Elecraft

On CW

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Nolan Kienitz

Re: On CW

Wayne,

Most appreciate your putting into words the elements and lure of CW. The ham radio bug bit me in the late 1950s when a farmer in NE Montana (near our farm) happened to be a ham. He had a huge tower and beam and Hallicrafters receivers and transmitters. I was hooked and went on to get my 3rd Class Radiotelephone license and was able to work at our local FM station during high school. Following some college I went to a broadcast school in Minneapolis and ended up with my 1st Class Radiotelephone license and worked in broadcast radio for many years in Texas.

Finally got my novice and technician licenses over the years as well. Completed exams for Extra, but only did minimal on CW to get the ticket.

I've finally pushed myself to work CW as much as possible, but with my aging gray matter now it takes some time. I thoroughly enjoy CW and continue to struggle/learn better head-copy, but that just takes time and practice, practice and more practice.

Such a thrill to work CW even for a quick Q or a rag chew and now that I'm mostly retired I'm able to continue my learnin' of CW.

Great posting Wayne and thanks to you and everyone at Elecraft for simply excellent rigs.

73,
Nolan Kienitz - KI5IO

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73 - Nolan Kienitz, KI5IO

Deni F5VJC

Re: On CW

In reply to this post by Vic Rosenthal

YES!
Well said Wayne.

I have always loved CW from being a small boy with an old straight key and
buzzer, learned Morse before I knew of amateur radio.

Short Wave Wireless will never lose its fascination for me and
to communicate via the ionosphere with another by Morse code is the
ultimate thrill.

Today, despite having all the best equipment to hand together with computer
assistance internet and all the latest gadgets and aids.

The original concept of visualising the remote OP hand on key, sending a
signal, 'instantaneously' arriving in my receiver is still magic, and to
hear your own call come back to you in CW just can't be bettered.

Of course, I do appreciate all the modern digital modes, I get them
working, try them but then rapidly lose interest and return to CW, the
personal mode requiring some degree of aptitude, perseverence, and skill to
be part of the club and call yourself a CW OP.

Still 'just a boy and his radio'

73, F5VJC

On 31 October 2017 at 05:26, Victor Rosenthal 4X6GP <[hidden email]>
wrote:

