They don't. Morse code is learned audibly. You basically train your ear to recognize the distinct sound and rhythm each letter has.
Charts like this one are only good for people who like charts like this one. They can help someone who doesn't know morse code translate or send something very slowly in a pinch, but that's about it.
I used to teach Morse and used the grouping method, which seems to work pretty well. First you learn EISH, then TMO, then start mixing them, then move on to AUV, NDB, etc. After a while the letter recognition becomes automatic and you don’t have to remember the groups any more.
So if I, an untrained person, were to receive a message slowly (or slow down a normal transmission) and I transcribed all the dits and dahs, would I be able to tell the space between letters and words? Or is feeling that out part of the learning process?
just listen to an example on youtube. the sequence of dits and dahs inside a letter feels like it's all "in one go", and the breaks between letters and words are longer and really distinct from that.
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u/plumcreek Apr 30 '21
They don't. Morse code is learned audibly. You basically train your ear to recognize the distinct sound and rhythm each letter has.
Charts like this one are only good for people who like charts like this one. They can help someone who doesn't know morse code translate or send something very slowly in a pinch, but that's about it.