TEXT FILES OF THE BIBLE: WHERE ALL PUNCTUATION HAS BEEN REMOVED FOR QRQ CW PRACTICE

[Chuck aa0hw]

This discussion will have available for download, "clean" text files to enable QRQ CW practice by converting them to mp3's with a text to morse converter or you can simply copy and paste the text into the Xmit screen of your CW sending program.(text is from the ISV International Standard Version)

Punctuation has been removed to allow the brain as much "rest" as possible from the stream of incoming continuous same pitch tones, allowing a pause - a momentary solitude. This will help the decoding function of the mind to "reset" and take a deep breath and get ready for the next onslaught of arriving cw tone pulses ~ thus ~ helping to prevent ACOUSTIC FATIGUE and TONAL INHIBITION ~even ~ COGNITIVE DISSONANCE, where the ability to copy is reduced by a somewhat hypnotic induced numbness from an unceasing monotone morse barrage, which may effect a dulling of the translation process and interfere with the ability to copy at maximum efficiency.

This format also produces cw that is similar to the way we speak. When we read aloud, we naturally pause with silence after commas and periods and various other types of punctuation. I have tried to emulate the appropriate amount of silence for each character of punctuation.
Here is the formula that I found that seems to sound best to me:

*INSTEAD OF*.................*I USE*
1. PERIODS __________ 7 spaces in a row
2. COMMAS __________ 3 spaces in a row
3. COLONS ___________ 3 spaces in a row
4. semiCOLONS________3 spaces in a row
5. PARENTHESES______3 spaces in a row
6. QUOTATIONmarks____3 spaces in a row
7. QUESTIONmark______2 spaces in front of and 10 spaces after, like this, ( __?__________)
(by giving a slight pause before the question mark it allows for the word just before the question mark to finish and complete the process of being interpreted into language before any additional sounds are received. The brain has already memorized that word by itself as a unique "word sound"...if you add yet further sounds(ie the dit dit dah dah dit dit... to the end of the word, this gives the brain extra duties to perform. The word does not sound the same with the added "? mark" elements as it blends with the end of the word. By separating the word from the "?", you now have two "words" that stand on their own without blurring together. Also, by leaving a larger amount of silence after the question mark, you emphasize the sentence as being contemplative, just as in human speech when you want someone to think a bit on what you have just asked them....giving them some time to cogitate the query.)
8. EXCLAMATION POINTS___10 spaces in a row
(again, by pausing longer after the "!" , you allow for the impact of the previous statement to stir the emotive core of the hearer)
9 #sign___________________spell the word number
10 %sign_________________spell the word percentage
11. $sign_________________spell the word dollar(s)
12. brackets______________3 spaces in a row
13. -(dash) _______________1-2 spaces in a row(depending on context)
14. all other punctuation is just removed with no spaces


ALSO-do not turn on word wrap before you copy/paste the text into your cw sending program; it may put extra spaces in at every carriage return and damage the smooth flow of the cw.

I have chosen BIBLE TEXTS because of ROMANS 10:17:
"No one can have faith without hearing the message about Christ." (CEV)
May GOD richly bless you as you listen to HIS WORD in CW !

Below are the text files you can download:
1. text(with all punctuation removed as stated above) for the complete BOOK OF ROMANS
2. RUFzXP WORD LIST for the complete BOOK OF ROMANS (@1500 unique words)

[Joe]

An excellent way to handle punctuation, Chuck. I have been using ebook2cw to translate text files to cw and than burn CDs to carry with me on my travels. We are visiting family here in Louisiana. When I need a break from the family drama, I break out one of my CD's and practice. I am getting so 50 wpm is readable but going is slow. Seems like 50 to 60 wpm is one of those 'plateaus' all of us have had to deal with during our efforts to master Morse code. The punctuation breaks my train of thought so I will burn some new CD's with your spacing scheme instead of punctuation when we get back to Maui. I hope we can QSO on 15 or 10 meters when the sunspots return so I can get some on the air QRQ CW practice.

Joe W3GW/5

[Chuck aa0hw]

[Chuck aa0hw]

Here is a RUFzXP word list based on all the words in the GOSPEL OF JOHN (already formatted for use with RUFz to send random words). Just download this file into the folder where you keep the RUFz word lists that you are using. This list has about 1600 words. You may find that practicing copying random words using RUFz with this word list, will make your smooth continuous copy of the actual GOSPEL OF JOHN in morse code mp3 much more accurate.

