[SFDXA] The Fun of CW,By Curtis Gidding, KC9UNL

[Bill]

 From eHam:
http://www.eham.net/articles/31777


      The Fun of CW from Curtis Gidding, KC9UNL on April 8, 2014

*The Fun of CW*
/By Curtis Gidding, KC9UNL/

    The first contact that I had with Morse Code (CW) was with the Boy
    Scouts. You had to learn it to achieve the rank of First Class some
    50+ years ago. I can still remember attending the weekly classes to
    pass some type of test. Other than obtaining the new rank, I really
    did not know that CW would follow me for years to come. 

    Of course, when I got the 'bug" to get into amateur radio I found
    that it was a major part of getting any type of license. The desire
    to get a license did not materialize until I had completed college.
    At that stage it was 5 wpm for your Novice license and 13 wpm for
    the General Class. I was lucky that I had a good teacher for the
    code and reached the 5wpm goal. With my new license, WN9ZQJ in hand,
    I can still remember those first few nervous CW contacts on 40
    meters. Moving forward I worked hard at getting to 13 wpm within the
    12 months of my Novice license. I rented an Instructograph from
    Chicago, IL and would listen to the paper code tapes every night for
    at least 30 minutes. When you thought that you were ready to take
    the General Class exam, it was necessary to go to the FCC office in
    Chicago. If you passed the code portion of the exam you can then
    take the written exam. The major hurtle to overcome was getting the
    confidence and lack of nerves to take the CW test in the large room
    with other applicants. Luckily the test was passed and I was on my
    way to more adventures in Ham Radio with WA9ZQJ. 

    With the new license privileges, the plan was to get to operate SSB
    and leave the CW activity behind me. Perhaps because the CW was
    required, there were lots of hams that showed a lack of regard for
    operating CW. So for a few months, I operated only SSB. I really
    didn't get back to operating CW for perhaps a couple of years and
    actually had rigs which weren't really very good for operating CW.
    Eventually I got sort of bored with the SSB and returned to CW. I
    also got hooked on RTTY. 

    Due to a lot of conflict from business travel and job
    responsibilities, I became inactive and finally let my license
    expire in the late 1990's. Little did I know that it would not be
    the end of my attraction to ham radio. In 2011 I took the exams
    again and got my General license back without the requirement of CW.
    Now operating as KC9UNL, I again decided to get involved with CW
    operation. It is amazing that learning CW is just like learning to
    ride a bicycle - - you don't forget it! After 15 years, I found an
    old friend in CW operating. 

    I can operate CW at 10-15 wpm and really enjoy it. I don't think
    that speed is as important as good sending and accurate copying.
    During the 15 years, there have been a lot of technical developments
    i.e. the Internet which provides a lot of benefits. It is pleasing
    to find CW groups such as the SKCC and FISTS that actually promote
    the use of CW. They offer awards and very frequent contests or
    sprints which add to the operating pleasure. It is amazing to find
    that there are many hams that are finding the romance of operating
    CW even though it is not a required mode for getting your license. 

    I hope that this article prompts you to remember your activity with
    operating CW and if you enjoyed it and have quit using CW, that you
    will decide to try it again. Be sure to check out SKCC and FISTS.
    You will find others that share your interest in CW.