LESSONS IN MORSE

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 65, 20 September 1940, Page 15

LESSONS IN MORSE

(2) Practice In Receiving

HE second of the series of Signal Training Lessons in Morse which are _ being broadcast from station 2YC, 1ZM and 3YL was broadcast on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week. This lesson (No. 2), was devoted mainly to receiving. It was intimated that those trainees who own short-wave radio receivers, are able to obtain plenty of receiving prac-

tice, but for the benefit of the others, more and more time would be devoted each session to receiving, so that everyone would be able to gain a certain amount of receiving practice each day. It was pointed out that the habit should be formed of impressing the sound equivalents of the letters on the mind rather than endeavouring to remember the letters as dots and dashes. As an example, the letter "C" should instinctively come to mind as dahditdahdit, not as dashdotdashdot. It

is the sound of each letter that should be memorised. ; In order to assist trainees in the formation of the Morse characters for each letter, the instructor transmitted each letter of the alphabet twice, and, before starting, stressed the method that should be adopted in holding the key. This was briefly, as follows: Thumb under table top or knob of key, tops of first and second fingers resting lightly on top of table or key knob, and, most important of all, a light grip, so that the arm muscles are relaxed. The remainder of the lesson was taken up in receiving practice, particular attention being given to certain letters which are fairly easy to remember.