> Wayne,
>
> Thanks for this and for everything else you've done for CW, and especially
> for making good CW functionality an objective for all Elecraft rigs.
>
> For me, nothing in amateur radio can possibly beat the thrill of hearing
> my own call in a weak and fluttery CW signal from the other side of the
> world. It's the same feeling I got 61 years ago when a guy across town
> answered my call for the first time.
>
> Judging by the display on my P3, there is often more digital activity than
> CW these days. I've tried it and I'm impressed, but I'm impressed by what
> my smartphone can do, too.
>
> My feeling is, "great, that is so cool, now back to REAL radio."
>
> CW is special and I hope it will stay around for many more years, despite
> the technical "superiority" of other modes.
>
> 73,
> Victor, 4X6GP
> Rehovot, Israel
> Formerly K2VCO
> http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/
> CWops #5
>
>
> On 31 Oct 2017 04:37, Wayne Burdick wrote:
>
>> I find that CW has many practical and engaging aspects that I just
>> don’t get with computer-mediated modes like FT8. You’d think I’d be
>> burned out on CW by now, over 45 years since I was first licensed,
>> but no, I’m still doin’ it :)
>>
>> Yes, FT8 (etc.) is a no-brainer when, despite poor conditions, your
>> goal is to log as many contacts as possible with as many states or
>> countries as possible. It’s so streamlined and efficient that the
>> whole process is readily automated. (If you haven’t read enough
>> opinions on that, see "The mother of all FT8 threads” on QRZ.com, for
>> example.)
>>
>> But back to CW. Here’s why it works for me. YMMV.
>>
>> CW feels personal and visceral, like driving a sports car rather than
>> taking a cab. As with a sports car, there are risks. You can get
>> clobbered by larger vehicles (QRM). Witness road range (“UP 2!”).
>> Fall into a pothole (QSB). Be forced to drive through rain or snow
>> (QRN).
>>
>> With CW, like other forms of human conversation, you can affect your
>> own style. Make mistakes. Joke about it.
>>
>> CW is a skill that bonds operators together across generations and
>> nations. A language, more like pidgin than anything else, with
>> abbreviations and historical constructs and imperialist oddities. A
>> curious club anyone can join. (At age 60 and able to copy 50 WPM on a
>> good day, I may qualify as a Nerd Mason of some modest order,
>> worthless in any other domain but of value in a contest.)
>>
>> With very simple equipment that anyone can build, such as a
>> high-power single-transistor oscillator, you can transmit a CW
>> signal. I had very little experience with electronics when I was 14
>> and built an oscillator that put out maybe 100 mW. Just twisted the
>> leads of all those parts together and keyed the collector supply--a
>> 9-volt battery. With this simple circuit on my desk, coupled to one
>> guy wire of our TV antenna mast, I worked a station 150 miles away
>> and was instantly hooked on building things. And on QRP. I’m sure the
>> signal was key-clicky and had lots of harmonics. I’ve spent a
>> lifetime making such things work better, but this is where it
>> started.
>>
>> Going even further down the techno food chain, you can “send” CW by
>> whistling, flashing a lamp, tapping on someone’s leg under a table in
>> civics class, or pounding a wrench on the inverted hull of an
>> upside-down U.S. war vessel, as happened at Pearl Harbor. Last
>> Saturday at an engineering club my son belongs to, a 9-year-old
>> demonstrated an Arduino Uno flashing HELLO WORLD in Morse on an LED.
>> The other kids were impressed, including my son, who promptly wrote a
>> version that sends three independent Morse streams on three LEDs. A
>> mini-pileup. His first program.
>>
>> Finally, to do CW you don’t always need a computer, keyboard, mouse,
>> monitor, or software. Such things are invaluable in our daily lives,
>> but for me, shutting down everything but the radio is the high point
>> of my day. The small display glows like a mystic portal into my
>> personal oyster, the RF spectrum. Unless I crank up the power,
>> there’s no fan noise. Tuning the knob slowly from the bottom end of
>> the band segment to the top is a bit like fishing my favorite stream,
>> Taylor Creek, which connects Fallen Leaf Lake to Lake Tahoe. Drag the
>> line across the green, sunlit pool. See what hits. Big trout? DX.
>> Small trout? Hey, it’s still a fish, and a QSO across town is still a
>> QSO. Admire it, then throw it back in.
>>
>> (BTW: You now know why the Elecraft K3, K3S, KX2, and KX3 all have
>> built-in RTTY and PSK data modes that allow transmit via the keyer
>> paddle and receive on the rig’s display. We decided to make these
>> data modes conversational...like CW.)
>>
>> Back to 40 meters....
>>
>> 73,
>>
>> Wayne N6KR
>>
> ______________________________________________________________
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>

EUGENE GABRY

Re: On CW

In reply to this post by Clay Autery-2

K7TV

Re: On CW

In reply to this post by rkruse

I learnt CW the old way around 1962: starting at slow speed, but I believe that is not the best way. Recently a local club I belong to (most of the guys are fm/repeater types, but a few are interested in reviving/building their CW skills) asked me to think about a possible CW training program. I searched, and found the CWOPS CW Academy. I was very impressed! However, I found their website a bit confusing, so I dug further. I have found out: They are a club with membership fees, but you don't need to be a member to take the training. (In fact, you can't become a member unless you are already good at CW.) Their beginner classes work the same whether the student had learnt CW in the past or is a complete beginner, and I get the impression that the success rate would be about the same for both kinds of student. They run only 3 beginner classes per year, recruited from all over the world, and the number of students admitted per class is quite small. It appears that there is a wait
ing list of a year or so. When you are already hesitant, that wait has to discourage you a bit, and so would the need to align your schedule to their start date. I contacted the organization and asked if I (not a member of CWOPS) would be allowed to teach the beginner class, using the CWOPS method and training materials to local students, at a time of their choice. The answer was yes! I didn't ask whether any prospective CW teacher would be allowed to do this, but if you know your CW at better than 20 WPM, I think it very likely that CWOPS would approve your request to teach using their materials. So, if you are a student interested in learning CW the CWOPS way, but don't want to wait for a the CWOPS official class, maybe you could find somebody local to lead a CWOPS type class for you and a few friends, assuming that that person would get approval and training materials from CWOPS. As to my running such a class, I am not sure that my club will actually go forward with it, b
ut it seems like a good idea if the prospective students are eager to learn.

