Morse Practice

About MorsePractice

Some links are not functional in this interim release

This is an interim release of MorsePractice to provide support on Windows operating systems using Sun's Java 1.3 release. This release uses the "Java Media Framework" class library. It appears to work correctly when run as an applet, but fails after about synthesizing one or two minutes when run as an application. I would appreciate help fixing any bugs in my synthesizer support library. To run as an application on Windows or MacOS, copy one of the following files to a directory on your local system.

MorsePractice.jar

The Java archive. You can run this as an application by using the command (case is significant):

java -jar MorsePractice.jar

MorsePractice.zip

The Java archive stored in a Zip archive. Some browsers do not understand the Java jar format. By encapsulating the jar in a Zip archive, the file may be dowloaded successfully. After unpacking, this will create MorsePractice.jar.

MorsePractice.sit and MorsePractice.hqx

MorsePractice as a double-clickable MacOS 9.0 application. It has not been tested in the native MacOS X environment.

src.zip

The Java sources in a Zip archive. This may be used to rebuild (and repair) MorsePractice. Several Macintosh-specific support files are not included.

MorsePractice is a Java application (or applet) that you can use to learn Morse Code. You can click on buttons to hear individual characters, listen to text that you type, or practice learning Morse Code using random code groups. You can select the sending speed, although experts recommend learning at high speed (18-20 words per minute) rather than doing what I did: learning at 5 words per minute, passing my amateur radio license, and struggling to learn the code at "normal" speed. Click on the icon at the top of this page to hear a few seconds of code from MorsePractice.

The best way to use MorsePractice is as an application. This lets you control the display size, keep your current settings in a local file, listen to your own text files, and store Morse Code audio sequences. Click here for installation instructions.

Except for the references to the internal "sun.audio" classes, and reference to MacOS-specific file creator and type methods, MorsePractice passes the static 100% pure Java check. (The MacOS classes will be silently ignored if you run MorsePractice on a machine that doesn't support them.)

The MorsePractice applet is dimensioned for Internet Explorer 4.5 on MacOS and Windows systems, and may appear incorrect on Netscape on Windows. MorsePractice will not run on current versions of Netscape on MacOS.

MorsePractice 1.2:

• Added an "Options" menu and a "set synthesizer frequency" option dialog. The frequency can be set from 80 to 3000 Hz.

MorsePractice 1.3:

• Added support for Java Media Framework (Java 1.3 on Windows).

Learning Morse Code

While I am hardly an expert on Morse Code, The Koch method appears to be a better approach than what I did to get my Technican-Plus license: listening to slow code tapes and trying to improve one word-per-minute a week. A better method, as described in Learning Morse Code By the Koch Method uses high speed (20 words per minute) random code at all times. That way, the student learns the code patterns directly and doesn't fall into the trap of trying to pick each symbol apart into it's individual "dit's" and "dah's". You will notice that MorsePractice never displays a visual (dot-dash) representation of the characters. Training should never be slower than around 13 words per minute to avoid learning the code by picking apart each character. After all, when you read English, you don't distinguish between 'b' and 'd' by isolating the vertical line and circle: you read the letter as a unit.

To train using the Koch method, select "Random Symbols", click on the checkboxes or the Koch training sequence to select the characters you want to learn, select the number of minutes to train (the Koch method recommends 5 minutes, I've been starting off with 1 minute sessions for the first few letters, but will increase this as the number of letters in the training set increases), and click the "Start Trial" button. Write down what you hear. When the test completes, type what you heard into the text box and click the "Check" button. When you can copy one sequence with 90% accuracy, add another character. David Finley's web page recommends learning the code in this order:

    K M R S U A P T L O

    W I . N J E F 0 Y ,

    V G 5 / Q 9 Z H 3 8

    B ? 4 2 7 C 1 D 6 X

      <BT> <SK> <AR>

The Koch Training Sequence displays the characters in training order, click on them one-by-one as you learn the code.

More about Morse Code

• The American Radio Relay League is the central organization for Americans interested in amateur radio.
• The Art and Skill of Radio Telegraphy by William G. Pierpoint. This book contains an extensive history of Morse Code, including the American Morse code and more information on training for code proficiency, including the Koch method.
• MEGS is a group of radio amateurs and shortwave listeners interested in Morse Code. Their site includes the full text of William G. Pierpoint's book.
• So You Want to Learn Morse Code by David G. Finley contains information on morse code training, including links to his book, Morse Code: Breaking the Barrier
• Learning Morse Code By the Koch Method provides more information on how to use the Koch method with the SuperMorse software package.
• A Java project that shows how to design a Morse Code decoder in Java. (The actual purpose of the page is to demonstrate the Elektronen Corporation's software design methodology.)
• Here is a Morse Code Practice Java Applet that will run on all browsers.
• The Victorian Internet is an interesting book on the development of telegraphy in the 1800's. The Guardian published this review. You should also visit a good public library to read the article on the Telegraph in the 11th Edition of the Enclycopaedia Brittanica. (Be sure to ask for the 11th or 13th edition -- a good reference librarian will know what you mean. Perhaps, by the time you read this page, an online edition will be available.)

