Posted: 8/16/2013 10:55:55 AM EDT
Well, my first REAL QSO was just a few minutes ago! I've had a few scheduled practice sessions with some locals but this was my first time to answer a CQ and have it work out the way it is supposed to. I conveyed that I was new to this and the guy was nice enough to send slowly and clearly. I've tried to make some contacts before and people just left me hanging or one guy did slow way down one time and told me to get off the air.  I guess not many people remember when they first started out. Anyways, this guy showed some class by not acting like a jerk. Not just a hit and run, but a real 20 minute QSO.
I've only been a ham for 3 full months but today is the coolest day yet and just wanted to share. 
Yes, yes, CSB. |
|
I have been using CW for most of my contacts since about January and went from 20 DXCC confirmed to 88 confirmed. I have the greatest difficulty with DX, as most of those guys are high speed operators at 30 wpm or more. With my minimalist antenna, CW has opened up more of the world to me.
I have been using CW Skimmer to help me with working the pile ups and for those high speed guys. During a recent contest I was decoding a 10kc swath of about 100 signals simultaneously. This allowed me to cherry pick the stations I wanted to work. If your looking for a tool to help you along later, I highly recommend CW Skimmer. It costs about $100.00, but give the shareware version a try. It uses your sound card or digital interface to decode. Good luck with learning The code!
|
|
Quoted:
I have been using CW for most of my contacts since about January and went from 20 DXCC confirmed to 88 confirmed. I have the greatest difficulty with DX, as most of those guys are high speed operators at 30 wpm or more. With my minimalist antenna, CW has opened up more of the world to me. I have been using CW Skimmer to help me with working the pile ups and for those high speed guys. During a recent contest I was decoding a 10kc swath of about 100 signals simultaneously. This allowed me to cherry pick the stations I wanted to work. If your looking for a tool to help you along later, I highly recommend CW Skimmer. It costs about $100.00, but give the shareware version a try. It uses your sound card or digital interface to decode. Good luck with learning The code!
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x266/k9-bob/Skimmer_zpsc3679a52.png~original Sounds interesting, but I think I'm going to learn it high speed on my own. I'm enrolled in the CWops Academy for Jan/Feb. Till then I will keep plugging away. I'm getting faster, just not really used to going on the air with it. I was on 40m. |
|
FB YM! This is the next hurdle I am working to clear. I am currently up to being able to enter any letter or number fairly quickly, but I do not copy above 50% on 5 wpm yet...so more work to do before going live. When I successfully QSL someone via CW I will be making a similar post! |
|
Quoted:
I was on 40m. There are some great guys up around 7.114 MHz (the SKCC elmer frequency). |
|
Quoted:
FB YM! This is the next hurdle I am working to clear. I am currently up to being able to enter any letter or number fairly quickly, but I do not copy above 50% on 5 wpm yet...so more work to do before going live. When I successfully QSL someone via CW I will be making a similar post! A lot of folks suggested the G4FON program, which I do use, but I like the AA9PW website better, as well as the Just Learn Morse Code download. I do about 10 tests each night before bed. If you would like to attempt a contact on CW at any point, even now, let me know. I need the practice and it will help me as well. I would like to start some kind of ARF code practice group or something. Best advice I can offer having recently been in your shoes is learn to copy at a character speed of 20wpm. That way each letter has a distinct sound and you listen for a sound instead of counting dits and dahs and then translating them in your head. You will have to relearn it sooner or later so start now and get it over with. For example, instead of F being diiiiiiiit diiiiiiiiit, daaaaaaah, diiiiiiiiiit it flows into a smooth dit dit dah dit. Listen to me being all expert now  Made a contact and suddenly know it all. 
|
|
Congratulations! How bad were your palms sweating while you were making the contact?
