Congratulations on deciding to learn CW!! Just a few suggestions... Make sure you learn the code "the proper way", that will reward you in the long run. That is, learn each character as a complete sound (A="di-dah", etc.), avoid visualizing code as written dot and dash symbols. Also, learn each character the "Farnsworth" way, i.e. learn the entire sound of each character at a fairly high speed (say, 20 WPM) although the overall character rate may be much lower and you have longer silence gaps between characters.
You won't make much progress practicing once a week. Try to stick with it every evening for a while, if possible, and this will help you get over the hurdle. Finally, don't be shy to start making fool of yourself on the air in simple and slow QSO's. We've all been there and we all bear with it when we hear new CW ops taking their first steps. If worse comes to worse you can always pull the plug or sweep the dial and disappear to another frequency... :-) 73 - Kristinn, TF3KX J. Heide wrote: > > I have decided it is time to learn morse code! I have > been using the computer for practice, both sending and > receiving. The K3 in test mode makes a great practice > oscillator. I made my first, very slow, CW contact > today on 20 meters to a very patient ham in Texas. It > was probably the most nervous I have ever been on ham > radio. I would like very much to have a kind, patient, > but honest (brutally so, if necessary) local ham to > work with me on the air a little while each week. > Please contact me off list to set something up if you > are willing to assist me in my learning. > > Thanks and 73 > Josh K6ZRX > _______________________________________________ > 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 > > -- View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/OT---Looking-for-a-%22code-buddy%22-tp17096080p17116070.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ 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