Morse Code Basics - Introduction to the Straight Key now on YouTube

30 June, 2025



Chris Rutkowski, author of the Amazon best-seller, The CW Way of Life, today published the third of his Morse-learning lecture series on YouTube.

Morse Code Basics - Introduction to the Straight Key is available for viewing now at:



Introduction to the Straight Key guides beginners and experts alike through the selection, setup, and operation of the venerable Morse "straight key."

After publishing his book, Chris worked with dozens of Morse ops intent on learning or improving sending skills, and found the same mistakes repeated over and over. These stem from conflicting information and outright myths about the straight key. The "Modern American Technique" shown emerged from analysis of experts' sending, which guided Chris' training for a Radiosport competition in 2016. Combined with his experience in ergonomics, biodynamics, and human-machine interface design, the result is easily learned and explicitly avoids "ergonomic landmines" that plague other techniques.

Topics covered in this one-hour presentation include: key selection, placement, stability, grip, adjustment, creating rhythmic dits and dahs (code talking), and learning drills which tie the pieces together. It is invaluable for students or anyone wanting to improve their Morse "writing" skill.

For more information, contact info@morsebusters.com.

Chris is good in QRZ.

This and other videos are available on the MorseBusters YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@morsebusters.

 

I'm a bit rusty on a straight key but the greatest amateur radio compliment I ever got (mid-1970s-ish) was when someone asked me what kind of keyer I was using...and I was using a cheap JJ-38 knockoff key I got from Trigger Electronics! It doesn't get much better than that. I have a Vibroplex bug but I still prefer the straight key (need to get a new one, the old JJ-38 fell apart years ago).

== WB9QLR

 

HUMBUG….!

 

'Tis something so much is put into an SPST switch.

I like it.

Dit-ditting on 14.058MHz this minute.

RBN says I'm heard world-wide. All the way down to Costa Rica. That's Spanish for cost-a-too-much.

Be safe everyone especially Paul. Let him near fireworks and oh boy!!

Kraus/KC4ZGP

 

I saw the book on Amazon and tagged it in my account for possible future purchase. It's nice to see there is a companion series of videos as well. It is my plan/goal to spend this upcoming cold & snowy PA winter learning code. I decided I'd start with a straight key, and then later on as I gain proficiency... possibly transition to either a bug or paddles. As such, I just recently was able to purchase an MFJ-557 Deluxe Code Practice Key, in excellent condition...in original packaging and even containing the original printed instructions.

Thanks for posting about these videos. I've made note of them, as well as to definitely purchase Chris's book.

 

It's good to see these efforts that promote telegraphy. In the years I have taught and promoted the code, I have seen that only a small percentage of licensed amateurs have any interest in learning it. From a practical point of view, why would you? With the ubiquitous supply of cheap and feature packed radios, there is very little incentive to invest time and effort learning the code. I believe that its primary value is historical. Another point of attraction is the psychological challenge involved in learning it. It is perhaps the same kind of challenge one would take on when deciding to learn a language. It is difficult to demonstrate the benefits of learning and using code. It is a niche skill. Not just learning the basics, but investing further time and effort in learning how to be good at it, which includes the radio amateur's code, operating etiquette and all the rest of it. Then, there's still traffic handling if you really enjoy a challenge. The enjoyment of using code and talking with other amateurs who are good at it, who send nice neat crisp code without any fluff is good motivation. One iinteresting thing about operating CW is you never know who is on the other end. It might be a truck driver, it might be a celebrity, it might be a king. vy 73 de va7mn/ve7dmh

 

Why, oh Why do Hams keep pushing CW? It's obsolete in the real world, and has been since the 1990's at best. We are supposed to be ".. contribute to the advancement the radio art." (Part 97 Subpart A 97.1 (b)). Clinging to ancient technology holds us back, we are rapidly becoming the Amish of the Airwaves. (and that's an insult to the Amish)

 

I've been a ham since 2014 when I quickly earned a general license. Then upgraded to extra earlier this year. Never learned Morse code in all that time. This year, I got interested in learning it and have been studying for the last couple of months with CWOps Academy. Just yesterday, I made my first three CW QSOs and let me say this, that was the most fun I've had in all of the things I've done with amateur radio since getting my license.

