MFJ MFJ-419 Instructions

Table Of Contents

Introduction .............................................................................................4

Front Panel Controls .............................................................................4

Basic Operation ....................................................................................5

Normal Operation .................................................................................5

Learning Morse Code .............................................................................6

MAIN MENU..............................................................................................7

SEND MENU ........................................................................................7

KEY CODE ........................................................................................8

ANALYZE...........................................................................................8

RECEIVE MENU ................................................................................11

RANDOM CODES ...........................................................................11

USB READER..................................................................................11

EXERCISE MENU ..............................................................................12

SETTING MENU.................................................................................14

SET WPM ........................................................................................14

TIMING MODE.................................................................................15

CHARACTER SET...........................................................................15

SIDETONE.......................................................................................15

ABOUT.............................................................................................15

Resetting the EEPROM .........................................................................15

Battery Installation and Replacement .................................................16

Firmware Updates .................................................................................16

Morse Characters ..................................................................................18

Letters ..............................................................................................18

Numbers ..........................................................................................18

Punctuation ......................................................................................18

Prosigns ...........................................................................................19

Some CW Abbreviations.....................................................................19

Some Common Q Signals ..................................................................20

Hardware ................................................................................................21

Schematic Diagram ...............................................................................21

FULL 12-MONTH WARRANTY..............................................................23

MFJ-914 CW-Elmer

Introduction

Morse Code has been used from the wire telegraph days and from the
very beginning of radio. For many amateur radio operators it is a relaxing
mode of communication even though it is no longer required for an
amateur radio license. There are many advantages to using CW once
you learn the code.

The MFJ-419 CW-Elmer is a multi-function training tool for learning the
International Morse Code. It is both a Receiving and Sending trainer to
help you to both learn the code and teach you how to send clean code
on one little box.

The Send mode the MFJ-419 will act like a code practice oscillator
allowing you to practice sending Morse code and will display the
characters both in code and in text. The Analyze setting will display your
speed and timing to help you to send better code.

The Receive mode of the MFJ-419 will send you code to help you to
learn the characters. It can send in normal spacing or two Farnsworth
speed modes sending the characters faster but spacing to the
programmed speed. There is also a USB Text mode where you can use
a terminal program to send text either from a keyboard or a short text file
to the MFJ-419 CW-Elmer so you can listen to real text.

There is also an Exercise mode that will help you with training to make
correct length dits and dahs and also the proper spacing between the
dits and dahs and between characters and words.

Front Panel Controls

1 Power Button - Push in for ON
2 Internal Key – Press to key
3 Micro USB Connector – USB port for power and data
4 External Key Jack – for external straight key
5 Head Phone Jack
6 Display
7 Battery Cover
8 Internal Speaker

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Basic Operation

1. Connect a battery or a USB power source with a Micro USB-B
connector to the MFJ-419. When using a battery use a high
quality 9 volt NEDA1604A alkaline battery. When storing the
MFJ-419 for long periods it is recommended to remove the
battery to prevent damage from battery leakage. See the section
on the battery installation.

2. Turn on the MFJ-419 by pressing the Power button in.

3. The MFJ-419 will power up and send CQ DE CW-ELMER and
the display will display the model number and software version
then the MAIN MENU screen.

4. Plug in a straight key into the EXT KEY jack and if desired a set
of head phones into the HP jack for private listening.

5. The KEY button can be used for slow practice but is most
convenient for selecting modes and settings when a hand key is
not available or inconvenient.

Follow the instructions in the MAIN MENU section for complete
operational instructions.

Normal Operation

1. Turn on the MFJ-419 and let it boot up.

2. Set the desired code speed by pressing the key when it says
Settings, press the key when it says Set WPM, then press the
key when the closest desired speed is displayed. See the
Settings Menu for complete instructions of all of the features.

3. For Sending practice press the key when the display says Send
then press Key Code. The CW-Elmer will now be waiting for you
to send code around the speed you selected. The display will
now show the sent code on the top line and the character sent
on the bottom line. To end press the key for 5 seconds. See the
Send Menu for complete instructions of all of the features.

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4. For Receiving Practice press the key when the display says
Receive then press Random. The CW-Elmer will send random
length groups of random characters at the selected speed. To
exit press the key when it says KEY to EXIT. For more setting
and feature instructions see the Receive Menu and the Settings
Menu sections.

Note any time you exit out of a function the MFJ-419 CW-Elmer returns
to the Main Menu.

The MFJ-419 CW-Elmer will run on either USB Power or Battery power.
The battery will take precedence over the USB source. When battery
powered the CW-ELMER will operate till the battery runs down to about
6 volts which is well below what a 9 volt battery is considered to be dead.
Periodically check the battery and replace when low. Replace the battery
if the CW-ELMER starts malfunctioning on battery power. It is suggested
to remove the battery if you primarily run the CW-ELMER on USB
Power.

