CW

[KU0DM]

What Andrew said, and another thing...

after your first QSO everything you hear will sound like CW, during the winter our furnace creeks and makes the usual noise everynow and then, after my first CW QSO I swear I heard someone calling me, so I threw on my headphones and got ready to write, well my radio was turned off. So I think it was my furnace calling.

[WS2L]

I was 13 years old when I got my Novice ticket in 1978. Back then you not only took a receive test but you also had to do a sending test. If you don't already have one of those tapes or something else like it to learn the code invest in it. It is much easier and quicker to learn the code by hearing it rather than translating from a book to doing it yourself.

Good luck & hope to work you on CW.

[NF2C]

Andrew said it all.....

CW is the mode!! Love it!
73, Chris NF2C

[AB8MA]

What Andrew said, and another thing...

after your first QSO everything you hear will sound like CW, during the winter our furnace creeks and makes the usual noise everynow and then, after my first CW QSO I swear I heard someone calling me, so I threw on my headphones and got ready to write, well my radio was turned off. So I think it was my furnace calling.

So true. That happened to me too. I would be in the bedroom listing to the CW in the heat vents. And elsewhere. It was everywhere.

[K0DXC]

One time when my grandpa (K9MMS) was visiting he was in the room right outside of mine and I was still in bed sleeping in, suddenly I heard these wonderful tones coming into my room... It sure woke me up. I was trying to figure out what they were and I thought he was trying to send a message to me.

I listened and he was sending random letters and numbers. I finally got out of bed and went outside into the other room and found him on the computer messing around with a code game!

[W4INF]

<snip>after your first QSO everything you hear will sound like CW<snip>

Don't none of you laugh! There is truth to that! My daughter even says she hears morse code now! Its contagious!

The other night we had laid down for bed and a few minutes later my wife told me I must be restless because I had the 'jitters' or something. Dang it, I was tapping CQ de W4INF with my finger and didn't realize she could tell it.

The more you work it, the better you get, the more fun it is! Never give up! The early stages you only think "I suck at this", and true, you likely do.. but you do get better faster than you think!

Andrew

[YB0YUF]

Hi W4INF, I am YB0YUF (Farrah) from Indonesia. Learning CW is more like listening to the mucic you love. Loving it and keep practising it daily always by yourself and with CWers. Keep progressing and never stop loving it. - yb0yuf@yahoo com - farrahanggraini@yahoo.com GL. 73

[KU0DM]

VERY well said Farrah!

And welcome to the forums!

73--
Duncan, KU0DM

[KB3LAZ]

Hey I have been learning code as well, any suggestions on a first key.
There are so many to chose from that I am lost.
I dont know if it makes a difference but I run a newer rig (ic 7000).
Any Info would be much appreciated.
I wish we had a CW course in my area but since the code was dropped so were the classes.

[KI4PRK]

in fact, some DXpeditions are CW only.

Never heard of one. I know E4/OM2DX back in December was mainly CW, but they operated a little bit of Sideband. That was a sweet one in the log, BTW!

In fact (Don't get me wrong — CW's my favorite mode still!!!), I've known a few of the smaller DXpeditions to be SSB only — the 7P8 DXpedition last year, and the upcoming one this year to 7P8, VP8GFF earlier in February (I think that's the callsign), and the last 1A4A.

Probably some of the contest-DXpeditions for the CW contests are CW only, but those are usually negated by their SSB counterparts.

On the other hand, almost invariably will DX be easier to hear on CW. I've never heard a big DXpedition louder on SSB than on CW, unless they were operating ONLY SSB at the time. CW is also fun, and is something like 8 or 10 times as efficient as SSB.

I operate SSB only if I absolutely have. Otherwise, it's CW allll the way.

!@#$%^&* those TI9KK guys for not operating more CW. I got them 20 SSB only!

73, de Brennen KI4PRK age 13