Slowly the Morse code practice begins to bear fruit. I picked up where I left of in August of 2015 and changed my training speed at lcwo.net from 15 wpm with effective speed of 10 wpm to a speed of 13 wpm with a effective speed of 13 wpm. I did reach a level where I was able to copy most of the characters at 15 wpm but I could not follow a QSO because I lost track after about 3 characters. I decided I need to get up the effective speed which I did in December 2015.

So far I only practiced copying Morse code. I really did not do much about sending it. I do hear people say sending Morse code is easy. I did try it sometime on the bands but find it pretty tricky. Especially the pinching technique you can use with a paddle. In my other project (Arduino keyer) I will create a good training device. Hopefully this combination will be sufficient to pass my Morse code exam on the 18th of June!
I received confirmation from Lode ON6KL for my participation at the Morse code exam. So it is official now.
I noticed the learning curve of learning Morse code is jerky. One day I really add some new high’s and the next day can be so horrible I think I will never make it. Of course there is time enough so everything will be fine, but especially on those ‘down’ days it is really hard to find the motivation to stay practicing for an hour. I realized it has something to do with concentration. My mind let’s true other thoughts and then I lose track of the sounds. I can pick out three or four letters at the time and then they all sound the same and irritate my ears.
Luckily I know from earlier attempts it is getting better over time. The problem now is I am a little impatient and want results quicker 😉