Installing the MorsePractice Application

To run MorsePractice you need the program file and a suitable Java environment. The procedure is slightly different for Macintosh (MacOS), Windows, and Linux systems.

Installing on MacOS

On the Macintosh, you need MRJ 2.2 or later. This is the current MRJ release and may be downloaded from Apple Computer's Java support area. MorsePractice will not work on the previous release, MRJ 2.1.4, that was provided with by the System 8.6 and System 9.0 installers. If you are unable to upgrade to MRJ 2.2, please contact me and I will provide a compatible application launcher.

You may also install the MRJ Software Development Kit if you want to modify the program.

Now, download the MorsePractice.hqx archive, unpack the archive to get the MorsePractice application, and double-click the application icon to start MorsePractice.

Installing on Windows, Windows/NT, and Linux

Before trying to run MorsePractice as an application, first ensure that you have a suitable Java environment. You can get a Windows or Solaris distribution from Sun Microsystems and a Linux distribution from Blackdown.org. You can use the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) version or the Java Development Kit (JDK) (which lets you modify the program). MorsePractice requires Java version 1.1.8 or later. On Windows/NT, I found that JRE 1.2.2 works, but JRE 1.2.1 had display problems. Click here for step-by-step Windows installation instructions.

After installing Java, copy MorsePractice.jar or MorsePractice.zip to your local system (then unpack MorsePractice.zip if you used this alternative). If you are running on Windows or Linux right-click on the link and save the file to a directory on your local system. In the following example, I saved the file to "C:\Download." Windows/95 cannot handle long file and folder names, so you will have to use an abbreviated form: "C:\DOWNLO~1."

On Windows, you need to start MorsePractice from the Command Prompt: navigate to the directory that contains MorsePractice.jar and enter a suitable command. for Windows/98 and Windows/NT, the Java installation created the registry entries that Java needs, so you need only enter the command

On Windows/95, you need to extend the java CLASSPATH variable and launch the command as follows:

On Linux, you need to create a shell script that adds MorsePractice.jar to the classpath and starts the application using the "java" command:

Installing Java on Windows

1. Navigate to http://java.sun.com.
2. At the bottom of the page, click on the "Products & APIs" link.
3. Next, click on the "Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition" link.
4. Then, on the next page, click on the "Java 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition" link. This brings you to the Java Runtime Environment page. Select the "Java 2 Runtime Environment v 1.2.2-001 Windows 95/98/NT Production Release." This is the minimal release, and doesn't let you write or debug Java programs. If you want to modify the program, download the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition, or purchase a 3rd party development kit such as "CodeWarrior Java Edition" from a software vendor.
5. Choose a download method, agree with the license, and save the download to a suitable location on your local hard disk.
6. Leave your browser and navigate to the directory containing the Java release you just downloaded (mine is named "jre1_2_2_001-win" and has a box icon).
7. Double-click on the download file and do a normal install, accepting all defaults. You may have to reboot your computer after installing the Java Runtime Environment.
8. You're done! Go to the Command Prompt and type
     java
   (nothing else). You should see a "Usage" message if everything went well.
9. While in the command prompt, navigate to the directory containing MorsePractice.jar and type
     Java -cp MorsePractice.jar Main
   MorsePractice should run in its display window.

Running MorsePractice as an Applet on Your Local System

If you prefer using MorsePractice as an applet, with files stored on your local system, download the MorsePractice.jar file and create a web page that contains the following HTML text:

Note that the Applet version will not load if the sun.audio classes are not supported on your system. You may also be interested in this Morse Code Practice Java Applet.

Regrettably, MorsePractice does not run on Netscape version 4 on MacOS. You can use either Internet Explorer or iCab.

	Click here for more information on the MorsePractice application, including links to all source files. MorsePractice was created using Java for Macintosh, the MRJ Software Development Kit, and CodeWarrior for Java.

Please contact me if you find any bugs in MorsePractice.

Copyright © 1999-2000 Martin Minow. All Rights Reserved.

Permission to use, copy, modify, and redistribute this software and its documentation for personal, non-commercial use is hereby granted provided that this copyright notice and appropriate documentation appears in all copies. This software may not be distributed for fee or as part of commercial, "shareware," and/or not-for-profit endevors including, but not limited to, CD-ROM collections, online databases, and subscription services without specific license. The author makes no expressed or implied warranty of any kind and assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for any incidental or consequental damages in connection with or arising out of the use of the information or program.