When I started to learn CW 2 years ago, I started with paddles. Most people will say to start with a straight key.
What starting with paddles and a keyer did for me is that I didn't have to worry about the correct length of dit and dah and could focus on characters/ words and spacing in between. This helped (me at least) to better get a good rhythm and made moving to a straight key easier for me. YMMV based on your personal preference. I used G4FON software to get me started and also made one key (no pun intended π ) move in locking away the microphone. 73 de Michael K5TRI Sent from Windows Mail From: Slava Baytalskiy Sent: βFridayβ, βMayβ β30β, β2014 β1β:β46β βPM To: Dick, K2ZR Cc: <elecraft@mailman.qth.net> Dick, thanks for the info! When you say "key" - do you mean straight key or paddles or is it irrelevant? I got my first paddles at Dayton, so that's all I have. The only Elmer with CW chops available to me is 15 years younger than I am :-) But I'm sure he will help me. Any chance you could do a Skype with me just so I can see/hear what you mean? Event for a couple of minutes. If a picture is worth 1000 words - then a video is worth a million. Slava Baytalskiy sla...@nullserv.com W2RMS On May 30, 2014, at 2:08 PM, "Dick, K2ZR" <k...@arrl.net> wrote: > -----Original Message----- > From: Slava Baytalskiy [mailto:sla...@nullserv.com] > Sent: Friday, May 30, 2014 1:50 PM > To: Dick, K2ZR > Cc: W0MU Mike Fatchett; <elecraft@mailman.qth.net> > Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Learning Morse Code is Like Learning to Dance > > That's interesting... > I'm currently in the process of learning CW and this is the first time I > heard of "learn to send first" approach. > You rarely hear this because there are lots of folks out there who want to > sell you CD's. > > As I'm getting close to finishing the alphabet and can copy short > 3/4/5-letter words - I'm starting to wonder how am I going to learn to send. > Perhaps I should incorporate a sending session in my daily CW routine? Slava, > Make sure you engage an Elmer with a good fist so you start sending with the > correct rhythm from the "gitgo". When I teach, my students βsingβ the rhythm > of the character as they send it on a key. They sound [ sing ] it out, they > hear it, they feel it and they get it! > Dick, K2ZR > > Slava Baytalskiy > sla...@nullserv.com > W2RMS > > On May 30, 2014, at 12:30 PM, "Dick, K2ZR" <k...@arrl.net> wrote: > > > Hi All, > > > > I've taught many hams CW over the years & my mantra is to first > > properly learn to send each character: There is a definite rhythm to > > each. Find a good Elmer with a quality fist to work with you. > > > > > > > > IMHO, learn to send 1st; know how it feels as the rhythm of of each > > character travels from your hand, up your arm & into your brain. CW is > > a great "dance" once you've got it. Conversational CW at 25 WPM is > > fun, achievable and rewarding if you put your mind to it. Get on the > > "dance floor" get on-the-air and call CQ! > > > > > > > > CWops Academy: An excellent tool for learning CW is to participate > > online with the CWops Academy. Check out the link: > > http://www.cwops.org/cwacademy.html > > > > > > > > 73, > > > > Dick, K2ZR > > > > Niagara Frontier Radiosport > > > > FOC > > > > CWops > > > > Pounding Brass Since 1962 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of > > W0MU Mike Fatchett > > Sent: Friday, May 30, 2014 11:32 AM > > To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Learning morse code > > > > > > > > It takes time. Proportionally more time to learn the code than it > > takes to become proficient. > > > > > > > > I can still remember sitting at the radio club meeting at our JR High > > school. Listening to the gibberish and then finally getting a whole word! > > From there on it was pretty simple. I am decent, certainly not > > conversational at CW. > > > > > > > > We had a Ham Radio club during our lunch hour at school because one of > > the teachers was a ham. One day he had one of the guys send some code. > > > > When it was over he took my sheet and graded it and said > > congratulations you just passed the 5 wpm code test. Smart guy. > > Knowing that some many people tense up for tests, he did it under > > relaxed conditions. One of my friends passed that day too. We both > > easily passed the theory and we got sequential calls. > > > > > > > > It is funny how cw seems to have far more activity now then when it > > was forced. > > > > > > > > > > > > Mike W0MU > > > > > > > > On 5/27/2014 12:22 PM, David Higdon wrote: > > > >> Lee, Another option is CW Academy with the CW Ops club. They offer > > mentors along with on air practice. Also, there is the K3UK sked page > > where you can set up a sked and also do a computer chat. That is > > sometimes helpful when you want to ask questions during on air practice. > > > > > >> Good luck. > > > > > >> Dave Higdon Jr > > > >> KD4ICT > > > > > > > >> ______________________________________________________________ > > > >> Elecraft mailing list > > > >> Home: <http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft> > > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > > > >> Help: <http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm> > >> http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > > > >> Post: <mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net> > >> mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > > > > >> This list hosted by: <http://www.qsl.net> http://www.qsl.net > > > >> Please help support this email list: > >> <http://www.qsl.net/donate.html> > > http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > > > >> Message delivered to <mailto:w...@w0mu.com> w...@w0mu.com > > > > > > > > ______________________________________________________________ > > > > Elecraft mailing list > > > > Home: <http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft> > > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > > > > Help: <http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm> > > http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > > > > Post: <mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net> > > mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > > > > > > > This list hosted by: <http://www.qsl.net> http://www.qsl.net > > > > Please help support this email list: <http://www.qsl.net/donate.html> > > http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > > > > Message delivered to <mailto:k...@arrl.net> k...@arrl.net > > > > ______________________________________________________________ > > Elecraft mailing list > > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email > > list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to > > sla...@nullserv.com ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to msch...@creative-chaos.com ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
