CW Trainer

What it is

The CW Trainer teaches Morse code the way radio operators actually use it — not by memorizing dots and dashes on a chart, but by training your ear to recognize characters directly. It uses the Koch method: start with just a couple of characters, get good at them, then add more one at a time until you have the full alphabet.

Once you know the characters, the trainer moves to what matters on the air — sending your own code with a key or paddle (the hardware you send Morse with) while the app grades your fist (your sending rhythm) in the KEY drill, and copying random text at speed in the COPY drill. The QSO (radio contact) simulator walks you through realistic exchanges: POTA, SOTA, and IOTA (Parks, Summits, and Islands on the Air) — activations and contacts — and ragchew (a casual on-air chat) conversations.

It runs entirely offline — no network connection, no account, no tracking. It is free and open source under the GPL-3.0-or-later license.

A look inside

How to use it now

1. Install it. On Linux with Snap (the Linux app store): snap install wr-cw-trainer. Launch it from your application menu or run wr-cw-trainer in a terminal.
2. Start with LEARN. Open the LEARN tab. The Koch method starts you with just K and M. Listen until they sound distinct, not spelled out. Pass the quiz, then add the next character.
3. Practice sending. Switch to the KEY drill. Use the on-screen paddle, your keyboard, or a USB Morse key adapter (such as VBand) — it shows up as a keyboard, sending [ and ]; a swap toggle flips reversed levers. The KEY drill reads your timing and spacing to grade your fist.
4. Build copy speed. Switch to the COPY drill. Random text plays at your target speed. Write down what you hear. Grade it. Repeat until the characters arrive without effort.
5. Try a QSO. The QSO simulator walks you through a realistic contact — a POTA activation, a SOTA chase, an IOTA island contact, or a ragchew. Copy their side, send yours. It is a simulation; every real QSO will be different. The goal is confidence.

Where it's headed

The CW Trainer is live on Linux via the Snap Store — and that desktop build is where my focus is right now: getting it exactly the way I want it.

The real next target is mobile — Android and Apple devices — once I'm fully happy with the desktop. The app's built to extend there without starting over.

On Windows or macOS? I'm not packaging it for the Microsoft Store or the Mac App Store. But it's open source — if you're comfortable with a terminal, you can clone the repo and run it with npm start.

Honest as always: mobile is the direction, not a dated promise.