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MorseBusters
United States
เข้าร่วมเมื่อ 7 ส.ค. 2020
In August of 2016, I won the Morse Code sending competition at the 2016 Friendship Radiosport Games, the only such contest held in the US, sending about 30 WPM, on a straight key.
For comparison, the old "Amateur Extra" radio exam required 20 WPM, the First-Class Commercial license 25 WPM, and the world record - set 75 years ago - was a whopping 35 WPM.
So 30 was pretty good.
Before the contest, the best I could manage was 23 WPM. Getting from 23 to 30 took seven months of practice. But practicing what? "Just go faster" didn't work. And I found nothing on the Internet about how to achieve these commercial-level straight key speeds. Nothing at all.
Instead, I found lots of well-intentioned advice, and myths: "Straight keys cause glass arm," "balance a quarter on your hand," and on and on and on. Gaack.
I had to reinvent techniques that were once common. These are my research reports: bread crumbs for others to follow.
73, Chris Rutkowski NW6V
For comparison, the old "Amateur Extra" radio exam required 20 WPM, the First-Class Commercial license 25 WPM, and the world record - set 75 years ago - was a whopping 35 WPM.
So 30 was pretty good.
Before the contest, the best I could manage was 23 WPM. Getting from 23 to 30 took seven months of practice. But practicing what? "Just go faster" didn't work. And I found nothing on the Internet about how to achieve these commercial-level straight key speeds. Nothing at all.
Instead, I found lots of well-intentioned advice, and myths: "Straight keys cause glass arm," "balance a quarter on your hand," and on and on and on. Gaack.
I had to reinvent techniques that were once common. These are my research reports: bread crumbs for others to follow.
73, Chris Rutkowski NW6V
PBY Catalina 9767 - Ride-along Water Takeoff and Landing
On August 5th, 2024, I had the opportunity to catch a ride on a 1943 PBY-5a, "Catalina" Flying Boat, for a water landing and takeoff near Eugene, Oregon.
This plane, PBY 9767, was named the "Princess of the Stars" after doing duty as a movie set in Paris. But she flew in the Battle of the Atlantic in 1944 and was one of only a few to sink a submarine in combat, so perhaps she should have been dubbed the "Warrior Princess." In the 8+ decades since, she served in roles ranging from battling forest fires to hauling people and freight. Now, in the service of a nonprofit, The Soaring by the Sea Foundation, PBY9767 continues as a piece of extraordinary living history.
Meanwhile, come aboard for the best ride this side of Disneyland! :-) In the video, I mumble something to the effect that I don't enjoy jet travel much anymore - for business or pleasure. But this flight rekindled my love - not of being a passenger - but of FLYING.
For those in a hurry, the water landing segment starts around 8:06, and the water takeoff is around 11:00. The tarmac (runway) landing and takeoff, and numerous zen moments are found elsewhere.
You can learn all about the plane, the people, and the foundation at soaringbythesea.com. Annie Flodin, who was also aboard this flight, does a terrific job telling the backstory of the foundation, Boeing Aircraft's role in making PBYs, and PBY9767 itself in this article:
onfirstup.com/boeing/BNN/articles/battle-tested-flying-boat-now-shines-brighter-than-ever.
Enjoy!
PS: As a note, several people have commented that these are turboprops - including one fellow in the audience when I recorded the voice-over. They are not turboprops. They are original 14-cylinder Pratt and Whitney "Wasp" radial engines that put out 1200 hp each. The roar is not picked up by the mics; the whines are various electric motors, fuel pumps, and the like.
FYI: My interest in PBYs dates back to childhood - my dad flew aboard one during WW2 - which crashed in Greenland - and that part of his story was exciting enough to make it into Time Magazine in May 1943. You can read more about that in my book, "The CW Way of Life," - on Amazon, which tracks Morse code from its invention in 1837 to, well, today - where tens of thousands of ham radio operators around the world - myself included (NW6V) - keep this supposedly obsolete communication medium very much alive :-)
This plane, PBY 9767, was named the "Princess of the Stars" after doing duty as a movie set in Paris. But she flew in the Battle of the Atlantic in 1944 and was one of only a few to sink a submarine in combat, so perhaps she should have been dubbed the "Warrior Princess." In the 8+ decades since, she served in roles ranging from battling forest fires to hauling people and freight. Now, in the service of a nonprofit, The Soaring by the Sea Foundation, PBY9767 continues as a piece of extraordinary living history.
