[Elecraft] Improving your cw (was the international treaty thing)

[Buddy Brannan]

Hey John,

On Wed, Jun 25, 2003 at 12:00:00PM -0500, John Cooper wrote:
>>  felt like i worked to hard to learn it and now
they were droping it!!! its hard to force your self to use a hand key
when you can already type on a keyboard.  trying to get good enough to
headcopy like some on this list is my only motivation, my local elmers
are great for antennas digital modes but none i repeat none are into
QRP or CW for that matter.   
<<

This might help a bit. Then again, it might not. 

I'd submit that most of the problems people have with learning--and
getting good at--cw are really psychological. That's to say, if you
approach it as something difficult, then it will be difficult. If, as
you say, you have to force yourself to use a hand key, perhaps a shift
in your thinking is in order. Look at it this way. Start of course wit
h the premise that ham radio is a hobby (it is, as well as being a
service). Hobbies are supposed to be fun. Now what you're aiming for
is the acquisition of a new skill, which will, naturally, take some
work. But it's *fun* work! You're not forcing yourself to use a hand
key. You choose to use a hand key so that you can acquire that
particular skill. You choose to learn to use a paddle or a bug because
you want to learn to acquire *that* skill, once your copying and
sending abilities have progressed beyond the practical limit of a hand
key. If you like the competitive bit, let's just say you're having a
bit of a competition with yourself to copy better and more accurately
and to make your characters with your hand key as close to perfect as
you can. Sure it's a lot of work, and it may take a while. But I think
it might help to modify your thinking just a little. Let's don't use
the words that you're forced to do anything. you certainly are
not. Things that are forced aren't very much fun. So start by having
fun with acquiring this nifty skill that not everyone on your
block--or in your circle of friends--has. Believe me, as a 14-year-old
with a 20 WPM certificate, I was pretty well pleased. Sure, no one
would care about it but me, but the fact was...it was something I had
that no one could take from me, the skill and the art of using a mode
that most people wouldn't appreciate the beauty of. (I'm not 14
anymore, but I still love cw.) And remember, too, that you've got a
lot of friends on this list, if no other, that would be more than glad
to help you improve. All you need do is ask. 

So quit forcing yourself to do things and have fun instead!

Vy 73,
-- 
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV/3   | "And if the ground yawned,
Phone: (814) 455-7333     | I'd step to the side and say,
Email: davros@ycardz.com  | "Hey ground! I'm nobody's lunch!"
http://www.ycardz.com/    | --Eddie From Ohio