Learning Morse Code

Learning Morse code is a matter of practice, practice and more practice.
Whether you're just starting to learn the characters or working on high­speed "head copying," you'll succeed through regular, frequent practice.
That is why the MFJ-419 CW-ELMER is the ideal tool for learning the
code. It provides a wide variety of practice sessions, all sent in truly
random fashion and with high-quality.

Unlike tapes, which you quickly can memorize and thus defeat the
purpose of the practice, the CW-Elmer sends a new practice session
every time to hone your skills. With speeds from 5 to 40 wpm and sets
of characters to the entire character set, this unit can take you from no
code skills at all up to the ranks of high-speed CW contesters.

Over the years, many different programs for building code proficiency
have been developed, but the common element to all these programs is
regular practice. With the MFJ-419, you may follow any training program
you desire. This unit is extremely versatile and allows you to tailor its
functions to provide the type of code practice you desire. It also allows
you to customize your practice sessions to focus on any particular
trouble spots that may arise during your training.

A traditional method of gaining code proficiency has been to learn all the
characters, then slowly build speed. While this succeeds for many
people, it proves frustrating for others. A common complaint is that, at
about 10 wpm, students hit a "plateau," where they see no increase in
their copying speed for some time. An alternative method, the
Farnsworth Method, starts students at full speed, say 15 or 20 wpm. The

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Farnsworth method helps you to recognize the characters at a higher
speed but gives you time to think about which character is sent then as
the reading skill grows the spacing between characters can be reduced.

Learning to send good code also requires practice. The transmission
requires recognition of the characters but the skill of sending the
characters with the proper lengths of dots and dashes and the proper
spacing of the intra-character spacing and inter-character spacing. Using
the SEND mode of the MFJ-419 the proper spacing can be learned.

MAIN MENU

When you turn on the MFJ-419 CW‐ELMER it will initialize and enter into
the MAIN MENU. Items in all of the CW‐ELMER’s menus are presented
sequentially, first to last, pausing for 2 seconds on each item, then loops
back to first and repeats. To make a selection, press the KEY while the
desired item is displayed. Note when exiting out of any of the functions
you return to this MAIN MENU.

• Send

• Receive

• Exercises

• Settings

SEND MENU

Send mode is the most like a conventional Code Practice Oscillator.
Press the key and CW‐ELMER sounds a tone, release the key and the
tone stops. But CW‐ELMER is more than just a simple Code Practice
Oscillator.

In SEND mode, CW‐ELMER expects you to key something more‐or‐less
resembling Morse code (you will get better with practice), so it attempts
to interpret what you keyed and displays what it thinks the character is.

How this works is: a value called MidTime is set equal to 2 DITs at the
selected WPM rate. CW‐ELMER measures each key press and
compares that to MidTime. If the key is pressed for less than MidTime,
it’s seen as a DIT; otherwise if longer than MidTime, it considers a DAH
was intended.

The MFJ-419 CW‐ELMER also measures the pause time between key
presses, and when a pause of longer than 3 DITs is detected (end of
character), CW‐ELMER calculates a numeric value based on the
presence and order of the DITs and DAHs, and using that calculation
looks up the character for display on the lower row.

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Keyed characters are also displayed on the upper row in classic
DOT/DASH (“- . - . - - . - ”) form. This may help you see where your keying
was off (QSD) if the interpreted character appears incorrect.

SEND will read and display as long as characters are keyed in, however
if the key is held down for more than 5 seconds, SEND terminates and
returns control to the MAIN MENU.

The SEND Sub Menus are:

• Key Code

• Analyze

• Cancel – exit to the MAIN MENU

KEY CODE

This is the normal code practice mode using a straight key or the
KEY button. In this mode any character (alpha, number, or
prosign) can be keyed. The MFJ-419 then interprets the keying
and displays the characters with correct timing and pauses. If a
character is not recognized the display will say *undefined* on
the bottom line. The top line displays the character in Morse
code DOT/DASH form and in the bottom line the character
received.

• KEY for 5 seconds to exit to the MAIN MENU

ANALYZE

While keying characters in Key Code mode, CW-Elmer records
various characteristics about keying and pauses, including the
shortest DIT (or DAH) measured, the longest DIT (or DAH), the
average duration of all DITs (or DAHs), the duration of pauses
between DITs and DAHs within a character.

Selecting Analyze presents this information in a sequence of
screens for evaluation. Each screen remains displayed for 5
seconds, or if the key is pressed, then proceeds to the next
screen.

Values xxx is the measured value number.

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