I'm devoting a minimum of 25 minutes a day to learning CW. How did you guys get all the dits and dahs burned into your head?
I've been starting with the http://www.justlearnmorsecode.com/ downloaded software.
Once I am fluent in CW I will reward myself with a KX2 or KX3. I already have a Kent TP1-B and an old AT&T telegraph key yet to mount up.

A couple other questions.
Did you guys us a practice oscillator?  
Should I consider adding a CW filter to my FT-857d (this is my Emcomm rig)?

OST b/c the answers are relevant to my interests.

Google k6rau, s/k now. he is teaching boy scouts that's how I learned cw

Most modern transceivers can be used as a CPO by turning off the break-in function. It will generate a tone without transmitting. Check your operator's manual.

You can download ARRL code practice files here: http://www.arrl.org/code-practice-files

W1AW offers over-the-air practice sessions per this schedule: http://www.arrl.org/w1aw-operating-schedule

Starting with a straight key builds a good fist. There are twice-monthly Straight Key Century Club events you can use to build speed. Click here: http://www.skccgroup.com/
Might as well go ahead and sign up for a number. It's free. The operating frequencies are a good place to find slow-speed practise. Members will slow down to a speed you're comfortable with.

If your counting your not going to learn..   Believe me it set me back 6 months..   Hear the sound..  There are a few good threads with great  links.  read the art of radiotelegraphy..


Good Luck, sounds crazy but my mic sits out of the way on the bench now..   IT kicks butt

I learned the code at a time when there were not as many learning aids as there are today. I can still copy more than 40 wpm in my head.

It's a lot like learning a spoken language.

Practice, more practice, and even more practice. Once you've learned all of the letters, keep challenging yourself to decode at a speed that's high enough to make you uncomfortable.

It will help if you can find a time machine and go back to being 14 years old (just as with learning any other language) - I had friends who would ragchew using higher speeds than I could handle, and that was my incentive to keep pushing up my own speed.

NEVER ever try to count "dots" and "dashes". Start by learning several characters per day. It's best to group them like - E and T, I and M, O and S, L and F, 1 and 9 and so on. Don't learn it by following the alphabetical sequence. Get the idea?
Set overall character speed at 15-20 WPM but have a long pause between the characters. Every day, add a few new characters or numbers and repeat the all previously learned ones.

Once you get a solid copy of all numbers and letters, add a few common characters like - "?", "/" "space". You won;t need to know them all, just the common ones.
So, once you know that, begin to listen to live QSOs and slowly begin learning to transmit. Again, don't get too slow. Longer pause is ok. Then practice, practice and practice more.
Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Learning CW is kind of like learning a simplified foreign language. At first you can't even distinguish words but with practice, everything starts making sense. It just takes time and dedication, don't get discouraged at first. It will come to you. Next thing you know, you'll be a net control station for the Arfcom CW net.

A 300 Hz mechanical filter in your FT-857d will make a tremendous difference. I could not believe how effective that filter was. In my opinion, it's worth every penny. A 2.4 kHz SSB filter is nice too but it's not as noticeable as the 300 Hz, CW filter. You won't regret it.

I used a couple of programs. Morse Toad on my cell phone was the one I used the most. The Other was Codequick which is a paid app and it works REALLY well but it's about $35. The best resource I ever used was a good Elmer though. My elmer taught me how to actually QSO in CW. Great stuff though. I am 90% CW now and playing with the FT8 currently. I NEVER use SSB anymore. CW is way more exciting.  Hope this helps.