This is my next update on my morse learning experience. I had a bit of a break over Christmas while away from my commute
So while doing the walking part of my commute I’m listening to 20/25wpm morse of random english words at minimum possible volume without headphones, so the rest of the world’s noise is in there too. My experience is something like this:
- At 20/25wpm, I tend to ‘get’ a word or two then miss the next one — this seem to be because I grab that word and interrupt the stream of recognition while I think about the word
- Increasingly frequently, I can ‘get’ several words in a row. This has some detachment/stepping back about it — my certainty about individual words is slightly lessened, more the experience of the words appearing in my head. More like ‘knowing’ than ‘thinking’. Feels good.
- I can feel the building of a decision tree for english words in morse forming in my head somewhere. How a word starts off as something then flips to something else.
Not sure these reflections are useful for anybody else. They seem to help me. The focus going forward with this type of practice is to listen more lightly, allow the words to form themselves without forcing them and then rejoicing/checking. A kind of gentle, platful enquiry.
Otherwise, have acquired a PC so I can get Morse Runner going. I’ve set that at 15wpm. It was initially bewildering, but now starting to get a few points from simulated contest QSOs. I think it is useful for callsign recognition and getting the feel for on-air contest contacts.
More progress, more understanding I guess. Slow, enjoyable