST. You can double check your work against the mag, and they put it on line , as well.
Check the web page www.arrl.org , look for W1AW ( the call station of the transmitter) scheudals.
Also check out www.radiobookstore.com (maybe something close check google). He has a number of differnt tapes and cd's that can help you.
Hope that helps
--... ...--
.-. --- - --- .-. -... --- -.--
I learnt it as a kid. The ol man was big into the amateur radio. At one point i was doing 30+ wpm.
Here is a good way if you start to memorize the tapes and get bored. Find a cheap sw reciever . Go to the ARRL (american radio relay leauge) web page. They broadcast morse code practice several times a day accorss the full spectrum of bands, from leauge headquaters in CT. You will be able to hear it on one of the frequeiences no mater where in the world you are. They start at 3wpm and go up to 25 , I think.
They broad cast a page from the magazine, QST. You can double check your work against the mag, and they put it on line , as well.
Check the web page www.arrl.org , look for W1AW ( the call station of the transmitter) scheudals.
Also check out www.radiobookstore.com (maybe something close check google). He has a number of differnt tapes and cd's that can help you.
Hope that helps
--... ...--
.-. --- - --- .-. -... --- -.--
As B Sousa says, if you can hear an NDB / VOR / whatever, look on the chart and compare the noise with the dots and dashes on the chart, or on the back page of ERSA.
Learning it is a bag of ... .... .. _
Learning it is a bag of ... .... .. _
It's not just an adventure....
it's just a job!
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Philippines
Posts: 219
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I agree with Nick, thats about as useless as Aural Null!!! But if you must learn Morse the easieast way is to buy a GPS with a JEPP Data card and just scroll to the IDENT. She'll be right mate!
Cheers,
OffshoreIgor
The Original Whirly
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Belper, Derbyshire, UK
Posts: 4,326
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Delta Juliet Golf,
I sympathise. I had to learn Morse for the old CAA CPL(H) exams, and being told that it had gone the way of the dinosaurs was no use whatsoever in passing!!! There are several free tutors that you can download - do a search - and they aren't bad. However, the best is a CAA one that I managed to get a copy of. Unfortunately I don't have it now, but if you ring Bristol Ground School on 01275.474701, they had it and may be able to tell you how to get hold of it. Unfortunately practice practice practise is the only way to learn Morse, but good teaching aids help. And it IS possible...it even starts being fun!
Genghis,
I had a Morse cassette tape; I used to listen to it in the car as well. It's not brilliant, but you'd learn enough to ident beacons; it's getting up to speed that's the hard bit. If I can find it you can have it, though I think I passed it on long ago. If not, I think I got it from Transair or similar, so it shouldn't be too difficult to get hold of.
I sympathise. I had to learn Morse for the old CAA CPL(H) exams, and being told that it had gone the way of the dinosaurs was no use whatsoever in passing!!! There are several free tutors that you can download - do a search - and they aren't bad. However, the best is a CAA one that I managed to get a copy of. Unfortunately I don't have it now, but if you ring Bristol Ground School on 01275.474701, they had it and may be able to tell you how to get hold of it. Unfortunately practice practice practise is the only way to learn Morse, but good teaching aids help. And it IS possible...it even starts being fun!
Genghis,
I had a Morse cassette tape; I used to listen to it in the car as well. It's not brilliant, but you'd learn enough to ident beacons; it's getting up to speed that's the hard bit. If I can find it you can have it, though I think I passed it on long ago. If not, I think I got it from Transair or similar, so it shouldn't be too difficult to get hold of.
Guest
Posts: n/a
MBJ,
I do understand that one might like to ID the beacon he is flying at! It is always a good idea, so good that all the charts I use have the dots and dashes cleverly written next to the frequency.
I could spend 20 hours memorizing Morse, but I stand by the observation that it is a WASTE OF TIME and OF NO USE, but otherwise a very piloty thing to do.
Perhaps the fellows who invented the test could have found one or two more important things we need to know, because that's what you taxes go to do - pay them to keep things tidy and proper. The operative thought here is that those pesky examiners work for you.
