{"id":44476,"date":"2020-07-24T11:20:08","date_gmt":"2020-07-24T15:20:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=44476"},"modified":"2020-07-24T11:20:08","modified_gmt":"2020-07-24T15:20:08","slug":"upping-my-cw-pile-up-game-with-morse-runner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/07\/upping-my-cw-pile-up-game-with-morse-runner\/","title":{"rendered":"Upping my CW pile-up game with Morse Runner"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I mentioned in a previous post<\/a> that I’ve been practicing my CW (Morse Code) skills in an effort to build confidence to do a Parks On The Air (POTA) CW activation.<\/p>\n

But how in the world do you practice handling a CW pile-up without actually going on the air–?<\/p>\n

I’m glad you asked!<\/p>\n

My DXing and contest friends have often touted an amazing free PC application developed by Alex Shovkoplyas (VE3NEA) called Morse Runner<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Morse Runner\u2019s goal is simple: teach you how to manage a CW pile-up.<\/p>\n

In short? It\u2019s incredibly effective!<\/p>\n

When you start a Morse Runner session, the application emulates the sound and atmosphere of the HF bands in CW mode (meaning, a narrower filter setting). It\u2019s very<\/em> convincing.<\/p>\n

Instead of using a key to send a CQ, the Morse Runner interface emulates a contest logging system where a computer generates your CQ and sends the signal report you record for a station.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Screenshot of Morse Runner (click to enlarge)<\/p><\/div>\n

You simply set a few parameters like your call sign, max CW speed, pitch, and bandwidth, then press the \u201crun\u201d button and call CQ by pressing the F1 key on your keyboard.<\/p>\n

Within a few CQ calls, you\u2019ll hear anywhere from one to several stations answer your CQ (depending on your settings). Your job is to then start logging those stations accurately from the pile-up. If you reply with an incorrect call, the other station will repeat their call until you correct it.<\/p>\n

Morse runner has band condition settings you can select like: QRN, QRM, Flutter, QSB and–yes–even LIDs.<\/p>\n

Quite often I’ll accurately reply to a weak station and they’ll send “AGN?” and I repeat their report until they copy it.<\/p>\n

Morse Runner is so convincing that when I\u2019m in the middle of a big pile-up, I honestly forget I\u2019m communicating with a computer application! I get some of the same excitement and the–let’s be frank–anxiety<\/em> I would get on the air during a live CW pile-up.<\/p>\n

If you select the “LIDs” Band Conditions setting, it\u2019ll crack you up with how accurately it portrays annoying operators who either deliberately or unintentionally try to interfere!<\/p>\n

Here’s sample audio from a session this morning:<\/p>\nhttps:\/\/archive.org\/download\/200724-112553\/200724-112553.MP3<\/a><\/audio>\n

The screen shot above shows the settings I used for this very tame session with no large pile-ups. If you’re a seasoned CW contester, pump up the speed and the activity level then you’ll feel like you’re on the Heard Island DXpedition!<\/p>\n

In short: Morse Runner is giving me the courage to do my first CW park activation. I highly recommend it!<\/p>\n

Click here to check out Morse Runner and download.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I mentioned in a previous post that I’ve been practicing my CW (Morse Code) skills in an effort to build confidence to do a Parks On The Air (POTA) CW activation. But how in the world do you practice handling a CW pile-up without actually going on the air–? I’m glad you asked! My DXing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[545,3],"tags":[90,8689,8688,7786],"class_list":["post-44476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ham-radio","category-news","tag-cw","tag-cw-practice","tag-morse-runner","tag-pota"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-bzm","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1308,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2011\/07\/passion-for-morse-code-night-of-nights-featured-in-ny-times\/","url_meta":{"origin":44476,"position":0},"title":"Passion for Morse Code, Night of Nights featured in NY Times","author":"Thomas","date":"July 15, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Many of you reading the SWLing Post are not only passionate shortwave radio listeners, but also amateur radio operators. My love of shortwave radio listening eventually led me to obtain my ham radio license, and as a result, to learn about Morse code. I had always admired Morse code--a.k.a. CW\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Current Events"","block_context":{"text":"Current Events","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/current-events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/BegaliSimplexPro-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":16020,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/12\/morse-code-training-in-the-air-force\/","url_meta":{"origin":44476,"position":1},"title":"Morse code training in the Air Force","author":"Thomas","date":"December 10, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post reader,\u00a0Pete Carron (W3DKV) who writes: \"Thought you might be interested in the following article from Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas, posted May 20, 2015.\u00a0Apparently Morse Code still isn\u2019t dead, not even in the military!\" Morse code training moving to Goodfellow GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":" (U.S. Air Force photo by Kemberly Groue)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/111116-F-BD983-002.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/111116-F-BD983-002.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/111116-F-BD983-002.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":44495,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/07\/parks-on-the-air-finally-biting-the-cw-bullet\/","url_meta":{"origin":44476,"position":2},"title":"Parks On The Air: Finally biting the CW bullet!","author":"Thomas","date":"July 26, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I mentioned in a previous post that one of my Social DX goals was to activate a Parks On The Air (POTA) site in CW (Morse Code). Mission accomplished! Yesterday, I mustered up the nerve and drove to the Blue Ridge Parkway (site K-3378 in POTA). My wife and kids\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "HD Radio"","block_context":{"text":"HD Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/hd-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/IMG_9510.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/IMG_9510.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/IMG_9510.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/IMG_9510.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/IMG_9510.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":224,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2009\/04\/google-commemorates-218th-anniversary-of-samuel-morse%e2%80%99s-birthday\/","url_meta":{"origin":44476,"position":3},"title":"Google commemorates 218th anniversary of Samuel Morse\u2019s birthday","author":"Thomas","date":"April 27, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"We woke up this morning to find the homepage of search engine, Google, in morse code. What a great way to commemorate Samuel Morse's birthday. In case you missed this special Google Doodle, check out the screen capture below. _ _. _.._ Google! Why not learn morse code and add\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"googleincw","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/qrper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/googleincw-300x159.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":44810,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/08\/vals-morse-code-videos-and-practice-sessions\/","url_meta":{"origin":44476,"position":4},"title":"Val’s Morse Code videos and practice sessions","author":"Thomas","date":"August 14, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Valery Titievsky, who writes: Perhaps it will be interesting to SWLing Post subscribers. A short video for those wishing to improve their skills in Morse code. Poem by George Byron \"Prometheus\u00bb. https:\/\/youtu.be\/1IqrzQl4nGc The channel also has lessons in studying Morse code and a few\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Screen-Shot-2020-08-14-at-07.26.38.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Screen-Shot-2020-08-14-at-07.26.38.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Screen-Shot-2020-08-14-at-07.26.38.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Screen-Shot-2020-08-14-at-07.26.38.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61193,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/11\/carlos-illustrated-radio-listening-report-and-recording-of-the-russian-navy-in-cw-november-23-2024\/","url_meta":{"origin":44476,"position":5},"title":"Carlos\u2019 Illustrated Radio Listening Report and Recording of the Russian Navy in CW (November 23, 2024)","author":"Thomas","date":"November 24, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0contributor and noted political cartoonist,\u00a0Carlos Latuff, who shares\u00a0illustrated radio listening report of a recent transmission from the Russian Navy in Morse Code. Carlos notes: Part of CW (Morse) message from Russian Navy Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, frequency of 17615 kHz, listened in Florianopolis, Brazil, distance of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art"","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/art-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Latuff-Russian-Navy-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Latuff-Russian-Navy-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Latuff-Russian-Navy-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Latuff-Russian-Navy-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Latuff-Russian-Navy-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44476"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44476\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}