I found by accident on Google the website that give information and a download link to MorseLearner, always looking for something better, I download it and try it out.  sure enough, I am pretty sure this is the best Morse Code teacher & Tutor Ive have seen yet!  There is the software by NuMorse but at $30 to $35 for software Id rather try to find a freeware option.  You should also check out G4FON but as far as I am concerned, my future of learning to sucessfully decode CW by ear, MorseLearner has won me over hands down!

A mirror of the software can be found here:
http://rogertango.com/files/morselearner.zip 

A visual demonstration of what a 500hz CW filter does to the audio.  It is a passband filter, it will allow only audio within a specific range to pass through the filter.  For example, a 500hz filter will allow only '500hz' of audio spectrum to be heard after going through it.  As you may be able to see on the video, this particular filter is actually closer to 600hz bandwith, it starts at 300hz and ends at 900hz, thus 600hz of bandwith.  Everything below 300hz of audio, and above 600hz of audio is rejected by the filter. Since the only thing we really need to hear in a CW QSO is the station we are working a CW filter rejects all the QRM above and below that target area.  Typically, CW stations transmit at 600hz audio tone, some set there stations to transmit at 700hz audio tone.  Both fit within the range of this filter, inside 300hz to 900hz.

SpecTran is a software audio spectrum analyzer, it is also able to do filtering but the best I can get it to do is with about 250ms delay in processing, not quite fast enough to be called "real time". 

I have a Lionel J-38 on permaloan from K4SR so when I got back into ham radio I decided to put it to good use.  Then I got fed up seeing it look old and tired.  So a little refresh was in line for it!

It was worth the work to fix it up, and it functions wonderfully.  I still use this key. 

This video has been done to death by now, but... still has a good entertainment factor.

The military aspect of Morse Code is very interesting to me.

 Enjoy

I found this video and knew it should be shared...

 Enjoy

Maybe I am too addicted to CW :-)

The radio sound is my message notice.

Enjoy a blast from the past!

I find Morse Code amazing.  Okay, some may be thinking, simple things for simple minds.  But Morse Code IS amazing! The fact that you can send messages from one party to another using a very simplistic form of sounds for dots and dashes, way cool.  But I came from a childhood of being amazed at technology.  A cool set of walkie talkies with a Morse Code feature was on my list of stuff that I just really had to have, even though I did not have the dedication to learn Morse Code.

As I matured, I finally got on HF.  The first ever contact I made was with my Tech+ privledges at midnight UTC of the code drop.  I did some hacked up CQ call with a J-38 key that was permaloaned to me by Dick Bishop, K4SR and a Kenwood TS-120S that I got off ebay.  Little did I know that first contact would be a pivotal point for the rest of my ham hobby.  

 I tried some of the other modes, PSK-31 some RTTY and a lot of SSB.  But, I kept coming back to Morse Code.  I realized this was what made me have something in common with millions of hams before me, and a direct link to radio of old, when CW was the only means of communication. As time went by, I graduated to a Bencher BY-1 key and an MFJ keyer.  I also upgraded to a Kenwood TS-440S/AT and finally to a really modern radio, the Icom IC-718.  I just addeda 500khz CW filter from W4RT and then, a K8RA P2 key.  I also find myself working CW about 95% of the time, with a few PSK contacts thrown in for variety.  I do also enjoy the digital modes, and plan to write on that later.  But now when I work CW, I have a really nice rig with a fine filter and a great key!

I read a lot of pro and con CW post on the web and I can only think to myself, it is really a shame that these ops cannot feel the same as I do about CW.  To ignore this mode is almost a crime.  I dont expect everyone to jump on the CW wagon and go for a ride for the full trip, but everyone should have a good key and some basic CW skills.