Morse Trainer For Mac

Posted on 21-04-2021 by admin

Briefly back in Farnborough again, I joined another evening class led by Colin, G3XUU, to learn Morse code and in November 1976, finally passed the Morse test at a coastal radio station in Southampton and upgraded to my Class A license, G4FON.
Morse Mania Morse Mania is a morse code tutor for the Macintosh. Morse Mania provides the following three modules to help you learn morse code: Learn Characters, Guess a Character, Copy Groups. Morse v.1.0 Cross-platform trainer and library for Morse Code. Features two parts: GUI Morse trainer, and Python library. Library can be downloaded.

Now click on 'Record Text File' in the 'Files' menu of the Morse Trainer and a window should open as in the image below. The runtime creation of the speech synthesiser in the hope that the software will run under Wine and WineBottler on a Mac; Version 10.6.4 released 29 August 2020. Morse Code learning software, get cw exams ham radio morse code category is a curation of 64 web resources on, CW Freak.NET, Morse Machine, CW Forever - CW Training Software. Resources listed under Morse Code category belongs to Software main collection,. AD5RX Morse Trainer 1.0 for Mac is free to download from our application library. AD5RX Morse Trainer for Mac belongs to Education Tools. Our antivirus check shows that this Mac download is malware free. The actual developer of this free software for Mac is Jon Nall.

Version 10

With a new look and enhanced functionality, I am pleased to announce Version 10 of my CW trainer is here:

Since it first became available back in 2002, my Morse trainer has been downloaded countless times. I used to request a QSL card as a download acknowledgement and the software has achieved DXCC Honor Roll in its right over the years.

As well as the QSL cards, I have had lots and lots of intesting conversations with different people about their learning methods and successes and failures. This has given me a lot of insight into how we learn Morse and it has become clear that Morse is a language just like French or German. This means that the language learning skills are just as applicable to Morse as they are to French or German, for example.

In 2018 I was invited to give a lecture at the RSGB Convention about techniques for learing Morse which was recorded by the RSGB and they have given me permission to reproduce it here. As well as giving useful tips on learning Morse, the video talks about the operation of the new version and which is, I am told, well worth watching.

One of the more effective ways of learning to copy conversational Morse in your head is not by listening to random words, but by listening to whole sentences. And what better way to do that than listening to an audio book in Morse Code?

Version 9 was able to convert text to Morse, but this version makes it even simpler. Note, that like many other options, this one only becomes available once you have learned all of the built in characters and any that you have defined yourself.

To get started, visit The Gutenberg Press , chose a book from their large selection and download it in 'Plain Text UTF-8' format.

Next open the downloaded text file in Notepad and remove any text which does not form part of the story, for example the index, and which you would not wish to listen to. Make sure that you save the file as ANSI and not UTF-8 for the software to work correctly.

Now click on 'Record Text File' in the 'Files' menu of the Morse Trainer and a window should open as in the image below:

Finally either drag the text file of the book onto the popup window or use the File button and browse to it.

You should see the window turn red and the progress bar move steadily across the window as the Audio Book is created. You have the option to create an MP3 file for an MP3 file player or a WAV file if you want to burn the result onto a CD.

You should now have a Morse Audio version of your chosen book to listen to. It will be in the same folder as the original text file.

I have found and also had it confirmed to me that you should listen to the book for several hours as you go about your daily routine. You do not have to concentrate all the time on the Morse as your subconscious brain is working hard to learn what it hears.

Oh, and by the way, if you simply want to listen to a text file in Morse Code, drag it onto the main window and it will be sent for you with each word appearing in the output window after it is sent. Again, this only works after you have learned all of the built in characters and any that you may have defined.

One of the new features of Version 10 is the Sending Trainer which becomes available once you have learned the 40 built in Morse characters and any new ones you may have defined.

My philosophy in designing this addition to the software is firstly that words should be presented to you as closely as they would come into your head during a QSO and secondly that you should be using your radio's keyer for practicing as this replicates exactly how you would send Morse during a QSO.

