Gabriel F6DQM is the author of several open source programs, of which I would like to present to you today CW Player, currently in version 2.8. CW Player is a computer-based Morse code teacher and trainer. Requires W95 and above plus a PC with a sound card and approximately 1MB of hard disk space.
The installation of the program consists in extracting the compressed ZIP file in a suitable program (WinZIP, ZIPGenius, WinRAR,...). After launch, the splash screen will appear. Moving the mouse over the active areas prompts a short help, which greatly facilitates orientation in the program, which at first glance seems relatively simple...
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Teaching Morse code via CW Player
CW Player teaches Morse code by playing characters (letters and numbers), Q-codes, abbreviations, random character strings, and entire text files at speeds from 5 to 50 WPM. In addition, it is possible to define twenty own lessons. Deciphering random strings of characters can be made more difficult by adding noise and QSB. Nevšednou funkciou je kvíz, kde sa dá otestovať schopnosť príjmu. CW Player zahrá znak a stanovený čas čaká od vás, že ho napíšete na klávesnici.
Broadcast monitoring
An even more unusual function is the monitoring of own signals. If you feed a signal from the generator to the input of the sound card, the program will check the purity of the broadcast. However, I have not tried this option in more detail.
Program options
As I already indicated, controlling the program is relatively simple. This is also helped by the possibility to choose one of four languages - English, French, Italian and German. Due to a slight inattention of the author, it sometimes happens that you come across a French word even in an English environment.
The right part of the program screen changes according to the selection on the switch in the left part. You can also adjust the speed and volume in it. There is an empty field above them. If you type something into it, CW Player will broadcast it immediately.
In the menu there are other additional functions, such as the possibility of setting the comma/dot ratio, broadcasting only certain characters when playing random series, a keying port. The curriculum can also be saved in a WAV file, which students can take home and practice even without CW Player.
Evaluation
From my almost layman's view of CW Player, I would rate it as a fairly good tutorial for beginners. In addition to Morse code, you can also improve in the area of Q-codes, abbreviations and foreign languages. Mixing noise and QSB into the signal will improve and reduce the difference between training on the multivibrator and actual operation on the band.
You can download it in the "Download" section CQ.sk.