Go to the Straight Key Century Club website and look up the operating frequencies. Operate on or very close to them and you should find a bunch of hams who will be very happy to slow down to any speed you're comfortable with. In fact, why not join us? It's free. Plus, we have two monthly events, the Weekend Sprint (WES) and the 2-hour Sprint (SKS) that will help you quickly hone your operating skills. FWIW, I started out operating CW back in 1954, and while I dabbled in AM, SSB, FM, RTTY, and data operating modes, I always came back to CW. My operating is about 50/50 between paddles and straght keys. |
|
Quoted:
Congratulations! How bad were your palms sweating while you were making the contact? Go to the Straight Key Century Club website and look up the operating frequencies. Operate on or very close to them and you should find a bunch of hams who will be very happy to slow down to any speed you're comfortable with. In fact, why not join us? It's free. Plus, we have two monthly events, the Weekend Sprint (WES) and the 2-hour Sprint (SKS) that will help you quickly hone your operating skills. FWIW, I started out operating CW back in 1954, and while I dabbled in AM, SSB, FM, RTTY, and data operating modes, I always came back to CW. My operating is about 50/50 between paddles and straght keys. Are they purists? I have a Bencher Iambic keyer. |
|
For the sprints, straight keys, bugs, cootie keys, and sideswipers are okay. For general contacts, whatever you prefer.
The straight key is very easy to use if you know the proper element, character, and word spacings. Give it a whirl and joint us for our events. |
|
Quoted:
A lot of folks suggested the G4FON program, which I do use, but I like the AA9PW website better, as well as the Just Learn Morse Code download. I do about 10 tests each night before bed. If you would like to attempt a contact on CW at any point, even now, let me know. I need the practice and it will help me as well. I would like to start some kind of ARF code practice group or something. Best advice I can offer having recently been in your shoes is learn to copy at a character speed of 20wpm. That way each letter has a distinct sound and you listen for a sound instead of counting dits and dahs and then translating them in your head. You will have to relearn it sooner or later so start now and get it over with. For example, instead of F being diiiiiiiit diiiiiiiiit, daaaaaaah, diiiiiiiiiit it flows into a smooth dit dit dah dit. Listen to me being all expert now Made a contact and suddenly know it all.
Quoted:
Quoted:
FB YM! This is the next hurdle I am working to clear. I am currently up to being able to enter any letter or number fairly quickly, but I do not copy above 50% on 5 wpm yet...so more work to do before going live. When I successfully QSL someone via CW I will be making a similar post! A lot of folks suggested the G4FON program, which I do use, but I like the AA9PW website better, as well as the Just Learn Morse Code download. I do about 10 tests each night before bed. If you would like to attempt a contact on CW at any point, even now, let me know. I need the practice and it will help me as well. I would like to start some kind of ARF code practice group or something. Best advice I can offer having recently been in your shoes is learn to copy at a character speed of 20wpm. That way each letter has a distinct sound and you listen for a sound instead of counting dits and dahs and then translating them in your head. You will have to relearn it sooner or later so start now and get it over with. For example, instead of F being diiiiiiiit diiiiiiiiit, daaaaaaah, diiiiiiiiiit it flows into a smooth dit dit dah dit. Listen to me being all expert now Made a contact and suddenly know it all.
Yes, I see that this is the correct way to go. I am running my CW learning programs at 15/8 or so right now. I loop my straight key back into my PC running gmfsk to check my entry. I am already getting that the sound is the thing, not the code. I would very much like to set up a sked, I will PM you. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
|
Quoted:
Well, my first REAL QSO was just a few minutes ago! I've had a few scheduled practice sessions with some locals but this was my first time to answer a CQ and have it work out the way it is supposed to. Congratulations! CW is still not a skill I've added to the toolbox, but I admire those that do. I conveyed that I was new to this and the guy was nice enough to send slowly and clearly. I've tried to make some contacts before and people just left me hanging or one guy did slow way down one time and told me to get off the air. I guess not many people remember when they first started out. Anyways, this guy showed some class by not acting like a jerk. Not just a hit and run, but a real 20 minute QSO. Yes, for every a--hole out there, there are many more class acts like your QSO. Did the one that told you to get off the air give his call sign? Did you look him up? I'm sure 50 or 60 years ago when he started out he could do 25 wpm perfectly. 
I've only been a ham for 3 full months but today is the coolest day yet and just wanted to share.
Yes, yes, CSB.
|