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Super Morse Ver. 1.14 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Copyright 1986-88 M. Lee Murrah ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ =============================================== The Original Comprehensive Morse Code Training Program for the IBM PC and Compatibles =============================================== 08-05-88 ************************************ * PLEASE UPLOAD TO YOUR LOCAL * * COMPUTER BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEMS! * ************************************ TABLE OF CONTENTS I. General Information A. Purpose and Goals B. Your Right to Use SUPER MORSE C. The Software D. The Author E. More Information about Amateur Radio II. SUPER MORSE Setup A. SUPER MORSE Program and Data Files B. Equipment and Operating Sysstem Requirements C. Installation D. Hardware and Software Considerations III. Using SUPER MORSE A. SUPER MORSE Organization--the Main Menu B. The SUPER MORSE Display C. Help D. Configuring the Character Set E. Controlling SUPER MORSE F. The SUPER MORSE TOOLS G. SUPER MORSE Files IV. The Learn Phase A. The <L>earn Command B. Lesson 1 - DITS and DAHS, the Basic Code Sounds C. Lesson 2 - Sound Combinations D. Lesson 3 - Character Length E. Lesson 4 - Character Rhythm F. Lesson 5 - Character Steps G. Lesson 6 - Character Runs H. Lesson 7 - Character Groups I. Lesson 8 - Character Learning Levels J. Viewing Character Groupings V. The Build Phase A. Building Code Speed B. Receiving Groups of Random Characters--the <G>roups Command C. Receiving Complete Words--the <W>ords Command D. Receiving a Simulated Radio Transmission--the <Q>SO Command E. Receiving Text Entered via Keyboard--the <E>nter Command F. Receiving Text in a Disk File--the Disk Command G. Receiving Groups at Increasing Speed--the <Z>oom Command VI. The Enhance Phase A. Skill Enhancement B. Sending Code C. <L>ag Copy D. Copying on a <T>ypewriter E. Two Way Practice via Telephone Modem VII. The Measure Phase A. The <M>easure Command B. Simulated <F>CC Test C. <K>eyboard Receive Test D. <M>emory Test VIII. We Need Your Feedback and Help IX. Troubleshooting I. General Information A. Purpose and Goals Super Morse was written to help prospective hams overcome what many perceive to be the biggest obstacle to obtaining an amateur radio license--learning the Morse code. There are several programs available in the public domain which send Morse code via a PC's speaker, but most are very limited and are often written in BASIC, which requires a clumsy interpreter. Super Morse seeks to provide a full-featured program which provides several modes of learning and practicing the code and which takes advantage of the computer as a teaching tool. My goals in writing Super Morse were: 1. Professional appearance and operating characteristics. 2. Comprehensive program covering all aspects of Morse code learning and practice. 3. Create new methods of learning and practicing the Morse code. 4. Provide ample opportunities for customization by the user. 5. Use the microcomputer to teach and learn Morse code. B. Your Right to Use and Distribute Super Morse 1. License As you may have noticed I have retained the copyright in Super Morse, primarily in order to control its orderly development. However, I am granting the right to anyone to use the program for private, non-commercial purposes without further permission from me. That is, you can copy it, use it, and share it (including distrbution at hamfests and in ham radio equipment stores) so long as you do not charge any money for it other than the cost of the disk or other transfer medium, not to exceed $2. Please note that you MUST return a completed registration form as contained in the file REGISTER.FRM as a condition of using Super Morse. 2. Suggested Contributions In order to cover expenses associated with the development and distribution of Super Morse, such as equipment, software, telecommunications charges, postage, supplies, and long distance calls to users, I suggest that you make a voluntary contribution of $10 for each copy of the program. If you have already made a contribution for previous releases, you do not need to make an additional contribution. If you cannot afford a monetary contribution, at lease give me a call or write me a note and give me an "attaboy" or two. C. The Software Super Morse is written in Turbo Pascal version 4.0. The development of Super Morse began in early 1986 as "CW" and has gone through a number of versions. New versions will be released as features are added and corrections are made to previously released versions. The latest version of Super Morse can usually be found on GEnie in the IBMPC section and Compuserve in HAMNET. The latest version can also be obtained by sending a FORMATTED (360K) diskette