To achieve the first goal, the software will speak words to you. That way you have to work out the spelling in your head - exactly as you would do on the air.

To achieve the second goal you will need to connect the sidetone from you radio to your PC's sound card input. Adjust the input level until you see approximately the same display as the screenshot above. There are two windows of interest, the oscilloscope display of the incoming signal and the FFT display showing the pitch of the sidetone.

Once you are all connected up, choose a practice speed, the number of attempts you want to make to send the word back and finally the words you want to practice and away you go.

The software will speak a word which you must then send back correctly to move on to the next word. As you finish each letter it will be echoed in the main window. If you make an error then the word will be spoken again and if your Morse does not match any of the characters you have learned then the dots and dashes will be displayed to help you.

Microsoft supplies a number of different voices with Window and you have an uption to select the voice that suits you best.

At any time you can ask for the word to be spoken again by sending a ? and to move on to the next random word, send a /.

You can also use the software to read the Morse that you send which will appear in the window. Note that the software is not designed to read Morse off-air!

I had originally planned to play the Morse sidetone from your keyer to the sound card output, but I soon discovered a Windows limitation that I have not been able to resolve - the latency between the sound input card input and the sound card output. It amounts to about a dot period at 25 WPM which makes it impossible to play back Morse sidetone into the headphones along with the spoke words and still make it usable.

This means that you will have to come up with a way to hear both the Morse and the spken words!

I shall be continuing in my research into this problem and if I do resolve it then I will obviously make the results available here.

It has come to my attention that there is a problem with running the software when it is installed as a 'standard' user.
If you need to install the software by providing an administrator password then you will also need to run the software as that administrator for it to work correctly.
The problem is caused by the installer installing the data files under the administrator password's documents folder and not the standard user's documents folder.
A workaround is to copy the files from the administrator's account to the standard user account. Unless you do that, the software will not run correctly for anyone other tnan the administrator account.
I am currently looking into the problem and will update the web site if and when I have a solution.

Download the latest Version 10 release here!

Revision History

Version 10.3.1 released 16 March 2020

Fixed the Effective speed not being rememberd - thanks to Steve KK6VZE for reporting it.

Version 10.3.1 released 16 March 2020

Fixed shortcut error - thanks to Tony KE4MHP for reporting it.

Version 10.3.2 released 17 March 2020

Really fixed the Effective Speed error - thanks to David VK5PL for reporting it.
Also started using a new installer for the files, it may be worth uninstalling your current version before installing this version. No settings will be lost by uninstalling.

Version 10.3.3 released 21 March 2020

Added back the QSO selector which somehow got lost - thanks José EA5VK for reporting it.
Also updated the button hints to show that greyed out buttons will become active when all characters have been learned.

Version 10.3.4 released 22 March 2020>

Text files with accented characters were not play the accented characters correctly - thanks José EA5VK for reporting it.
Note that you need to store the text file as ANSI and not UTF-8 for this feature to work correctly.

Version 10.3.5 released 23 March 2020

Tidied up text files with accented characters so that characters can be defined in either case - thanks again José EA5VK for reporting it. Note that the characters will display in the case that they were defined in and not in the case in the file.

Version 10.3.6 released 31 March 2020

Sending Trainer now respeaks the word every two seconds until you start sending - thanks to Paul KW1L for the suggestions.
Sending Trainer help reworded

Version 10.3.7 released 10 April 2020

Sending Trainer setup is now via the Setup menu item with the Sending Trainer window active. More voice configurations available now - thanks to Paul KW1L for the suggestions.
Fixed a bug where the displayed order of sent words was not correct if you invoked the Display Delay option - thanks to Dave VK5PL for spotting that one.
From this version onwards the Word and QSO files have moved to a folder below 'My Documents', if you have created any special files they will need moving to the new folder.

Version 10.3.8 released 13 April 2020

Changed the button logic for the Words and QSO buttons so that it is possible to browse for a file.
Fixed a bug where the Voice selector in the Sending setup grew each time the window was opened.