This is a uniquely American outlook, I admit, made even more bizarre by the belief that we get a say in what they do to us.
I do understand that one might like to ID the beacon he is flying at! It is always a good idea, so good that all the charts I use have the dots and dashes cleverly written next to the frequency.
I could spend 20 hours memorizing Morse, but I stand by the observation that it is a WASTE OF TIME and OF NO USE, but otherwise a very piloty thing to do.
Perhaps the fellows who invented the test could have found one or two more important things we need to know, because that's what you taxes go to do - pay them to keep things tidy and proper. The operative thought here is that those pesky examiners work for you.
This is a uniquely American outlook, I admit, made even more bizarre by the belief that we get a say in what they do to us.
Ah but, when you get locked up for not observing the right attitude to the regulations, you can use it to communicate with your fellow prisoners my banging on the radiators at night.
Incidentally, in a sudden flash of enthusiasm I took a look on Pooleys website. They do a 2-tape set, one is learn Morse, the other is pass the exam in Morse (interesting that these are different tapes) which at £12 I thought wasn't bad. They do a stack of other tapes on the same page, such as the IR and IMC courses, slightly cheaper than Trevor Thom's books as well.
(Whirly, they do a rotary PPL tape also, any good for revising your instructor speak?)
G
N.B. http://www.pooleys.com/acatalog/Onli...nd_CD_S_8.html
Incidentally, in a sudden flash of enthusiasm I took a look on Pooleys website. They do a 2-tape set, one is learn Morse, the other is pass the exam in Morse (interesting that these are different tapes) which at £12 I thought wasn't bad. They do a stack of other tapes on the same page, such as the IR and IMC courses, slightly cheaper than Trevor Thom's books as well.
(Whirly, they do a rotary PPL tape also, any good for revising your instructor speak?)
G
N.B. http://www.pooleys.com/acatalog/Onli...nd_CD_S_8.html
Last edited by Genghis the Engineer; 15th Mar 2003 at 12:31.
Iconoclast
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: The home of Dudley Dooright-Where the lead dog is the only one that gets a change of scenery.
Posts: 2,132
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Don't bug me.
To: LordGrumpy
In the USA the Morse key you alluded to is called a Bug. it is used by highly experienced radio operators and it allows very high speed transmission. Those that do not use it have difficulty in transcribing (reading) high speed transmission.
When I was in Greenland our (Coast Guard) radiomen mostly used a Bug and when transmitting to the US Navy communications ship (The USS Taconic) the return trafic was very slow. Our radiomen would transmit back "Int foot?" which would get the Navty personnel p***ed.
Int foot?=are you transmitting with your foot?
And in case you don't know: to paddle refers to a type of morse key.
When I was in Greenland our (Coast Guard) radiomen mostly used a Bug and when transmitting to the US Navy communications ship (The USS Taconic) the return trafic was very slow. Our radiomen would transmit back "Int foot?" which would get the Navty personnel p***ed.
Int foot?=are you transmitting with your foot?
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Dallas, TX USA
Posts: 739
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Should you learn morse code?
Here are links to 4 NTSB accidents where failure to properly identify a Nav Aid caused a really bad day. Two are fatal, two are non-fatal.
A 737-500 that landed at the wrong airfield
Beech A36 that appears to have missed a navaid tuning error
Beech C90 that flew a discontinued NDB approach, even though ATC cleared it
Piper PA-31 that failed to properly identify an out of service NDB
As for me and my house, we're learning morse code.
A 737-500 that landed at the wrong airfield
Beech A36 that appears to have missed a navaid tuning error
Beech C90 that flew a discontinued NDB approach, even though ATC cleared it
Piper PA-31 that failed to properly identify an out of service NDB
As for me and my house, we're learning morse code.
Last edited by Flight Safety; 15th Mar 2003 at 23:10.
Guest
Posts: n/a
Flight safety,
Yep, I agree, if that 737 pilot had only known Morse, he would have found the right airport. Yep, that's exactly the right answer to the puzzle. You must make a mighty fine accident investigator. NTSB, huh? No, that's more the "60 Minutes" type of accident investigation.
