Treasure Chest

I don't know how many of you out there pay attention to the other bloggers that I list.  I'm sure that most of you do - however for those who do not ...... I am taking pains to direct you to this blog post

:http://blog.g4ilo.com/2011/06/lost-treasure.html

If you are interested in learning or improving your CW - this is the software tool that you need to be using.

Developed by Julian G4ILO, this is perhaps the most useful and versatile tool out there for CW tutelage,  It will allow you to burn code practice to a CD or to your iPod or other MP3 player.  In addition to random letters, you can have random words, Morse from a text file (Books in Code), random QSOs or whatever you choose.  The options are very customizable (is that even a word?).

Personally, I find it very useful and convenient to just play Morse practice in the background, while I am driving, cleaning, or doing whatever chore I happen to be doing.  Somehow it seems that just listening without even trying to seriously copy conditions my brain towards better reception of the characters when I DO start copying for real.  Also, this is great practice for copying in your head and getting used to not writing things down on paper. Hint: Listen to code at about 5 WPM faster than you are able to copy.  When you go back to your fastest speed - I guarantee that it will sound SLOW to you!

Learning Morse and getting better at it doesn't need to be a hated chore.  If you just relax and stop putting pressure on yourself, you will see rapid increases in your ability.  Tools like MorseGen make it all that much easier.

No radio for W2LJ tonight, so I am very happy to have worked K6JSS/9 last night.  Yesterday and today were beastly hot.  For the last hour or so we have had some rain - but quite the electrical storm.  The antennas are unplugged and the K2 is off the air.  A cool front is moving through and I expect the light show will last for quite a few more hours.

One last thing, and this is totally unrelated to Ham Radio.  James Rollins, one of my favorite authors, is releasing a new book this month.  To celebrate this new release, he has worked out a deal with audible.com where you can download FOR FREE (until June 20th) an audible copy of his first book in the SIGMA Force series, "Map of Bones".

http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_2?asin=B0052OM87C&qid=1307585406&sr=1-2

This book was handed to me a few years back by a friend who knows that I like to read.  I read it and was instantly hooked and have read every subsequent adventure.  I downloaded this audible version to my kindle and am listening to it via the Aux connection to the radio in the Jeep while I drive back and forth to work.  It's just as good now as when I first read it a few years back!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!