THIS IS THE KIT VERSION OF THE FMT TUTOR
Always supplied with the latest firmware
This is the new MK4 version of the well know FMT FISTS Morse Tutor, It has a couple of major advantages over the previous version, the first and most obvious is that now it comes with a custom case with pre-punched front and back panels and a new PCB but there are other changes too. Now the Tutor will support both straight and Paddle keys in practice mode. Also the tutor has a low level fixed sinewave output that is ideal to be connected to a computer to allow sending over the internet via Zoom, etc. This low level output can be also be used to check your sending. If you run free software (download via my 'Links' page) you can practice your sending and let the computer try and decode it (you may not like what you see!).
Designed for the FISTS CW Club this tutor offers a wide range of features that you will find hard to beat.
Features a choice of operation,
1) Multimode Morse tutor (See below for full spec of the tutor)
2) Koch 39 lessons Tutor for beginners , offers a well know structured approach to learning Morse from zero knowledge!
3 Prisoner of war tap code tutor (a Historic method of communications by just tapping a surface, we know of no other tutor that does this!
4) Practice oscillator for either paddle keys or straight keys
5) Other features
i) Can be used as a basic radio keyer for modern transceivers
ii) Useful adjustable audio signal generator feature for testing amplifiers, setting up audio filters etc.
Tutor Full spec
The tutor modes are:
Random Letters,
Random Numbers
Mixed Modes
Random Prosigns
Random Callsigns
Random common words and abbreviations
Contest mode
Also extra features too!
Dual mode practice oscillator and session timer.
Works with iambic Keys (See New features )
Also works with a straight key too
New Features with the MK4
Now the user can set a pause before the screen clears so they have time to checked the screen readback of the last two 5 figure groups (0 to 10Sec's)
The Lambic Practice Mode can be set for A or B with Dot memory
The tutor is very simple to use, no pages of menus to navigate your way around, just one push button that changes the mode and 3 knobs, one for character speed, one for the gap between characters and finally a volume control.
The tutor comes with a two line backlit LCD display to show the current mode and the last two groups of 5 characters that have been sent. Learning the code can be hard and you do need to stick to it, but don’t spend too long per session, it’s not beneficial. I suggest keeping to a 10 min session once a day, every day. To help you know when a session is up the tutor will illuminate a bright blue (well it was designed for FISTS) LED for 10 secs every 10 Minutes. This is a sign that you may need to take a break.
Now a note about the Contest mode, ok what is contest mode?
Well the tutor will send a typical contest type ‘Over’. It will send a random callsign followed by a three digit serial number, finally a short random message ending such as ‘GD DX’, a 4 digit locator (Not necessarily the one for the callsign !) , RST Report, or ‘QRZ’ etc. That’s all well and good but to add to the realism as much as possible the pitch between overs and also the speed will change randomly if you select the ‘ACM’ (Advanced Contest Mode) on the tutor’s board (a two pin jumper enables it). You may want to start with the standard contest mode but you can change to ACM at anytime. ( I activate it all the time on mine) The tutor will generate code from about 11 to nearly 30 wpm, if this gets too tame for you then you can push the tutor up to about 60WPM, another jumper on the main PCB selects this ‘Hyper’ mode. In addition there is now a control on the PCB that allows the user to change the default tones pitch to their own liking. Plug your key in and hold it down as you turn it on and you have a practice oscillator (Straight Key or paddle) to play with too. Runs from a standard PP3 9V battery. (internally fitted)