If the Beech pilot had known Morse, he would have recognized that his ADF had not morphed into a VHF ILS receiver (they teach that in Morse school, I guess), and those two other sods did not learn to read a chart with little dashes and dots printed on them, so you know they would have faired better trying to memorize all of them instead.
In my house, we learn the right things, not the ancient things.
And we use good evidence when we make our cases, too.
Yep, I agree, if that 737 pilot had only known Morse, he would have found the right airport. Yep, that's exactly the right answer to the puzzle. You must make a mighty fine accident investigator. NTSB, huh? No, that's more the "60 Minutes" type of accident investigation.
If the Beech pilot had known Morse, he would have recognized that his ADF had not morphed into a VHF ILS receiver (they teach that in Morse school, I guess), and those two other sods did not learn to read a chart with little dashes and dots printed on them, so you know they would have faired better trying to memorize all of them instead.
In my house, we learn the right things, not the ancient things.
And we use good evidence when we make our cases, too.
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Dallas, TX USA
Posts: 739
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Nick,
I read the Beech A36 accident more carefully (I was in a hurry earlier). I got confused and thought the Vinton NDB was north of Roanoke instead of south, on the same heading as the runway and the ILS. It's conceivable that when you're not used to flying in bad weather (low cloud cover, rain and some fog in this case) that you could get confused and fixate on the ADF instead of switching your attention to the VOR/ILS, especially on the instrument panel of a smaller aircraft, when both Navaids are nearby and on the same heading. I realize the ADF has no bars, etc, etc.
Anyway since the Vinton NDB is actually south of Roanoke, that possible confusion didn't happen here, so on that point you're correct.
However after reading the incident more carefully, I still think it was a failure to ident the navaid that got this pilot in trouble. He was vectored to intercept and line up with the 33 ILS approach by ATC. He had the correct frequency (109.7) tuned for the 33 ILS approach, but his ADF was tuned to 278 instead of 277, which was the Vinton NDB frequency (a common mistake). Attempting to ident the Vinton NDB should have caught that tuning error. It's apparent he was trying to use the NDB for course alignment, but couldn't because of the tuning error. In my opinion a good ident-after-tuning procedure should be done by habit by all pilots, since it appears this pilot also failed to capture the ILS localizer.
It took this pilot far too long to realise that he had missed the approach. In my opinion, a pilot who is quick to recognize a tuning error or other problem with a selected navaid, can avoid a whole lot of trouble, especially since 3 of the 4 incidents I mentioned also involved either ATC or notification errors.
Back to the main point, any good ident-after-tuning habit requires the use of morse code. Heck, nearly all of the navaids in the Dallas/Fort Worth area are non-voice navaids. In my area, I don't see an option here.
I read the Beech A36 accident more carefully (I was in a hurry earlier). I got confused and thought the Vinton NDB was north of Roanoke instead of south, on the same heading as the runway and the ILS. It's conceivable that when you're not used to flying in bad weather (low cloud cover, rain and some fog in this case) that you could get confused and fixate on the ADF instead of switching your attention to the VOR/ILS, especially on the instrument panel of a smaller aircraft, when both Navaids are nearby and on the same heading. I realize the ADF has no bars, etc, etc.
Anyway since the Vinton NDB is actually south of Roanoke, that possible confusion didn't happen here, so on that point you're correct.
However after reading the incident more carefully, I still think it was a failure to ident the navaid that got this pilot in trouble. He was vectored to intercept and line up with the 33 ILS approach by ATC. He had the correct frequency (109.7) tuned for the 33 ILS approach, but his ADF was tuned to 278 instead of 277, which was the Vinton NDB frequency (a common mistake). Attempting to ident the Vinton NDB should have caught that tuning error. It's apparent he was trying to use the NDB for course alignment, but couldn't because of the tuning error. In my opinion a good ident-after-tuning procedure should be done by habit by all pilots, since it appears this pilot also failed to capture the ILS localizer.