CW is fun. Is it necessary to learn? No. That's why it's no longer a required part of the licensing exams (go kick rocks K7GLD...), but is it still a useful form of communicating? Absolutely. So if other hams who enjoy knowing and using Morse code to communicate with other like-minded hams want to share their enjoyment with others by encouraging more CW ops, why does that bother you? Go over and kick rocks with/at K7GLD.

 

YOU ARE OBSOLETE

 

Well, nobody is pushing it on anyone else. There is a group of people who enjoy using and promoting CW for various reasons. Basically, if it doesn't interest you, there are many other interesting modes to explore. Cheers.

 

One guess is that it's an addiction driven by all the brain matter that was recruited to learn that skill (before its obsolescence). It's also a social addiction which requires the recruitment of more addicts. Thus, to those addicts, only those who can "head copy" A1A CW using a similar amount of addictive brain matter are "real hams", not those who could communicate just as well, and possibly at higher speeds or at lower SNRs, using coherent synchronous CW, or computer mediated A1B CW with added FEC, and/or other more modern narrow band digital modes.

 

Well, predictably, this thread has descended into a derogatory, pointless number of diatribes based on opinion and little actual knowledge. Some reasonably intelligent constructive comments would be most welcome. Chris has gone to considerable effort and produced this work, based on many years experience. So basically, and forgive my forthrightness, if you don't like it, you are welcome to go elsewhere.

 

For the record, I have Chris's "The CW Way of Life" book sitting next to me and find it to be fantastically presented and educational. I enjoyed his presentations on the book's material as well. Though I'm not a straight key op, there's plenty of useful take-away from Chris's expertise on the topic of Morse code and operating CW.

 

HAVING BEEN A HAM FOR 49 YEARS, IT HAS BEEN SO MUCH FUN MEETING OTHER HAMS WHO USE CW. I STARTED OUT AT AGE 34, & WANTED TO BE A HAM SO BAD, I GOT MY ELMER "WA0IYT"--RUSTY, SK, TO GIVE US NOVICE HAM RADIO CLASS. YEARS LATER, I ALSO HAD "TECH" CLASSES FOR YEARS, WITH GREAT RESULTS. MOST WENT RIGHT ON 2 METERS, & DIGITAL MODES. ONE GREAT PROBLEM I FOUND AS TEACHING MORSE CODE CLASSES, IS LOSS OF HEARING, AS WE AGE ! STUDENTS COULD NOT HEAR CLEARLY THE "DITS" & "DAHS" ! I'VE ALWAYS USED "CANS" ON MY EARS, & IT MADE IT MUCH EASIER TO COPY THEM "DITS, & "DAHS" ! ! THAT CW CODE IS RIGHT AT YOUR EARS. I STILL PRINT OUT ALL MY CW COPY, & HAVE LOGS BACK TO 1976 ! MY NAVY RADIOMAN BROTHER, BOB,"WB0YTJ", SK. MADE ME LEARN TO PRINT IT OUT, & THAT'S HOW I TYPE TODAY ! SORRY IF YOUR OFFENDED BY MY "ALL CAPS"!
PLEASE THINK ABOUT THE FOREIGN HAMS, WHO USE CW ! THEY HAVE TO LEARN ENGLISH LANGUAGE, & COPY IT ON MORSE CODE ! THEY ARE SOME OF THE BEST CW OPERATORS YOU'LL HEAR ON THE AIR ! WE AMERICANS HAVE TO ONLY LEARN ABOUT 50 CHARACTORS, & LEARN TO COPY IT ON THE RADIO !
I'M NO EXPERT, BUT MAYBE THESE TIPS CAN HELP YOU ? OLD 83 YEAR OLD HAM OF 49 YEARS, SELF-TAUGHT, DETERMED TO BE A CW HAM RADIO OPERATOR, WE ALL PROMISE, TO MAKE YOU HAVE A GREAT CW QSO ! 73 & GUD DX ! SEE YOU ON CW ! "KD0QV"--JIM IN IOWA

 

I use CW because it's fun. I used the code while a Novice and a Tech+ in my early years and I liked the communication it provided.
I use CW on my Kenwood TS890S because it is fun and effective when I can't make a SSB phone contact for just a rag chew with another ham. I'm a slow code guy, just 15 words a minute but still have fun.