and a STAMPED, SELF-ADDRESSED diskette mailer to the author at the above address. The request should also be sent with sufficient postage that it does not arrive with postage due! Also a Shareware contribution makes the author whistle while he works making your copy! D. The Author The author is a registered patent attorney working with Rockwell International Corporation in Cedar Rapids, IA (the old Collins Radio Company). He can be contacted on Compuserve (ID No.: 71016,1355), or GEnie (Address: L.MURRAH), or by mail at the following address: 10 Cottage Grove Woods, S.E. Cedar Rapids, IA 52403 The home telephone number is (319) 365-6530. Call early evenings and weekends if you would like to talk about Super Morse for any reason. Credit must also be given to users who have made suggestions for improving Super Morse. Many of their suggestions have been incorporated into Super Morse. E. More Information About Amateur Radio 1. The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) The best source of information about amateur radio is the ARRL, which is the official organization representing amateur radio in the United States. You may wish to join the ARRL even before you obtain your license. The ARRL publishes a monthly magazine named QST and provides many helpful services and publications. The address is: American Radio Relay League 225 Main Street Newington, CT 06111 2. Ham Radio Magazines Following are major magazines dealing with ham radio: QST (published by ARRL for members) 73 CQ HAM RADIO These are available at many amateur radio and electronics stores, large newsdealers, and magazine racks at many larger supermarkets. 3. Compuserve HAMNET COMPUSERVE provides a special interest area called HAMNET which is available to any COMPUSERVE subscriber. Most computer stores (Radio Shack, for example) can tell you how to subscribe to COMPUSERVE. 4. Amateur Radio Clubs and Individual Hams Most communities of substantial size have an amateur radio club or at least one ham. To find the nearest club or ham contact the ARRL or call businesses who are likely to have a ham on the payroll. Try a local radio dealer (amateur or commercial) or TV or radio station. The author found a ham to help him out by looking for suspiciously large antennas in the neighborhood. Another good tactic is to look for amateur radio call sign automobile license tags and make contact with the driver (leave a note on the windshield). II. Super Morse Setup A. Super Morse Program and Data Files SMnnn.ARC (where nnn is the version number) contains the following files: Name Description Needed to Run? ---- ----------- -------------- ANTENNAS.SM - Names of antennas for QSO feature Yes BUILD.HLP - Help file for Build phase Yes CITIES.SM - Names of cities for QSO feature Yes SM1.DOC - this documentation file (part 1) No SM2.DOC - " " " (part 2) No SM.EXE - the main executable file Yes REGISTER.FRM - Form for user registration (Please!) No GROUPS.SM - Code groups for Learn phase Yes GROUPS.1 - Alternate code group for Learn phase No GROUPS.2 - Alternate code group for Learn phase No HAMWORDS.SM - List of "ham" words for receive feature Yes HOME.HLP - Help file for control keys Yes JOBS.SM - Name of occupations for QSO feature Yes LEARN.HLP - Help file for Learn phase Yes MAIN.HLP - Main help file Yes MEASURE.HLP - Help file for Measure phase Yes MYGROUP.SM - User defined group for Learn phase Yes NAMES.SM - Names of operators for QSO feature Yes ONLINE.HLP - Help file for the online feature Yes README.1ST - Important information about setup No REGWORDS.SM - List of "regular" words for Receive feature Yes RIGS.SM - Names of radio equipment for QSO feature Yes STATES.SM - States Yes STEPS.SM - Character pairings for Learn feature Yes B. Equipment and Operating System Requirements Super Morse can be run on the IBM-PC and compatibles having 192K of memory and one floppy disk drive. Super Morse will probably run on a machine with only 128K, but the author has not tested it to be sure. A hard disk is not required, although you will find that a hard disk will enhance operation of this and any other program. Your CONFIG.SYS file should authorize at least 20 files. This can be done with the following statement: FILES = 20 CONFIG.SYS may be edited using a word processor in the ASCII output mode or a text editor. C. Installation 1. In General In versions of Super Morse prior to 1.04, it was necessary to create a special subdirectory and copy all data files into that directory. That is no longer required! The only restriction on the location of files is that the files having HLP and SM extensions must be in the same subdirectory as the SM.EXE file. Super Morse may be run directly from the distribution diskette, or it can be copied onto another diskette or to a hard disk. If you wish to use another floppy diskette, simply copy all the files on the distribution diskette other than the file having the ARC extension to the new diskette. If you install Super Morse on a hard disk, you may wish to place the program in a special subdirectory of you choosing. Simply create the subdirectory as described in your DOS manual, and copy all the files from the distribution diskette to the selected subdirectory. 