[Elecraft] Learning CW

[Ron D' Eau Claire]

Jeff Stout/W5JFS wrote:

> Obviously I need to learn both, but what is most
> important to learn first?  I have always heard it is assumed you
> can probably send accurately if you can receive reliably.

Congratulations on making the decision, Jeff. Yes, you will no doubt get a
lot of answers. I learned CW over 50 years ago, so I will leave the
suggestions about the latest and best methods for learning up to those who
have done it more recently.

I have four observations that may help you though:

First and most importantly, the line I quoted from your message above. No!
You will not automatically know how to send.  At least not if you are using
a manual key. In listening on the air and talking with new ops today, one of
the biggest frustrations is a brand new license and no ability to send.
Sure, you must know the code in order to send, but sending requires trained
hand/arm muscles too. It's really too bad that we no longer require passing
a sending test. I suspect the requirement was dropped because it is not
practical for VEC's to do that, not because it is an unessential
requirement.

When I took my Commercial Radiotelegraph license test in front of an FCC
examiner, probably 1/3 of those who failed the code test failed the sending
part, not the receiving.

You are right to focus on passing the test. But understand that you will
need to learn to send at some point unless you plan to limit yourself to
using a keyboard.

And check your sending by recording it, then listening to yourself the next
day and see if still like your "fist".

Secondly is the motto of the FISTS organization: "Accuracy before Speed".
It's amazing how many ops will talk on reflectors about sending above 30 wpm
all the time, but as both a commercial and Ham licensee, I've probably not
had more than two dozen contacts at over 30 wpm in 50 years, and most of
those on commercial circuits. I'm sure that if you develop a love for speed
and only look for high speed ops to chat with, you can spend most of your
time at those rates. But all you need to enjoy the Ham bands is a good
smooth 10 to 15 wpm. If you hang out with faster ops, your speed will
naturally increase.

Third, as you learn to copy, be sure you learn using pencil and paper for
the test! I have a buddy who was preparing for his CW tests and, shortly
before the big day, he realized that he had learned to copy CW using his
computer! He absolutely could NOT copy using a pencil on paper. He made
it -- with a lot of practice and sweating. To pass the test, be sure you
learn to copy in the sort of manner you will be required to do so at the
test.

Finally, and here I'm about to spear a "Sacred Cow" among modern Hams, I'm
not all that enamored of the "Farnsworth" system in which characters are
sent at one speed but the spaces between the characters are sent at a slower
speed. That's like playing music but opening up the interval every three or
four notes. Can you imagine listening to the "William Tell Overture" going
"Tiddy-bum.......................Tiddy bum.....................Tiddy
bum..........Bum.................Bum"?

To this OT, it's like fingernails on a blackboard. And few, if any, ops on
the air will do that. Indeed, many of those ops who learned to receive using
the Farnsworth system have little or no ability to insert the proper spaces
in their sending. So they often soundlikethisontheairanyway. In all
fairness, they never learned to send (see point 1 above). But it makes it
hard on you trying to enjoy a QSO.

Unless you get used to copying code at the CORRECT spacing from at least 8
to 10 WPM up to 15 to 20 WPM, you will find yourself struggling with many
signals on the air. If your local VEC is using Farnsworth, by all means
learn it and pass the test. Just be aware that you will have a period of
adjustment learning to hear "real" CW out there.

I have actually spent considerable time practicing Farnsworth spacing to
help new ops copy my fist. It's tough, like learning to play music at the
"wrong" tempo.

And with that I'll admit to a lie and offer a fifth and final observation:
Practice. After 50 years I still practice! I still make a tape and play it
back later from time to time. I still like to take out a page of the phone
book, sit down and send the whole page to see if I can do it all without a
single mistake while watching my timing and spacing to see where I can
improve. I happen to enjoy using a manual semi-automatic key (a.k.a. "Bug").
After 20 years on keyers and paddles I pulled out my old Bugs again and had
to re-learn them. So they are a bit demanding if I want to send really clean
CW. But it doesn't matter what you are using unless it's a keyboard:
practice from time to time no matter whether you've been on the air a week
or half a century.

Good luck. I'll be waiting to work you on CW one day!

Ron AC7AC
K2 # 1289