It took this pilot far too long to realise that he had missed the approach. In my opinion, a pilot who is quick to recognize a tuning error or other problem with a selected navaid, can avoid a whole lot of trouble, especially since 3 of the 4 incidents I mentioned also involved either ATC or notification errors.
Back to the main point, any good ident-after-tuning habit requires the use of morse code. Heck, nearly all of the navaids in the Dallas/Fort Worth area are non-voice navaids. In my area, I don't see an option here.
Last edited by Flight Safety; 15th Mar 2003 at 23:31.
We don't have any ident problems up here, but we do have lots of switchology problems with drivers tracking using the GPS for the approach or just getting the NAV/GPS switch wrong eh!
Nothing like standardisation to stop that.
Nothing like standardisation to stop that.
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: floating around
Posts: 122
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi ATPMBA
As far as I know you only need to learn Morse code for the JAA Instrument rating, if you wish to convert your FAA ATP to JAA ATPL, you will need to sit the 14 exams and do the flight test.
As well as the having the required 830 hours in the classroom slightly less for modular course.
To convert your FAA instrument rating to JAA instrument rating you will need to do about 10 hours in a JAA approved twin engined helicopter or a JAA helicopter Certified for Instrument training, and all the other tests that come with it, including morse code!
For what reason, I do not know, it is way beyond me, really is just unnecessary hassle that you could do with out!
So if you want a JAA instrument rating, put on your top hat and start learning how to tap dance!
As far as I know you only need to learn Morse code for the JAA Instrument rating, if you wish to convert your FAA ATP to JAA ATPL, you will need to sit the 14 exams and do the flight test.
As well as the having the required 830 hours in the classroom slightly less for modular course.
To convert your FAA instrument rating to JAA instrument rating you will need to do about 10 hours in a JAA approved twin engined helicopter or a JAA helicopter Certified for Instrument training, and all the other tests that come with it, including morse code!
For what reason, I do not know, it is way beyond me, really is just unnecessary hassle that you could do with out!
So if you want a JAA instrument rating, put on your top hat and start learning how to tap dance!
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: mmnn
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Dunno what the big fuss is about?
Learning morse is a peice of piss. Saying things like it takes 20 hours to learn, is a waste of time, ancient technology etc.. is all rubbish.
I learnt it in 2 weeks, ok i'm not decoding messages at 30wpm from some radio geek on the other side of the world but i am easilly able to identify any 3 letter code for purpose of atpl.
Here is some advice.
You only need to learn 26 differnet sounds. sounds hard? well you probably know sos? that makes it 24.
learn:
E.
I..
S...
H....
that makes it 21.
learn:
T-
M--
o---
that makes it 19.
learn or make up sayings that sound like the morse..
A .- 'al pha'
c-.-. 'charlie charlie'
D -.. 'dad did it'
F ..-. 'fit a fair-y'
Y -.-- 'yankee doodle'
X -..- 'onl-y da bones' (X ray)
V ...- sounds like beathovens vth (der der der dumm..)
That leaves you with 12 left to learn.
Learn opposites A and N
D and U
G and W
V and B
Learn your name.
If you have got this far you have probably nearly cracked it and will be inventing ways of memorising it yourself. I discovered that my nokia mobile bleeped 'sms' in morse when i recieved a text message!
download a morse tutor. do a search for 'free morse tutor'
only learn the sounds, don't learn in dots and dashes or you will have to convert the sound in your head (takes longer). Practice decoding one letter at a time then progress to two, then three etc.
It doesn't take long, ten minutes a night, drive in your car decode number plates.If you are serious about aviation then you will learn this regardless.
Learning morse is a peice of piss. Saying things like it takes 20 hours to learn, is a waste of time, ancient technology etc.. is all rubbish.
I learnt it in 2 weeks, ok i'm not decoding messages at 30wpm from some radio geek on the other side of the world but i am easilly able to identify any 3 letter code for purpose of atpl.
Here is some advice.
You only need to learn 26 differnet sounds. sounds hard? well you probably know sos? that makes it 24.
learn:
E.