2. Upgrading from CW or Earlier Super Morse Versions Through Super Morse version 1.12, the configuration file was the same as used in CW 4.02 and later except for the name. You can rename it SM.CFG, and continue to use it. If are using an earlier version of CW, erase the configuration file and start over since the file format is different. Starting with Super Morse version 1.13 an expanded configuration file was used. If you previously used an earlier version, just delete the old SM.CFG file, and a new one will be created when Super Morse is run the first time. 3. The Archive File If you obtained your copy of Super Morse directly from the author, your disk contains all the files necessary to immediately run Super Morse. Your diskette also contains a an "archive" file named SMxxx.ARC (where xxx is the program version number) which is a single file containing a compacted version of the same files. Unless you want to upload Super Morse to a computer bulletin board system, you may not have any need for this file. To place Super Morse on a bulletin board system, all you have to do is upload this one archive file. If you do want to use this file for other than uploading, it must be un-archived using an archive utility program such as ARC or PKXARC, both of which are commonly available on most computer bulletin board systems. D. Hardware and Software Considerations 1. Computer Clock Speed The clock speed for your computer will affect the code speed. Therefore, you should calibrate Super Morse code speed for your computer. If you have a multiple speed system, use Super Morse only in the calibrated clock speed unless you wish to recalibrate. 2. Video Display Card The program was originally written for the Color Graphics Adapter. However, I have made changes which should permit it to work with a monochrome card. If you have problems with Super Morse on a monochrome card, please let me know. 3. Memory Resident Programs Since Super Morse uses a software loop for timing purposes (the system clock does not provide sufficient accuracy), you will need to recalibrate the code speed if memory resident programs are added or deleted. Such programs affect the clock operation upon which the loop is based. 4. Disk Cache Programs Super Morse saves changes in the program parameters when user exits the program. If you are using a disk cache program, the parameters may be saved to the cache area in memory and thus may not permanently saved to disk. If you are having this problem, you should try disabling any disk cacheing program which you have installed on your system. III. Using Super Morse A. Super Morse Organization--The Main Menu Super Morse is organized around the four phases of the Morse code learning process: (1) learning the characters, (2) building speed, (3) enhancing skills, and (4) measuring progress. These three phases are reflected in the <L>earn, uild, <E>nhance, and <M>easure commands, respectively, in the main menu as follows: +---------------------------------------------+ | | | <L>earn Characters <M>easure Progress | | uild Speed <T>ools | | <E>nhance Skills e<X>it | | <M>easure Progress | | | +---------------------------------------------+ B. The Super Morse Display 1. The Message Line (Top) At all times while Super Morse is running, the top line of the screen is used to identify the current function and the key necessary to abort that function. Most functions can be exited using the <ESC> key. 2. The Status Line (Bottom) Likewise, the bottom line of the screen displays from left to right the code send speed ("SSpd") in words per minute, the code character speed ("CSpd") in words per minute, the code word speed ("WSpd") in words per minute, the license class represented by the speed ("Class"), the oscillator tone frequency ("Tone") in Hertz, whether or not the zoom mode is active ("Zoom", whether or not the DIT/DAH tone split is enabled ("Spl"), and whether or not the text is displayed ("Text"). 