Meanwhile, come aboard for the best ride this side of Disneyland! :-) In the video, I mumble something to the effect that I don't enjoy jet travel much anymore - for business or pleasure. But this flight rekindled my love - not of being a passenger - but of FLYING.
For those in a hurry, the water landing segment starts around 8:06, and the water takeoff is around 11:00. The tarmac (runway) landing and takeoff, and numerous zen moments are found elsewhere.
You can learn all about the plane, the people, and the foundation at soaringbythesea.com. Annie Flodin, who was also aboard this flight, does a terrific job telling the backstory of the foundation, Boeing Aircraft's role in making PBYs, and PBY9767 itself in this article:
onfirstup.com/boeing/BNN/articles/battle-tested-flying-boat-now-shines-brighter-than-ever.
Enjoy!
PS: As a note, several people have commented that these are turboprops - including one fellow in the audience when I recorded the voice-over. They are not turboprops. They are original 14-cylinder Pratt and Whitney "Wasp" radial engines that put out 1200 hp each. The roar is not picked up by the mics; the whines are various electric motors, fuel pumps, and the like.
FYI: My interest in PBYs dates back to childhood - my dad flew aboard one during WW2 - which crashed in Greenland - and that part of his story was exciting enough to make it into Time Magazine in May 1943. You can read more about that in my book, "The CW Way of Life," - on Amazon, which tracks Morse code from its invention in 1837 to, well, today - where tens of thousands of ham radio operators around the world - myself included (NW6V) - keep this supposedly obsolete communication medium very much alive :-)
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MORSE CODE - The Straight Key Chronicles - Ch 1 - Talking to Myself
มุมมอง 4.4K4 ปีที่แล้ว
This video was shot not as a Morse code demo, but as a test of making a video of myself sending - I'd never done a video before. So the cameraman in my brain said; "Just send anything!" So I started "writing" (sending), making it up as I went, while at the same time fiddling with the new GoPro camera, and watching myself on its tiny screen, trying to frame. No problem; no one would ever see it....
37 MAC Slow Motion Study
มุมมอง 7684 ปีที่แล้ว
This video shows a 1937 MAC bug (with "Property of" molded into the base), equipped with a W0EB Dit Stabilizer, in three configurations: * Disabled (swung out of the way), * Very lightly touching the dit spring (listen carefully and you can hear a slight bzzz during the second slow-motion sequence - an inaudible tinkle at normal speed), and; * With dit-spring over-compressed, to exaggerate any ...
Bug Music - A 1935 Vibroplex Lightning Bug sends S's in slow-motion.
มุมมอง 1.5K4 ปีที่แล้ว
Bug Music - that's what Morse code operators call it. Bug Music is more than just the operator's style and the swing of their sending - it's the sum of the sounds and vibrations that are part of the bug experience. This video was made with a GoPro Hero 8 camera at 240 frames per second through a 16x close-up lens, suspended @2 inches above a 1935 Vibroplex Lightning bug (I'll post photos of the...
Nice video. Love the Catalina. The bubble windows are awesome but they have to be drag monsters.
I was in Ketchikan Alaska in the summer of 1967 and was flying to Seattle. The trip started with boarding a PBY on the waterfront, taking off on the water and then 5 minutes later landing at the Ketchikan airport where I caught a regular plane to Seattle. I remember sitting in the blister and the water rushing in around my feet as we took off. Thinking back on this today it seems just unbelievable. Last summer I hiked to a 1944 PBY wreck outside Tofino on Vancouver Island. It’s a popular destination and makes for an interesting afternoon.
Great tale - I can visualize that water in the blister compartment :-) the good news is that the bulkheads between the compartments could isolate it - like the bulkheads in a ship.
