[CW] Newbie to CW

[Will]

Well said, thank you, and belatedly congratulations on earning your Technic=
ian!  I had a similar experience, having struggled to try at a Novice ticke=
t back in the early 70's (1973) when I was 11 and had a schoolmate who pass=
ed on to me the mystery, glamour, and fascination of ham radio. =20

I never could, or at any rate never did, get the code.  But along came the =
90's and computers and the internet and at the age of 36 I buckled down and=
 passed Tech, then General over a few months. I enjoy CW and it is now my m=
ain mode. I certainly agree that no one should be "force fed" CW, and that =
the code isn't for everyone. That being said, what you say about the lack o=
f encouragement on the internet for CW "novices" should be qualified a bit.=
 It is a big "place", the internet. I found almost boundless encouragement =
and constructive advice while I was learning the code. For instance, the gr=
oup "QRS-CW" on Yahoo.com is specifically for those learning the code, stru=
ggling at 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 WPM, thinking about learning the code, struggling o=
ver the 10 WPM hump, and all manner of other comers. Do check it out, it ma=
y be of use to you. AC6V has a magnificent index of ham links on his site (=
www.ac6v.com) including many many many on CW--learning it, enjoying it, re-=
learning, increasing from x to y speed, etc. Whether or not you wind up usi=
ng CW on the air much, welcome to the ranks of licensed amateur radio opera=
tors! It is a wonderful "hobby" (so much more than that, really!) with some=
thing to offer just about everybody, and something new happening all the ti=
me.

73 DE WILL, KD7BFX

-------Original Message-------
From: Louise Eberhart <meowmie@earthlink.net>
Sent: 07/06/03 09:05 AM
To: cw@mailman.qth.net
Subject: [CW] Newbie to CW

>=20
> I have to disagree with some of you regarding CW.  It is a bit of a story
but here goes:

I am now 55 years old.  When I was 10, my Dad and I started to study for
our
Ham Radio license.  We mastered the theory pretty well but the code was=20
beyond us".  Remember, this was 45 years ago...=20

My Dad went to be with the Lord in 1979...neither of us had succeeded in
obtaining our licenses.

Fall of 2001, I decided to finally get my Technician license.  I studied
for
it and passed in February, 2002.  True, it was no code but at least I had
my
license.  I knew my Dad would be very proud of me if he knew of my
success.

For over a year I was content with my Technician license.  But one day I
decided I wanted to upgrade to General and expand my privileges but THAT
involved learning CODE!

Off I went on an Internet search to find the "best" way to learn code..
remember, I did NOT learn it years ago when it was just "dit/dah".

I ordered a download of NuCode but it didn't seem to be doing the job.  So=
=20
I
bit the bullet a couple of weeks later and bought Code Quick, CD's and the
computer software.

A month later, I know all my characters, still having a bit of problems
with
the prosigns however but working on it, and hope to be able to pass my
General July 26.

What I am getting at is that I went from a No Code Tech, having NO desire
to
learn cw to wanting to upgrade.  At this point I have NO desire to
increase
my speed from 5 WPM but who knows...that may change.  At least I will have=
=20
a
taste of CW, just like I had a taste of Ham Radio and like before, enjoy
it
so much that I may WANT to increase my speed.  I will have my feet wet so
to
speak and this may be the start of a great CW experience.

Not everyone wants to do the same thing on Ham Radio.  Some are into the
CW,
some prefer using their computers in conjunction with their radios, etc. =
=20
Some are content to communicate around the block, others prefer to talk
the
world.

As a relative newbie to Amateur Radio, I have found that a lot of hardcore
CW operators tend to be "clanish" and it is a bit unnerving to those not
of
the same mind.  It is a bit intimidating to hear everyone speak so
negatively of those not CW inclined and it COULD...I am saying COULD, not
would...send some people running the other way.  Find ways of introducing
CW
to those who do not know much about and some of them WILL be interested in
learning more.  I hear VERY little on the CW lists to encourage those who
have a BIT of interest in CW.  In other words, ENCOURAGE more since y'all
who are in the know could be of GREAT help to folks like myself who are
interested in learning CW, be it 5 WPM or 25.

I am not saying everyone on the lists are negative but there are
centainally
some that are.

Thanks for listening to me.  Encouragement speaks a hundred times louder
than condemnation and if you think back a few years, CW IS a bit
intimidating when your first start out.

73!

Lou

N5LOU