CW decoder by WD6CNF

[VK4WDM]

Is anyone using this program? Info: http://hotamateurprograms.com

It seems to work quite well, but I cannot get it to change from a "spectrum" to "waterfall" display. There is a box to tick for waterfall in the setup section but it does not change. It is very hard to detect weaker signals with the spectrum display.

Its probably something quite simple that I am missing but I do tend to be a bit thick with regard to computer programs

73

Wayne VK4WDM

[VK6ADF]

HI Wayne, no I don't use it but downloaded and installed to have a look. If you have ticked waterfall press the SCAN button on the top right hand side. The waterfall then started on my screen. Without pressing SCAN it stayed on spectrum display

[VK4DU]

Hang your heads in SHAME....

[VK6ADF]

Hang your heads in SHAME....

Hey, whats with the plural I don't use a CW program to decode CW. I just installed it to see where Wayne was going wrong.

Then again the only CW I decode are beacons but I do them with my head.

[VK4DU]

You pair should hand your full calls in....

[ZL1RS]

CWSkimmer is very good, but not free ......

Of the rest I tried, fldigi is good and has a waterfall display option which is very sensitive
(the display is sensitive, but it doesn't decode the weak stuff quite as well as CWSkimmer)

... but I can decode much weaker Morse code with my poor ears than either of them
... and my hearing is so bad that the wife is hinting at hearing aids 'cos I don't hear her
... maybe it hasn't occurred to her that I might prefer it that way

73 de anonymous (identity withheld so I don't get a stern word from VK4DU)

[VK4WDM]

I have no shame at all I used to be reasonably good on CW until I got an age-related hearing problem. I don't need 100% copy from the PC, just a back up when my ears let me down.

Now I consider cw to be just another digital mode! Do you guys try and read PSK in your head?

And thanks Bob. I did not spot that Yes, I have cw skimmer and Fldigi as well.

73

Wayne VK4WDM

[VK4WDM]

thanks Phil. I did not spot that

[VK6OX]

CWSkimmer is very good, but not free ......

Of the rest I tried, fldigi is good and has a waterfall display option which is very sensitive
(the display is sensitive, but it doesn't decode the weak stuff quite as well as CWSkimmer)

... but I can decode much weaker Morse code with my poor ears than either of them
... and my hearing is so bad that the wife is hinting at hearing aids 'cos I don't hear her
... maybe it hasn't occurred to her that I might prefer it that way

73 de anonymous (identity withheld so I don't get a stern word from VK4DU)

Another CW-skimmer ear augmenter here (or is that hear?) I tried pc-generated CW for a short while and failed dismally...
My paddle-transmitted cw is about as good as a 1 legged dog with Alzheimers and delirium tremens (maybe that's my problem.. ) so suck it up folks!!

Most rxd CW up to abt 20wpm in good condx I can decode aurally.

HNY (soon!)

[VK4WDM]

I don't use the pc for transmission. I use a K1EL K42 keyer using either paddles or keyboard, and for QRP where I tend to send slowly, I prefer a straight key. Its the Rx side that has the problem.

73

Wayne VK4WDM

[ZL1RS]

I had another play with WD6CNF software and couldn't get the water fall to run at the same time as the decoding function. Is that "how it is"? or what am I doing wrong?? Anyway, the waterfall is no where near as sensitive or "selective" as the fldigi waterfall (which is almost on par with Spectrum Lab ... or at least, with how I have SpecLab set up here), and the WD6CNF CW decoding is no where near as good as fldigi either (had both running simultaneously).

Narrowing down the receiver BW (50Hz DSP filter, or even just using the rig's built in CW peaking filter) improved the fldigi CW copy even further, but still no where near as good as my ears (which suffer from continual tinnitus and almost total loss of frequencies above 2kHz). I was copying ZL2WHO/b fine by ear when ever the signal was 6-10dB out of the noise on Spectrum Lab (bit hard to tell at that level with QSB), but only the odd correct letter appearing on fldigi. Once the signal was 15-20dB out of the noise fldigi was printing quite well ... mind you, if it were a DX station at that level I'd be sending 559 ... perhaps the years of CW EME in the 80's changed my perspective of what is a weak signal and what is good copy or not.