3. The Morse Code Character Set SUPER MORSE implements the standard Morse code character set used in amateur radio. This includes the 26 letters, 10 numbers, the comma, period, question mark, the slash mark, and the prosigns. In addition, SUPER MORSE supports the colon, semicolon, left parenthesis, and right parenthesis for modes using the keyboard and disk files. These characters are not part of the character set for automatic sending my the computer. Several Morse code procedure signs ("prosigns") are not printable as ASCII characters. These characters are usually represented as a combination of two printable ASCII characters as follows: Prosign ASCII Representation Meaning ------- -------------------- ------- <AR> @ End of message <SK> $ End of contact <AS> ! Wait, stand-by <KN> # Over-specified station only Several users have suggested that the prosigns should be represented in their double-letter form as above when they are printed on the screen in Super Morse or when they are entered from the keyboard. I have chosen not to do this because it needlessly complicates the program coding and because the prosigns, while important and should be learned, are not "make or break" items on the FCC code test. The ASCII characters used to represent prosigns are chosen to provide at least some association with or suggestion of the double-letter representation of the prosigns. '@' suggests the 'A' in '<AR>', '$' the 'S' in '<SK>', and '!' the staccato DIT DIT DIT of the 'S' in '<AS>'. '#' suggests the run-together combination of 'K' and 'N' in '<KN>'. 4. Visual Cues When most people think of Morse code, they think of "dots" and "dashes." This is unfortunate since the use of dots and dashes slows down the learning process. Morse code should be learned by sound and not by sight. For that reason the only visual cues uses in Super Morse are the characters themselves and the words "DIT" and "DAH" to represent the short and long sounds of Morse code. D. Help Help screens for for each menu are available by pressing ALT-H. Help for the control keys is available by pressing HOME. E. Configuring the Character Set The character to be receive may be set by pressing the ALT-S key combination during any menu display. Upon entry into the Build phase, only the letters and the numbers are enabled. The ALT-S command permits this to be altered using the following screen: +--------------------------------------------------+ | | | Current Character Set | | | | ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 0123456789 .,?/- !@#$ | | xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx ----- ---- | | | | "x" = enabled "-" = disabled | | | | Key Toggles Character Status | | Toggle: "%" = Letters "^" = Numbers | | "&" = Punctuation "*" = Prosigns | | Reset All Characters: SPACE Bar | | | +--------------------------------------------------+ The symbol directly below the character in the above screen indicates whether the character is enabled. The "x" indicates that it is enabled, and the "-" that it is disabled. The default status has the letters and numbers enabled and the punctuation and prosigns disabled. To change the status of any character, press the corresponding key on the keyboard. To enable all the characters, press the SPACE bar. To enable or disable all the letters, press the "%" key. Like for the numbers press the "^" key, for punctuation the "&" key, and for the prosigns the "*" key. F. Controlling Super Morse 1. The ESC Key At any time code is being sent, the current operation can be aborted by pressing the <ESC> key. A positive indication is given by a beep sound (unless previously turned off by the user) and a large right pointer printed on the screen. In some functions it is necessary to press another key to continue as indicated on the message line. The <ESC> can be used to abort any time a user input is requested. 2. The Function Keys The function keys are active at any input prompt, and while code is being sent. They are defined as follows: F1 - Decrease SEND Speed F2 - Increase SEND Speed F3 - Decrease CHAR Speed F4 - Increase CHAR Speed F5 - Decrease WORD Speed F6 - Increase WORD Speed F7 - Decrease Speaker Tone F8 - Increase Speaker Tone F9 - Set SEND, CHAR, and WORD to Same Speed F10 - Hide/Unhide Text The operations performed by these keys are discussed in more detail in several of the following sections. 3. The ALT and Other Control Keys The following ALT and other keys are available: ALT-C - Clear the screen (not active during menu presenatation) ALT-H - Help ALT-S - Define character set ALT-T - Toggle tone split ALT-Z - Toggle zoom mode HOME - Control key help 4. The Code Speed The code speed can be set at any input prompt, and while code is being sent, using the function keys as follows: F1 - Decrease SEND Speed F2 - Increase SEND Speed F3 - Decrease CHAR Speed F4 - Increase CHAR Speed F5 - Decrease WORD Speed F6 - Increase WORD Speed F9 - Set SEND, CHAR, and WORD to Same Speed You can set the speed at which the character is sent separately from the overall send speed (the Farnsworth method). For example, you can set the send speed at a slow speed but the character speed can be set to send the characters using shorter DITS and DAHS which are equivalent to a much faster send speed. This is a