Version 10.3.9 released 15 April 2020

Added shortcuts to the Start, Stop, Words and QSO buttons - thanks to Dan KA4DAN for the suggestion.

Version 10.4.1 released 12 May 2020

Added an upper case option to the main text display popup menu - thanks to Rich N1ZSC for the suggestion.
Allowed Effective Speed to modify the length of the interword spaces when creating recorded files - thanks to Dan KG7DAB for the suggestion.

Version 10.4.2 released 14 May 2020

Noticed a coding error in the Text File to Morse converter.

Version 10.4.3 released 20 May 2020

Added an option to allow the QRM Generator to run a simulated contest as the QRM Source. Configurable in the Setup menu - thanks to the Long Island CW Club for the suggestion.

Version 10.4.4 released 9 June 2020

In the continuing to improve the Sending Trainer, you can now set the Pitch of the voice which speaks the words.

Version 10.4.5 released 20 June 2020

Added a new Phases button in addition to Words for both sending and receiving training - thanks to John G3WKL for the suggestion and Kurt AD0WE for the files.
About Box now checks to see if there are updates available and offers a link to download them.

Version 10.4.6 released 21 June 2020

Internal release.

Koch Morse Trainer For Mac

Version 10.4.7 released 29 June 2020

Cleaned up the Phrase button code for sending and receiving.
Tab order and Alt key cleanup for blind users - thanks to Sam W2JDB for his support.

Version 10.4.8 released 8 July 2020

Fixed a couple of typos - thanks to Bill WA2FCN.
Changed the character learning order to bring it into line with other software - thanks to Rich K2UPS for the suggestion.

Version 10.5.2 released 15 July 2020

Added a Morse menu showing the toolbar shortcuts to assist blind hams - thanks to Howard WA9TOP.
Fixed a bug from the character order change in 10.4.8 where a lower case v sent a comma, but upper case V was okay.
Fixed a long term bug in the Common Words setup which remained disabled after all the characters had been learnt- thanks to George K4EOR
Changing the CW Pitch 'on the fly' now also changes the QRM pitch - thanks to Howard WA9TOP.

Version 10.5.3 released 22 July 2020

Bug where text files will not play after a phrases file has been played - thanks to Barry K6ZGW.

Version 10.6.3 released 23 August 2020

Tap the Spacebar to pause and unpause a session (toggle action) - thanks to Steve, N5EP for twisting my arm into doing it!
More support for accented characters in the text to Morse conversion - thanks to Med CN8YR for his help with this.
Note that text files must be stored as ANSI and not UTF-8.
Changed the runtime creation of the speech synthesiser in the hope that the software will run under Wine and WineBottler on a Mac

Version 10.6.4 released 29 August 2020

Words and Phrases do not start again after one session - thanks to Barry K6ZGW for spotting that one.

Version 10.6.5 released 31 August 2020

Really fixed Words and Phrases not starting again after one session this time - thanks to Barry K6ZGW for his help fixing it.

I am always looking for user feedback, suggested modifications and improvements - email me with yours!

Keep checking back for updates!

Last Updated: 31 August 2020

Morse Code Trainer For Mac

K2II	Rating:	2018-10-09
FB CW tutor!			Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Koch Method CW Trainer for Windows is a superior CW tutor. The program is sleek, runs perfectly and is quite easy and intuitive to use. If you are serious about learning CW or increasing your speed (I am targeting 30 WPM), the Koch method is a winner. Koch method sends charaters faster than the selected speed. You learn the 'sound' of a character rather than stumbling with dits and dahs. There are lots of options, lots of variables. I recommend KISS. You cannot beat the price and it is a real gift to all folks wanted to join the world of CW or enhanced their code proficiency. A+ all the way!