Thank you. So much. It is the closest I will ever get to the experience.
wonderfull
those landing gears would be too heavy for hand-operation.
There is a crank that can be used to raise and lower the gear by hand - but if memory serves, it turns the hydraulic system - it is not a gear-driven mechanical system. It is my understanding it took two men to operate.
i wonder what that whirring sound is - fuel boost pump?
Not clear. It was not so prominent on board - but the very mediocre microphone in my 4-year-old camera was not up to capturing the low-frequency content.
the sound of the Pratts is very comforting. I could listen to them endlessly. I am thankful I could fly with this type quite a few times.
filming a turning prop will never be successful with todays "cameras".
Yes, camera phones and such do a poor job with spinning props because of sync rates. But it doesn't bother me.
when I flew in one, there was no low side door like here. We had to board through the real blister.
Very cool footage!! ..since I was a kid, I wanted to own a Catalina someday, didnt know how difficult it is to become wealthy enough to own one so, plastic model works for me lol
Mistake to abandon these. How we gonna do long range rescue & observations if satellites go down? Even with a satellite, helicopters won't fly that far. We need this airplane in the military.
My grandfather flew 9767. This be awesome to go in!
What a Beauty 😍👍
G`day all. I got to see one of these at the lake Boga museum. lake Boga is a little way out from Swan Hill Victoria. It was during the second world war a repair facility for flying boats. They are a large aircraft when you see one up close. Good to see one in flying condition.
That was fun! Well done.
COOL!)))))
I saw this exact aircraft tail number N9767 at KEUG during flight class, You can't see me, but I was right behind it in a C152. I'm putting my video on my page. Lane Aviation Academy.
Thanks for posting that David! Really nice to see her from that perspective!
There is a Catalin sitting in a hangar in Gananoque Ontario Canada. Its been there since 1968. Fully intact. Very impressive. Cheers.
Turboprops😂
This is incredible! Thank you!
The pilot turns the engine, usually one blade of the prop goes by 12 times, to get the oil up out of the bottom (sump) of the engine before he flips the ignition switch.
Exactly right.
Excellent. Well done. Thank you.
TurboProps? Really! Why dont you learn about Radial startup. You wouldnt be talking so much BS
Didn't your mom tell you to keep your mouth shut if you didn't have anything constructive to add to the conversation? But .NO. you gotta be a dick and tear someone down to satisfy some inane need to always be right. You'd be a lot happier if you just swallow the need to correct people and let 'em abide in ignorance. You might even live longer if you change your attitude and decide it's not up to you to teach the world to sing.
Turbo props...yeah.
No, these are not turboprops. They are original 14 cylinder Pratt and Whitney "Wasp" radial engines that put out 1200 hp each. The roar is not picked up by the mics, the whines are various electric motors, fuel pumps and the like.
Greetings from Australia. An excellent video, thoroughly enjoyable! My uncle was a Flight Engineer on Catalinas in the RAAF during the war.
Just absolutely loved this vid. Jealous!! In a good way. Love this airframe and it's rich history!
absolutely excellent video
never seen one with the airstair in back
Yes, clever use of the "tunnel" - intended for tail gunning. It made boarding easy - even for an old coot with bad hips :-) As I 'm sure you know, later, it was also converted for use as a water exit chute in firefighting application.
my most favorite airplane ever....i have stacks of literature and books of this AC
What a great airplane
Sweet a p40 warthog very nice
Wow that is a really nice pby black cat 👍
Thanks to folks responsible for saving this bird !
With enough money anything is possible !
As a teenager I saw a firefighting PBY Canso, (as their called here in Canada) in the summer of 1979 fighting a fire on the Beaufort range unfortunately the portside engine burst into flames almost buzzing the treetops near my area until doing a emergency landing on Sproat lake where a nearby helicopter with cable water bucket extinguished the burning engine. The planes wing was a burned out wreck. it was salvaged and scrapped at the Martin Mars bomber base.
Wow. Terrible.