I..
S...
H....
that makes it 21.
learn:
T-
M--
o---
that makes it 19.
learn or make up sayings that sound like the morse..
A .- 'al pha'
c-.-. 'charlie charlie'
D -.. 'dad did it'
F ..-. 'fit a fair-y'
Y -.-- 'yankee doodle'
X -..- 'onl-y da bones' (X ray)
V ...- sounds like beathovens vth (der der der dumm..)
That leaves you with 12 left to learn.
Learn opposites A and N
D and U
G and W
V and B
Learn your name.
If you have got this far you have probably nearly cracked it and will be inventing ways of memorising it yourself. I discovered that my nokia mobile bleeped 'sms' in morse when i recieved a text message!
download a morse tutor. do a search for 'free morse tutor'
only learn the sounds, don't learn in dots and dashes or you will have to convert the sound in your head (takes longer). Practice decoding one letter at a time then progress to two, then three etc.
It doesn't take long, ten minutes a night, drive in your car decode number plates.If you are serious about aviation then you will learn this regardless.
The Original Whirly
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Belper, Derbyshire, UK
Posts: 4,326
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
rumour reader,
All true, useful hints, and that works for identing beacons. BUT for passing a test, it depends on how quickly you need to be able to decode. When I did the CAA CPL(H), the Morse test was to decode ten sets of three letters at a specific rate (which I've forgotten), and you only got to hear them once, and were only allowed three letters wrong. Take it from me, to do that, you had to be able to recognise a letter instantly and automatically, not think about it at all. And that does take a certain amount of practice.
For anyone interested, there's a Morse Tutor on sale on Ebay, in "Pilots Gear" - can't remember any details; I was browsing in there late last night and just happened to notice.
All true, useful hints, and that works for identing beacons. BUT for passing a test, it depends on how quickly you need to be able to decode. When I did the CAA CPL(H), the Morse test was to decode ten sets of three letters at a specific rate (which I've forgotten), and you only got to hear them once, and were only allowed three letters wrong. Take it from me, to do that, you had to be able to recognise a letter instantly and automatically, not think about it at all. And that does take a certain amount of practice.
For anyone interested, there's a Morse Tutor on sale on Ebay, in "Pilots Gear" - can't remember any details; I was browsing in there late last night and just happened to notice.
Paddler
To all of you:
-... -
I did this in my years as a naval telegraphist, and I thought it was kina cool to know a dying art (I wont push my enthusiasm on you) but then again why not?
In Norway, your VFR charts (1:500.000) does NOT contain any identifiers, morse idents, frequencies or the like (unless the new series have them) so you actually have to search through a book to find them,
Thankfully i was already proficient when I did my conversion from my FAA CPL/H and IR/H. To my understanding, the Norwegian portion of the JAA does not require Morse any more, so that is standardisation for you. To all of you, learning Morse seems quite tedious, but if you put away the "negativism" it is not really that bad. I have seen some really stunned people pick it up quite easily. But lick Nick Lappos and others said, Voice idents are coming out, most charts have them written on them, so why learn it, after all with the introduction of GMDSS for maritimers, morse was out!
Thanks for reading
-... -
--.- .-. ..-
-... -
I did this in my years as a naval telegraphist, and I thought it was kina cool to know a dying art (I wont push my enthusiasm on you)
but then again why not?In Norway, your VFR charts (1:500.000) does NOT contain any identifiers, morse idents, frequencies or the like (unless the new series have them) so you actually have to search through a book to find them,
Thankfully i was already proficient when I did my conversion from my FAA CPL/H and IR/H. To my understanding, the Norwegian portion of the JAA does not require Morse any more, so that is standardisation for you. To all of you, learning Morse seems quite tedious, but if you put away the "negativism" it is not really that bad. I have seen some really stunned people pick it up quite easily. But lick Nick Lappos and others said, Voice idents are coming out, most charts have them written on them, so why learn it, after all with the introduction of GMDSS for maritimers, morse was out!
Thanks for reading
-... -
--.- .-. ..-