KL1XB	Rating:	2005-09-30
great tool for learning code			Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
For freeware, this is an excellent tool for learning code. I would highly recommend this for anyone who wants to learn code quickly. I used this software to learn code at 7wpm but am going back to re-learn at 20wpm. This program also introduces you to the background noise one will find in actual on-air code copying. Do yourself a favor and if you want to learn code download this product.

K0JEG	Rating:	2005-06-23
lots of customization, easy to use			Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
If you take a few minutes and figure out the program, it is a great tool for learning morse code. Like most free software, it may not stick to normal Windows stylesheets, but don't let that get in your way. The program allows you to set up code speed from 1 to 50 wpm, with the actual character speed from 15 to 50 wpm. This allows you to learn at a higher rate than you would expect, and (for me) makes it much easier to hear the groups of dots and dashes that make up a letter. You can start up with 2 characters and add more each session or when you have mastered the current letters. I have been seeing what the newest letter is, just choosing that letter for a few minutes to get used to the sound, and then incorporating the already mastered letters. This seems to work very well for me. This is actually done by changing the number of letters on the main screen, clicking on the setup button and unchecking the already learned letters. When you feel you have a good tone memory for the new letter, just go back into setup and select all the letters for the session. It is very easy once you get used to it. You can also reduce the signal strength, add noise, and other QRM. Once you have mastered the alphabet, it will let you load up text files for practice. Until then, you get random letter combinations. This seems like it is a very good way to learn code. The random letter generator is random enough to not let you anticipate the next character, and I really like the idea of being able to load up text files once I get to that point.

AC0H	Rating:	2005-06-23
Great Software			Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is the CW software to use. It uses the Koch method of learning CW. The Koch method teaches CW one or two characters at a time at full speed. You don't add characters till your copying the previous at 90-95%. Using this method there is no more '10 wpm wall' that's usually associated with the Farnsworth method. The newer versions of the program will also do Farnsworth but if you want to get good at CW, stick with the Koch method. Since the re-structuring and the dropping of the CW requirement to 5wpm a lot of people using the program will be tempted to set the learning speed just fast enough to pass the test. If you have any intention of doing CW on the air, challenge yourself to learn at 25-30wpm. You'll enjoy the on air CW experience a lot more. The last reviewer had some trouble with the program. Yes, the program is late displaying the character being sent but learning CW is a decidedly aural activity. The program sends you K and M as the first two letters. If you'd like you can go into setup and turn one of those two off buy removing the check mark next to the letter. You have full control over which letters are being added to the lessons. This is great software for learning and building speed for CW. If this software and the Koch method had been around longer, maybe we wouldn't have had all of the frustrating experiences learning CW with the Farnsworth method. Ham Radio was done a great dis-service when Farnsworth was selected as the defacto method.

AB0UK	Rating:	2005-06-23
Confusing			Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Looks like a lot of effort has been put into this program. It looks nice on the screen. However, it is confusing and especially to someone that doesn't know any code. It will work better for those who already know code and are trying to increase their speed. The problem is that it just starts sending code without telling you what letter(s)it is sending. The letters do appear on the screen after they are sent but they appear exactly at the same time as the next letter is sent. The letters appearng on the screen are exactly one letter late. So if a different letter is sent than the one before then you probably will associate the wrong letter with the wrong sound. That was my experience when first trying to learn what each letter sounded like. I found it very confusing and went back to CD's and tapes. Jim, AB0UK

KD5NCX	Rating:	2005-06-22
Very effective			Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I finally decided to upgrade from Tech to General a few months ago. I wanted to get the code out of the way first since that was the part of the upgrade process that intimidated me. I had made an attempt to learn the code about 3 years ago, but with little progress and decided it just wasn't going to happen. When I made my mind up to have another go at it, I decided software might help more than just repetitive CDs. It did. This program is really great. I put in about half an hour a day (for seven weeks) and passed my code test at HamCom this June (2005). When using this software, you are supposed to move on the next character when you get 90% accuracy copying the generated code, but I set 95% as a personal standard and it did the trick. I realize 7 weeks is not exactly fast by most standards, but I was very pleased to actually learn the code at all. I have since passed the written exam, so my upgrade tasks are done. I should probably mention that I got into amateur radio later than average (in my late forties) didn't have the learning advantage of a fresh young mind.