@rEdf196 Wow! Shades of the movie Always! Which is one of my favourite movies simply for the opening scene which features a PBY. Those guys from NZ, are they from the place that has the DH Comet replica awaiting restoration? I saw that in a barn in Beiseker Alberta where the older gentleman was building it.
That must have been interesting. I don't know if those fellows are connected to that activity. I'll try to learn more.
@@morsebusters5361 I saw the barn from the road while on a bike trip. The first thing i saw was complete Dragon Rapide, so I dragged my friends to see it. Met a guy who was using the grass strip to fly his homebuilt, and he took us around. When he mentioned the Comet I didn't at first know what he was talking about. When I saw it I was flabbergasted. The fuselage was mostly complete and the outer surface is made up of many small birch (I think) strips. He had a DH Dove in pieces (for the engines) and a Staggerwing needing some repairs. We spent about 45 minutes there. I would have been happy to stay for the weekend.
Absolutely fantastic. You are very lucky to have gotten such an opportunity. My father-in-law was a Navy radio operator in the Pacific in PBYs as I recall. He was never an amateur radio operator but when I gave him some CW in the 1990s he still knew it like it was his native language. I wish I knew more about his experiences. I flew A-7Ds, A-10s, and F-16s but this kind of flying is truly magical. Thanks for posting. 73 John KQ4BZY
Hi John. Very cool about your father-in-law! The intro to my book, The CW Way of Life, describes my connection to Morse Code - and PBY's :-) 73 Chris NW6V
@@morsebusters5361 Great book Chris, I have a copy. It's helping me quite a bit as I'm trying to be more consistent attending the LICW classes. Maybe we'll have a QSO sometime. 73 John KQ4BZY
Super jealous. That was magnificent
It sounds like the engines are now turbo props. eh?
Nope. Dual 14 cylinder "Wasp" Radial Piston R-1830-92d Engines capable of 1200 bhp each. Amazing sound. The recording (by cell phone) doesn't begin to do it justice. :-)
Great video - and it was great to chat with you on 40 meters on the PARG net today. Looking forward to hearing you again. DE Wa7mmm - Greg in Portland, OR
The way he is using the key is all wrong!!!
Nope :-) It's the most ergonomically correct method, read the book. Study the physics. Match the performance. Or exceed it. Then write your own book :-)
@@morsebusters5361 What book?
"The CW Way of Life" available on Amazon.
Align the contacts
Unnecessary. Come to an LICW "wild about bugs" session and we can discuss the myth of contact alignment. The bug in the video operated perfectly and with no scratchy dits as shown. Riddle me this: if contacts must be aligned and parallel why does a begali intrepid use a pin contact?
@@morsebusters5361 It all depends on how much silver is still remaining on the contact. If it is complete, then you are correct. If not, you best align them so there is silver on silver.
Thank you for that. I've been studying pictures of these trying to understand the mechanics of it and what roll the weight plays. It is now clear.
Perfect code. Best I've heard using a straight key.
Great technique.. It's inspired me to practice with a straight key. . But in my opinion, you need more space between words. I can easily copy 25 wpm if there's space between words, but I had a hard time copying your CW. de: KE7LOY
You're absolutely right - and congrats on being good enough notice. The word spacing is quite bad in one part - As I say - it's a demo of the technique, not perfect sending. I might redo it someday. This time, with a text :-) My "not knowing what to say" was part of the inspiration for the 240-page book on Morse that will be done in the next few days and should be available on Amazon soon. Then maybe, I'll redo this video. But I need a vacation :-D
@@chrisr.nw6v145 what's name of book Great sending BTW!
@@joebidet2050 it's called, "The CW Way of Life". I'm reading it right now while learning code through LICW. It's a great book.
Video edited. You can file (edit) and 40 words per minute. I do not believe. Fake.
Ha, ha. Any band, any day. And it's about 23 wpm, not 40. :-)
I really enjoyed watching. Thanks very much.
Tremendously impressive
Great technique Chris!
A pleasure to listen to your CW, thank you.
Great movie. Thanks from IK4EWX, owner of a Mac 37 "property of" sn 7187
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. 73 Chris NW6V