I loathed CW and only half heartedly learned it - all I wanted was to pass the
5wpm for entry to the sizzle of HF operation. Once on HF, I made contacts using
CW, but could not send worth a darn and could only work stations from packet
spots - decoding the callsign of the other station was more of a verification
that the spot was correct. All I had to do was push a button and the computer
sent my call and the exchange. It wasn't very "fun" for me, but I was logging
DX that I could not find on phone and that's all that mattered at that point.
Get them in the log!
Jump ahead a few years and like many things, with age comes wisdom. At Dayton
this year I picked up a CMOS-4 keyer to use to practice sending - a real
stumbling point in my enjoyment of using code. With practice I have improved
and now I have decided to mainly work stations using CW. I am echoing the days
of the old Novice ticket I guess - a self imposed limit that should improve my
CW skills and hopefully result in me being a better operator. There is a huge
sense of satisfaction that comes after spending time to master a skill - I have
yet to master it, but looking back at where I started, I feel pretty good about
my progress and know that I am improving. Each improvement has pushed me to
improve even more. CW is fun now.
The key (no pun intended) is practice - both sending and receiving. I look at
my key and see it as a musical instrument - I know the notes, now I have to
create the music. Just like a piano, I can't expect to know the notes and sit
down and play Mozart with it sounding natural and beautiful. Why would I expect
a different result with my code key?
-Steve, WM3O
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