I hadn’t used CW for over 20 years when I got back into it.
I hadn't used Morse Code for 50 years when I got relicensed nine years ago. I could do about
10 or 12 wpm. A bit rusty. Things well-learned don't go away.
I question whether learning visually is any kind of hindrance. I know competent code ops who
learned all sorts of "bad" ways and got beyond them. When I was a kid learning code believe me
I could send or receive it any way I wanted to. It's very easy to go from learning by ear to learning
visually--all you have to do is to provide the sound in your mind.
Yes code on the radio comes in your ear. So if you are going to get going again you will have to
provide a sound in your mind, either a dit or a dah. Easy peasy.
Don't worry about it. Just do it. The mind is an amazingly flexible automatic learning organ. You don't
need a method or special software or anything else. Of course you are free to look for a learning program
which organizes the process for you.
The important thing is to start listening to code and recognizing characters by the way they sound. Your
mind should automatically make the association between your visual memory and what you hear.
Learning code is NOT a difficult task. Worrying about doing it the right way, however, can provide lots
of barriers to the actual process of learning.
Good luck and have no fear!