[Chuck aa0hw]

ATTACHED IS THE 'punctuation free' TEXT for THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

[Chuck aa0hw]

Here is the book of PHILIPPIANS in 3 types of files:
1. a text file with all the punctuation removed so that you can use it with your CW sending program to listen to this book
2. a PHILIPPIANS WORD LIST text file formatted so that you can use it with the RUFzXP program to send random words from this book for practice copying whole word sounds from all the words contained just in this book
3. a cw mp3 file of this whole book created with FLdigi - using raised cosine edges at 11ms rise and fall time @ 60wpm @700hertz
NOTE:
you can use the following program as a player and utilize its ability to change speed & pitch so that you can listen to this morse code mp3 file at your own desired WPM and sidetone frequency: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

[Chuck aa0hw]

THE BETA version of AUDACITY has a slider control on it that you can vary the speed without having to go into the menu system and readjust the settings and wait for the program to crunch the data. This control is active while playing the mp3 cw file. The only caveat is that the pitch will change with the speed. The AUDACITY beta version has by far, the best sounding variable speed control of any "free" player that I have tried so far.
You can download the beta version here:
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/beta_windows

[Chuck aa0hw]

NOTE: The newer beta version of AUDACITY 1.3.11 and 1.3.10 do not have variable speed during playback. It still works, but you have to stop playback and reset the speed which is not ideal. However, you can still get the older beta versions of AUDACITY at FILE HIPPO's website.
Here is a link to audacity version 1.3.9 CLICK ON THIS FOR 1.3.9 beta AUDACITY

[Chuck aa0hw]

Here are the files for the book of EPHESIANS
1. a text file for your CW sending program (with all the punctuation removed as stated above)
2. a WORDlist text file formatted for use with the RUFzXP program for sending random words from EPHESIANS
3. a CW mp3 file of the book of EPHESIANS at 60wpm, 700 hertz pitch, 11ms rise/fall time- raised cosine

[Joe]

Chuck

I went back and re-did my practice CDs replacing commas and periods with 3 and 7 spaces, respectively. I did away with all other punctuation. I than used ebook2cw to convert the text files to morse mp3 recordings. My windows 98 computer does not support the ebook2cw GUI so I use the DOS command line program leaving out the chapter separator command that generated a lot of BTs. I also save the texts with word wrap disabled which gets rid of other separators that must be triggered by the line feed return commands. What I now have is just words and lots of spaces so I can learn the word sounds without the distraction of punctuation. My progress has accelerated greatly. Thanks.

During actual CW contacts at QRQ, how do you handle BT and punctuation. Do you use this same spacing scheme on the air to avoid obscuring the work sounds?

Joe KH6/W3GW

[Chuck aa0hw]

I use a free program called AutoHotkey
http://www.autohotkey.com/
to REMAP unused keys on the home row for selected FUNCTION KEYS F1-F12. For example, In my CW sending program (FLdigi), you can record up to 12 special MACRO's and store them in the FUNCTION KEYS. However, instead of having to reach up to the top row and hit one of the function keys, I have been substituting a few keys on the home row(or close to the home row) that I remapped with the AUTOHOTKEY program and now they send F1, F2, and F3 too and are within very close reach of the 5th finger on both hands. In Fldigi, MACRO's, I have set F1 to send 3 spaces which I use to substitute for a comma, F2 is set to send 7 spaces for a period, F3 is set to send [2 spaces, a question mark, then 10 spaces]. Using AutoHotkey, I have REMAPPED the CAPS LOCK KEY to F1, the SEMI-COLON KEY to F2, and the FORWARD SLASH KEY to F3. You have to edit the default SCRIPT in AUTOHOTKEY to say exactly this:

Then save and reload the script to activate these remapping commands. (You have to right click on the AUTOHOTKEY icon in the tool bar to bring up these options.)
I am working on a video to describe and demonstrate this in more detail.

[Chuck aa0hw]

[Chuck aa0hw]

Here are the files for the book of Colossians

1. Text for the whole book with punctuation removed as above...
2. A formatted RufZ word list for sending random words (4 letter words or more)
from this book of the bible...