W4YA	Rating:	2004-02-09
I recommend it.			Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The G4FON CW Trainer is excellent. I use it to improve my keyboard copy for contests. I always recommend it to those who want to improve their CW skill. Thanks Ray for your fantastic program!!! There is none better in my opinion.

KI4ABS	Rating:	2004-02-09
Why pay more for anything else?			Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I went about the task of upgrading my license from Tech to General. After just breaking into amateur radio, I knew nothing about morse code...period. I bought the ARRL practice CDs, and they were helpful, but after a while, they became useless because you knew what characters were coming up. This program eliminated that problem, and assisted me in learning the code. Why spend the money for the CDs, when this program will do everything and ten times over more what the CDs will for absolutely nothing? I wish there were more programs as good as this one. Now, I'm going to use this same program to increase my speed and start working DX with CW.

SM5JAB	Rating:	2003-06-12
Great program! Use it!			Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have taken over the task of teaching CW in our local ham group. Remembering how hard it was back in '77 when I started learning the code I wanted to try the new (actually it's quite old, but that's another story) Koch approach. After som web surfing I found G4FON's program and some initial tests was performed. Some small quirks appeared eg. the program's time did not exactly coincide with my clock's idea. However G4FON, Ray, was very quick in fixing the issues and a used the program to generate a complete CW course which I have used with success this spring. Being a Mac OS X user I could not use the program directly but had to record its output into 24 lessons which I use. This springs feedback has given me many more tips to incorporate into the lessons. I will feedback the ideas to Ray when they have settled. In all: I strongly recommend the program. It is easy to use and has QSB and noise possibilities too. The audio is quite nice to listen to, not harsh but mellow and not tiring. Having a windows computer would be a benefit though... /Micke PS. If you have not tried the Koch method then do not hesitate to do so. Many oldtimers claim that the 'good old way' (aka Farnswoth method) is the only way, but that is simply not correct. I have seen the Koch method work wonders. I can't imagine it's a one time fluke.

KG4VCG	Rating:	2002-11-16
Great resource!			Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I began using Ray’s program two months before I passed the general test this past September and relied on it exclusively. I had looked at other programs downloadable on the internet, but after using the trial programs online, I found Ray’s program to be the simplest to download and use. (I was intrigued with one other program, but it was Java-driven. I was baffled by the download and execution instructions.) Ray’s program is free, another endearing feature. I appreciate and understand the Koch theory, but ditched it when my learning curve and impending test date failed to coincide. I fell back on the Farnsworth method which the program also readily serves. The program initially had some annoying traits such as losing character settings when toggling back and forth between set-up and execution screens. It also failed to include prosigns, and if one wanted to study a number of specific characters at a time, one had to uncheck one at a time the undesired characters from the set-up screen’s 40 characters, leaving the desired characters for study. Ray recruits feedback and suggestions for improvement and constantly implements changes. Since discovering his program in July, it has had two significant upgrades. The current version allows the addition of characters, such as prosigns, and one can now with one click, check or uncheck the forty standard characters and leisurely check-off individual characters to study. The character settings are no longer lost toggling between the two screens. Speed changes will alter character settings, but with the ease of adding or subtracting characters, character selection is no longer the time consuming chore it once was. In addition, there are now more choices of character speeds and effective wpm speeds. Other features are emulation of straight key or iambic modes, qsb, qrm, chirp and volume level. There are two libraries of European qso’s as well as a file of 500 common words. One can also import text files. Also available for download at Ray’s site is a program developed by another ham. The auxiliary program checks typed copy for accuracy. Ray’s feature rich program is intuitive without complications of multiple, obtuse menus. Amateurs throughout the world owe a debt of gratitude to Ray for his ongoing, unselfish effort in preserving the art and craft of CW operation and education. And did I say it was also free?

Morse Code Trainer Online

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