[Elecraft] Bad fist

[Tom Hammond]

Hi Al:

At 09:30 AM 4/6/05, you wrote:
>This is the sort of thing that worries me about working CW. I am all in
>favor of practicing before going on the air but what is available out there
>to do this? Is there a hardware device & software that I can connect a key
>to that will send information to a PC to test if I'm sending correctly?

There are any number of ways to accomplish this...

1) There are CW copying programs which run on your PC and which can
    accept input (sidetone from the rig, or from a code practice osc.)
    via their MIC/LINE jack on the sound card.

2) Buy a code copier from MFJ... expensive, but effective... at least
    while during the short time you will probably need it.

3) Send practice CW into a tape recorder (on record it as a WAV file
    on your PC, using the sound card input and the MS WAV player), and
    then play the recorded CW back to yourself after a day or two's
    rest (to give you time to forget what it was you sent the first
    time). If you can copy what you sent, chances are others might too.

4) Have someone whose opinion you trust, and who KNOWS what good CW
    should sound like, critique your fist.

    Be prepared for some let-downs while you learn... few folks can
    develop a really great fist without a bit of effort, but it CAN be
    done.

Personally, I like the idea of starting off with a straight key. But find a 
key of decent quality if at all possible. The cheapie (plastic) keys you 
can find for a couple bucks seldom do much for your fist, and can 
materially degrade it, given just a small chance.

Once you get the 'feel' for proper inter-character element and character 
timing, AND once you get up to 15 WPM or so of decent hand-sent code, THEN 
you're probably ready to consider moving up to a keyer and paddle.

I see three main keyer/paddle combinations:

1) Single-lever paddle with a keyer (iambic or other, doesn't matter)

2) Dual-level paddle with an iambic keyer operated WITHOUT using the
    iambic keying features.

3) Dual-level paddle with an iambic keyer operated WHILE using the
    iambic keying features.

Personally, I tend to prefer configuration #2, because it gives me the 
versatility of the dual-lever paddle (slight finger timing differences 
which I appreciate), but since I'm not 'tied' to (and not having learned) 
using the keyer AS an iambic keyer, I can send decent CW with just about 
ANY keyer (iambic or not). Many folks who learn to only send CW with an 
iambic keyer find that they cannot send well if presented with a non-iambic 
keyer.

Additionally, If I learn to send using a dual-lever paddle in the 
non-iambic mode BUT USING an iambic keyer, if I then choose to maybe try to 
add a few iambic combinations, or to just 'fudge' my finger timing a bit, 
the iambic feature will help to compensate and still allow me to send 
decent CW.

I also much prefer keyers which offer AUTO-CHARACTER SPACING. This option 
can really help an operator who tends to run letters together while 
sending... I think we all sometimes catch ourselves doing this... usually 
not very often, but periodically I'll run a couple letters together... ACS 
will often 'fix' my manual error so the op on the other end never knows my 
fingers hiccuped.

The suggestions the others have offerers are ALL good and should be read 
and considered... especially those about not sending faster than you can 
copy AND not sending faster than you can send cleanly.  Most (though not 
all) folks can send faster than they can copy... because they already KNOW 
what it is they want to send, so they can have the CW all queued up, ready 
for their fingers to do the walking, so to speak. This doesn't necessarily 
mean they can send fast WELL though... if you can't send good CW at the 
higher speeds, then DON'T DO IT! Rotten CW at a higher speed is worse the 
good CW at a somewhat slower speed.

WORK on good character and word spacing when sending CW!!! Concentrate on 
NOT running letters together... (many ops tend to send the letters "the" 
too closely spaced... same for "and" coming out as "pd"... and, when you 
finish a word, there's no harm in allowing a bit more than normal word 
spacing before starting the next word. This helps the receiving operator to 
ensure that he has copied a complete word and that he's not gonna be 
'surprised' by a run-on next word almost sent as the last part of the 
previous word.

Finally... just like the way to get to Carnegie Hall, PRACTICE... 
PRACTICE... PRACTICE!!! You cannot practice too much, or too often. And, of 
course, GET ON THE AIR to hone both your sending AND copying abilities.

ANY TIME someone gives you criticism about your fist... ACCEPT it in the 
spirit it was (probably) given... even though it might seems brutal (or 
ill-worded), the person making the commend felt the need to take the time 
to tell you of a possible problem... use that info to search your style and 
see if there might still be something which needs fixin'.

Now... HAVE FUN!

73,

Tom Hammond    N0SS