**Learning Morse Without Going Cross-Eyed - 9th Dec 2024**

Everyone insists Morse is super hard to learn  until you realise 
its just a binary tree pretending to be an alphabet.

A dot means go left. A dash means go right. 

That is literally the entire system. Once you see that, the whole 
thing stops being a memory test and becomes a map you walk through.

Here is the diagram of the flow:

(START)
  |
  +-- . --> E
  |          |
  |          +-- . --> I
  |          |          |
  |          |          +-- . --> S
  |          |          |          |
  |          |          |          +-- . --> H   (....)
  |          |          |          |
  |          |          |          +-- - --> V   (...-)
  |          |          |
  |          |          +-- - --> U
  |          |                     |
  |          |                     +-- . --> F   (..-.)
  |          |                     |
  |          |                     +-- - --> (unused)
  |          |
  |          +-- - --> A
  |                     |
  |                     +-- . --> R
  |                     |          |
  |                     |          +-- . --> L   (.-..)
  |                     |          |
  |                     |          +-- - --> (unused)
  |                     |
  |                     +-- - --> W
  |                                |
  |                                +-- . --> P   (.--.)
  |                                |
  |                                +-- - --> J   (.---)
  |
  +-- - --> T
             |
             +-- . --> N
             |          |
             |          +-- . --> D
             |          |          |
             |          |          +-- . --> B   (-...)
             |          |          |
             |          |          +-- - --> X   (-..-)
             |          |
             |          +-- - --> K
             |                     |
             |                     +-- . --> C   (-.-.)
             |                     |
             |                     +-- - --> Y   (-.--)
             |
             +-- - --> M
                        |
                        +-- . --> G
                        |          |
                        |          +-- . --> Z   (--..)
                        |          |
                        |          +-- - --> Q   (--.-)
                        |
                        +-- - --> O   (---)

Most people try to learn Morse the wrong way. They start by
memorising a chart of all the letters, which is about as
effective as memorising the phone book. You do not learn Morse
by memorising. You learn it by recognising patterns and rhythm.

The best way is this:

1. Learn that Morse is a binary choice every time. Dot goes left.
Dash goes right. Thats it. Every letter is just a sequence 
of left and right steps. Once you understand that, the 
alphabet stops being random.

2. When you decode, you are forced to actually hear the structure. 
Even if you are doing it by light, you most likely will make the
sound in your head (I did in the Navy!)
 
Your brain begins to match sound patterns to the little paths they
represent. Sending too early just makes you think about
timing instead of meaning.

3. Focus on the sound, not the symbols. Morse is auditory. 
If you learn it visually, you will struggle. A dot is a short
sound, a dash is a long sound. The rhythm is more important
than the timing. Experienced operators hear whole letters as
shapes, not individual beeps.

4. Learn small clusters, not isolated letters. E and T are 
opposites. I and A build on them. S, U, R, W build on those.
When you learn them in families, everything connects and 
becomes easier to remember.

5. Practice slow, but steady. Do not try to speed-run it.
Consistency matters more. A few minutes a day will get you there
faster than spending a full two hours. Little and often. 

6. Listen to real or simulated traffic as early as you can. 
Not all perfect tones. Real signals have wobble, static,
fading, and quirks. Getting used to that early makes you much
better in the long run.

7. Do not stare at cheat sheets while practising. They sabotage
learning because your brain stops trying. Keep the reference 
away from you. Struggle a bit thats how the skill sticks.

The sign you are learning correctly is simple: 
you stop translating Morse into dots and dashes in your head.
 
Instead, the sound goes straight to the letter. That moment
means youve internalised the structure. After that,
everything gets much easier.

Happy hunting!