73, Bob ZL1RS

[VK6ADF]

I am a bit hesitant to reply to this thread anymore but the initial tryout I had with this software (BEFORE UNINSTALLING, take note Glenn ) I thought the same about the waterfall and decoding stopped while the waterfall was on. I was testing it with VK6RPH beacon and could not see it decode while the water was falling. Not a good waterfall display at all either.

IF I WAS going to use software to decode CW I would be choosing something else I think.

[VK3HJ]

Yes, a good ear for decoding morse is unbeatable by any current technology.
But some people don't have good ears.
Lance, I bet your (our) 'earin is not so acute as it was, before punishing our ears with low band static crashes, listening for the DX!
My hearing is still pretty good, but I do struggle with phone sometimes. I find CW much better to work with.
And when my hearing has gone, there's always the computer digital modes to continue with!
But it is interesting to know what is about, and how it works (or not).
73,
Luke VK3HJ

[VK4WDM]

couldn't get the water fall to run at the same time as the decoding function

I have the same trouble. I obviously has a few bugs, and I agree with Bob, not as good as Fldigi, and not as good as the Mk1 computer between the ears.

Although I blame my ears, a major contributer to my CW problem is that I, like may others, just let my skills slip. When I tried to get them back up later in life the hearing made the problem much worse. But I going to stick at re-learning - there is no excuse given the number of excellent training programs available these days. In my army days the radio ops went from 0 to 15wpm error free in 8 weeks of 4 hrs practice a day.

73

Wayne VK4WDM

[ZL1RS]

Thanks for the confirmation that WD6CNF decoder will not work with waterfall ... uninstalled.

SK

[ZL3RC]

My CW needs all the help it can get these days and Ive tried Fldigi, works well, but the other day I down loaded "Morse Decode" by HotPaw Productions.

This little app is by far the best Ive had a play with.

Nice auto settings but if you go and manually set things like BW and speed it makes a big difference to the decode.

Its a Mac OSX application and I think it cost about $4 well worth the $$. With this little app running I feel much more confident to have a go at some CW at more than my 9-10WPM

Roger ZL3THQ

[VK4TS]

I have most of these decoders on my shack PC although I uninstalled WD6CNF - it had a few ideosyncrasies I didn't like.

I use Skimmer for broadband decoding and for that it is excellent - I understand CW GET now has similar features to skimmer.

Writelog my preferred contesting software has two different CW decoders - multi-channel one and a single channel decoder. They are both good in their application.

With the majority there is a slight delay from when the brain has decoded the character to when the PC does but it is getting better (the PC that is) for accuracy I actually found WD6CNF one of the best.

When I setup the shack again I will run a full comparison of the various pieces and report back on accuracy under varying conditions - as they are decoding audio, using several MP3 samples, the test can be a simple pileup run at different levels , conversational CW and PC generated -

[VK4APN]

I have used many cw readers over the years including a Sinclair ZX81 machine code effort, MRP40? (had a different no. then) DOS version from the late 90's. Have also used some of the latest offerings as listed in previous msgs in this thread.
I thought I would chip in with a hardware effort that I have been playing with for several months - the K42 keyboard/keyer/reader from K1EL. Its an awful lot of "smarts" in a small box. Apart from the beautifully implemented keyer and/or keyboard function the reader side works extremely well, to be honest I didn't expect much, but it is damn good. It has excellent filtering, built in noise reduction and can be tweaked to allow for poor letter spacing. Also built the hardware reader from Cumbria designs it worked well too - but not as good as the K42.

[VK2FAK]

Hi all...

Thought I would use this thread instead of starting a new one...as the question is about CW decoding..

More about the software CW skimmer, I was interested in seeing how far a CW signal will go and in what directions....but what needs to be sent to be decoded by the software.

I know it has a few validation settings and most have been told not to use the lower setting....to avoid so called ..False positives.......does anyone know the required format for a CQ to be decoded......as far as I know its all about the numbers of time the callsign is sent....and a few other things I think...not sure.

John

[VK4WDM]

We should have a warning at the start of this thread "CW PURISTS DON'T READ, IT WILL BE DANGEROUS TO YOUR HEALTH."

My hearing is really bad, not just deafness, more like tinnitis - I hear a reverb, so I have no problem with the ethics of using decoders and I have several of them down loaded. I also have a K42 keyer/reader but I need to workout how to optimise it for decoding.

Keep the the discussion going, I am all ears!

73

Wayne VK4WDM