highly recommended way to increase your speed since you will know the sound of the characters at the higher speed from the beginning. This method has been found to alleviate the "hump" that many people reach at 10 words per minute. You can also set the word speed separately from send and character speed. This permits you to learn the sounds of whole words sent at high speeds but spaced at a slower speed. The minimum code speed is permitted by Super Morse is 3 wpm, and the maximum is 99 wpm (good luck with that setting!). The send speed and character speeds are coupled so that the send speed will never exceed the character speed. Also in the speed test mode, the word speed will automatically be set to the send speed so that the test is valid. In addition, upon entry into the Learn phase, the send and word speeds are set to 5 wpm, and the character speed to 13 wpm. 5. The Oscillator Tone The oscillator tone can be set to suit your tastes sent with the function keys as follows: F7 - Decrease Speaker Tone F8 - Increase Speaker Tone The minimum tone is 400 Hz., and the maximum is 1200 Hz. Unfortunately the volume of the PC speaker cannot be changed. Some tones are reproduced by the PC speaker better than others, however, and they seem louder. The author has found that about 500 Hz. is optimum for tone and volume. 6. Splitting the DIT and DAH Tones The tones for sending DITs and DAHs are normally the same. However, as an additional aid in distinguishing between the two, Super Morse permits you to split the two tones such that the DAH is 10 Hz. lower than the DAH. The split is automatically chosen for Lessons <1>-<4> of the learn phase. Otherwise you can toggle the split using the ALT-S key combination. 7. Hiding the Text If you want to hide the text so that you are not tempted to peek while copying, press the F10 key. Pressing F10 again reverses the effect. The current status is displayed on the status line. With some functions the text will be hidden regardless of the setting of the hide subcommand. The hide feature remembers up to 1792 characters sent when the text is hidden. When the text is unhidden, these characters are printed on the screen as they would have appeared if the had not been hidden. 8. Zoom Mode Certain functions in the Build phase may be exercised using the zoom mode. In this mode a specified number of characters is sent at specified starting speed, and then the send speed is bumped up by 1 WPM. This process is repeated until a specified ending speed is reached. The character speed may also be specified. When the zoom mode is active in a function, the user is asked to specify the starting speed, the ending speed, the character speed, and the number of characters at each speed. 9. Repeating Characters In the <L>earn phase, characters can be repeated at any prompt by pressing the <SPACE> bar. 10. Clearing the Screen The screen may be cleared any time the screen is active (i.e., no menu is showing) by pressing the ALT-C key combination; 11. Control Key Help The definitions of the function keys and ALT keys can be displayed at any menu by pressing the HOME key. 12. Exiting Super Morse Super Morse may be exited from the main menu using the e<X>it command. If program parameters have been changed, the user will be given an opprotunity to save the new ones. G. The Super Morse Tools 1. The Tools in General Super Morse provides several tools to configure Super Morse. The Tools menu is as follows: +------------------------------------------+ | | | CALIBRATE CONFIGURE | | ---------------- ---------------------- | | <A>uto Calibrate eep <V>ideo | | <S>peed Test <C>olors <W>eight | | <T>iming <M>anual Key | | | +------------------------------------------+ 2. Code Speed/Timing in General Code speed is an elusive measure since it varies with the type of material being sent. The average plain text word is 50 units (DIT times) long, which is the length of the standard text word PARIS. On the other hand, the average 5 letter random character group is 60 units long, which is the length of the standard random character group word CODEX. This is easily understood once it is realized that plain English text has a disproportionate number of E's and T's, which are the shortest characters in Morse code. In fact the Morse code was designed so that the most frequent characters used the shorter code sequences. The net effect of this difference is that the DITS and DAHS in 5 letter random code groups should sound about 20% faster than those in plain text event though the total number of characters is the same. The PARIS method is used for all but the uild/<G>roups function where the CODEX method is used. As a consequence that function will seem to be faster than the other functions, but that is the way it should be. 3. Determining the Present Code Speed - the <S>peed Command When you install Super Morse, and when you add or remove memory resident programs, you will need to check the speed calibration and reset the timing is it is incorrect. The timing of the code in Super Morse is initially set assuming a computer clock speed of 4.77 MHz and a NEC V20 replacement for the 8088 microprocessor. To use the <S>peed command, set the send and word speeds to a high but convenient speed such as 20 wpm. Then count the number of times the word PARIS is sent in one minute. A watch or a clock with a sweep second hand is required. Be sure that you include the time required by the word space in the last PARIS, i.e., do not stop your timing until the beginning of the 21st PARIS is you are using 20 wpm as a standard for example. If the speed is incorrect, change the timing factor using the <T>iming command and repeat the speed test until the number of time PARIS is sent in one minute matches the indicated send speed in the parameters line at the bottom of the screen. 4. Changing the Timing Factor - the <T>iming Command If the speed determined using the <S>peed command is incorrect, the <T>iming command is used to change the timing factor. To decrease code speed, increase the value of the timing factor, and vice versa. Use the <S>peed Test option and a clock with a sweep second hand to test the speed resulting from a new setting. Keep changing the factor until the proper code speed in attained. With a clock speed of 4.77 HMz. and with no memory resident programs installed, the author has found that a timing factor of around 1220 is necessary. 5. Automatic Calibration - the <A>uto Calibrate Command You can use the <A>uto Calibrate feature to automatically set the timing factor to APPROXIMATELY the correct setting. Due to vagaries of the PC clock, this method may be off by several percent. This may be fine for general use, but before relying upon the speed as when preparing for your code test, you should manually calibrate the speed as described in the preceding paragraph. This feature is a good way to start the calibration process described above. You should ALWAYS check the code speed for your computer before relying upon Super Morse. 4. Selecting the Video Type - the <V>ideo Command At program invocation Super Morse will determine the video type. However, this can be changed if necessary (e.g., you have two video cards installed) with the <T>ools command, <V>ideo Type subcommand. Screen colors will automatically be set for the selected video card. 5. Setting Screen Colors - the <C>olors Command The colors of the screen, the windows, and the highlighting can be set to suit your taste using the <T>ools command and the <C>olors subcommand when the Tools menu window appears. 6. Controlling the Prompt Sound - the eep Command The 'diddle' prompt sound can be turned on and off using the <T>ools command and the eep subcommand. 7. Selecting the Manual Send Key - the <M>anual Command The Build phase provides the ability to use a PC key as a manual Morse code sender. The ALT key is the default, but since memory resident programs often use the ALT key as a hot key Super Morse Tools permit the user to select either the ALT, CTRL, Left SHIFT, or Right SHIFT for the manual key. 8. Code <W>eighting Normally a DAH is 3 times as long as a DAH. This is called code weighting. In some instances it is useful to change the weighting to some other ratio. Super Morse permits the weighting to be set to either 2,3,4,5, or 6. Since this feature should be used only in narrowly defined situation, Super Morse reinitializes to a weight of 3 each time the program is run. In addition, at present changing the weight from the weight used for speed calibration causes a very slight change in speed. Thus, you should always calibrate speed at a weigting of 3, and understand that speeds at other weightings may be off by 1 WPM or so. H. Super Morse Files 1. The Configuration File The most recently used values for code timing, code speed, oscillator tone, screen graphics type, screen colors, etc., are contained in the SM.CFG file. If this file is not found when the Super Morse is first run, it will be created. The code speed and oscillator tone can be changed using the function keys as defined in a later section at any input prompt, and at any time code is being sent. The user is given the opportunity to save the new settings when the program is exited using the <X> command in the main menu. The default values for code timing, code speed, screen graphics type, screen colors, and prompt sound can be changed using the <T>ools command in the main menu. 2. Customizing the Super Morse Data Files The data files having an "SM" extension can be customized to suit your tastes using a word processor or text editor. This is described more fully elsewhere in this manual.