When all else failed, I learned using Code Quick. Tried everything. Yes, I plateaued around 12 wpm for a while, but my speed eventually went up to where I can understand all but the fastest contesters (who in reality can't hold a real conversation in code). Those that claim CodeQuick is a dead end are full of hot air. Many forget how many hours they actually spent on the air to get their speed up to the levels they claim. Only time on the air will build speed. For some, only CodeQuick will get you on the air so you can get the time.
If you want to communicate with CW and you need a crutch, some communication is better than none. CW is the only mode I use on HF, and believe me, but for Code Quick, I'd have given up Ham radio in a heartbeat.
Nice words. Good to read.
However, as far as I know, and that is not far, is Code Quick a method to learn all the code at once with speed zero. Possibly also visualised.
So when you hear a letter you start demounting it in counted dits and dahs matching the story didididit is a horse in gallup , ah Horse, must be an H. Your speed builds up to 5 wpm perhaps somewhat higher, and thats it.
Topic starter did that and wants to get rid of the way he decodes a character because he realises that is the reason for his speed ceiling. Of course you can say practice and repeat that word a number of times, but the question is:
Is there a way to reach your goal faster?
I think there is. It is : make a file of 25 words mixed random, that means that the file is at least 250 words long and contains each word about 10 times. Use that file as practice file. When you do that for 2 weeks, you read the words character by character when they come in, without the decoding algorithm, that is short circuited. Furthermore you get used to the way decoding by head works. Just as reading printed matter. Be carefull to include all characters.
Of course is practice on the air a method to increase your speed, what you say, but it must be an incredable slow method on the average, otherwise only beginning hams should have a speed limit below 30-35 wpm.
A general rule is that when you want to increase your speed, you have to exercise with a speed higher then you feel comfortable with, say that you copy 70%.
It is not nice for your QSO partner when he finds out that you only copy 70% due to the fact you abuse him as a signal source. Furthermore it is difficult and time consuming when you want to work only stations that have the desired speed, and finally most stations are not willingfull or even hardly able to copy plain text, they are only proficient in the standard rubber stamp QSO's. QTH and OPR sent twice and emphasized by wide character spacings.
So using a computer and a program to exercise is the best way to build speed in the shortest possible time.
I can not understand that you could learn with Quick Code, and not learn with just starting with 2 characters en slowly increasing the number of characters, what seems to me the easiest way, because you are not loaded with horse and rabbit stories, which build the wrong decoding algorithm in your brain, and has to be broken down and replaced in a later stadium.
That you can read all the code except some contesters is a claim that is pretty heavy because it includes that you copy by head plain text at a speed of 70 wpm and over. Mni congrats.
Bob
