I'm glad to see I'm not the only one! I cannot easily switch between paddles/keyer and bug unless I take special precautions when using the keyer.
I built an "Accu-Keyer" in the 1970s because it was new and interesting. But the day came, twenty years later, when I set it aside for 99% of my operating in favor of a bug, largely because the bug was more challenging and interesting for me to use. But it took me many hours of practice to learn to use the bug well again after two decades with my iambic keyer. On the rare occasions when I use a keyer nowadays I use it like a "bug", operating the dash paddle just like I do when using the bug, so I don't "forget" how to make dashes properly, and I carefully avoid falling back into iambic mode or I'll be trying to squeeze my bug paddles again! I find practice important. Part of my operating time each week is spent practicing CW, usually sending some random text or a page out of the phone book, addresses, numbers and all. >From time to time, I record my fist and listen to it again the *next* day to ensure it's a fist I'd like to copy on the air and to identify what I can focus on to improve. I don't think there's any skill humans pursue that doesn't deserve regular, on-going practice if it's worth keeping at all, and daily use doesn't entirely replace practice. Practice is where particular attention is paid to using the tool better, such as sending good CW on a key, rather than on doing a job with it, such as having a QSO on the air. After all, when practicing one can make all the mistakes that naturally happen when focusing on technique without having to apologize to the other person on the air ;-) Ron AC7AC -----Original Message----- -----Original Message----- I think the biggest mistake is to worry about making mistakes. Just get out there and do it! Get on between 14.050 and 14.058 (or 7.050 - 7.058) and call CQ or answer a call. There are many slow-speed ops out there who are happy to talk to you and who will probably be making some mistakes themselves. --------------------------- Yep, I'm one of them. I've been QRT for a few months. Got the K3 and got back on the air. For my first QSO I answered on the bug. Boy, did I mess it up. My brain got all twisted around. I got the dots & dashes reversed and was thinking it would auto complete dashes. I quickly switched to the straight key for that QSO (paddles weren't hooked up). And I've been doing morse off and on for 30+ years. LOL! So, the biggest mistake is not getting on the air. I'm going to say the 2nd biggest mistake would be poor spacing. I hear some OPs who don't leave enough space between words or letters. Insufficient spacing between words is not that big of a deal, but not enough spacing between letters leads to random dot-dash patterns. - Keith N1AS - - K3 711.500 - _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