73,
Erik K7TV

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Clay Autery
Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2017 12:08 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] On CW

CWOPS CW Academy... Learn by hearing. Don't EVER use a chart. If YOU doo your part, you can be head copying 25 wpm in what I consider a very short time.

I'm not there yet (just finished Level 1), but I'm headed thataway!

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marvwheeler

Re: On CW

In reply to this post by wayne burdick

Early on in my ham radio experience I also struggled with the ability to copy cw.

I finally decided to devote 30 minutes each and every day to listening to code on the air. Many days it would have been easier to go to bed and forget the allocated 30 minutes but I could easily see the improvement in my ability to copy cw.

For about 1 year I kept a sked with a former Navy code instructor. He was a big jokester and would send jokes on the air but would not repeat the punch line. Frustrating yes but it made you listen closely.

I still can't copy 50 wpm and at 80 years old I doubt if I ever will but 30 to 35 wpm is not a bad. What ever the speed it is enjoyable.

I for one am lucky enough to have in the log.

Marv
KG7V

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k6dgw

Re: On CW

In reply to this post by rkruse

Three unanswerable questions: "What is the meaning of life?"; "Are
there hams in other star systems?"; "What is the secret to learning
Morse code?", and, if 50 people answer your question [likely a low
estimate], you will get 62.87 answers. [:-)

The "secret" really is ... there is no "secret." There as many
effective ways as there are aspiring CW operators. Not every method
works for everyone. Here's a partial short-list of things to investigate:

1. CW Academy, operated by the CWOps group cwops.org

2. Download Morsegen [http://www.g4ilo.com/morsegen.html]. It will
send to you in a variety of modes, including text from a file

3. Make audio files from Morsegen, write them to a USB stick or CD's,
and "read" them while on the way to work or a long trip

4. Send to yourself. Put the K3s in TEST mode

5. Listen to W1AW practice and bulletin sessions [1]

6. Listen to CW contests [2]

7. Have "in-room QSO's" with K3s in TEST with a friend

8. Put a Morse ringtone on your fone. Mine sends the name, if in my
fone book, or the number if not, for calls and SMS. You may not get
much practice unless you get a lot of calls/texts but it sure gets
attention in the checkout line at Home Depot. [:-)

9. Put your K3s in TX NORM mode and start making Q's at a speed you're
comfortable with. I hear a number of 5 WPM CQ's in the afternoons on 20
around 14050.

Note: There is a vast difference between verbatim copy and "head
copy." In a normal QSO, the probability is 0.9964 that the only
elements you'll hear will be RST, Name, QTH, Rig, Antenna, Wx, and "WL
TNX QSO GUD DX CUL 73." The only one you really need to jot down is
name. The only time verbatim copy is needed is in traffic handling.

73,

Fred ["Skip"] K6DGW
Sparks NV DM09dn
Washoe County

[1] A potential issue with the W1AW at increasing speeds is that one can
become obsessive over one's current speed. One needs to forget about
speed, yours is what it is and it will increase.

[2] Speeds in contests will range around 30-35 WPM. However, all that
is being sent is call signs and some very small amount of "data" such as
5NN 3 [fake signal report and CQ zone #]. In the Wed CWT's it's a name
[all short] and 1-4 digit member #, and knowing what's coming next will
improve your copy ability and speed dramatically.

On 10/31/2017 11:26 AM, [hidden email] wrote:

> Now that I've given the history, my question to those of you who are
> gung-ho on CW is; how did you begin the learning process? Is there
> some secret that I missed?
>
> 73
>
> Ray
> KK4WPB
>
>

Jim AB3CV

Re: On CW

I use Morse Elmer on my iphone to practice.

I like it.

jim ab3cv

On Tue, Oct 31, 2017 at 4:37 PM, Fred Jensen <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Three unanswerable questions: "What is the meaning of life?"; "Are there
> hams in other star systems?"; "What is the secret to learning Morse code?",
> and, if 50 people answer your question [likely a low estimate], you will
> get 62.87 answers. [:-)
>
> The "secret" really is ... there is no "secret." There as many effective
> ways as there are aspiring CW operators. Not every method works for
> everyone. Here's a partial short-list of things to investigate:
>
> 1. CW Academy, operated by the CWOps group cwops.org
>
> 2. Download Morsegen [http://www.g4ilo.com/morsegen.html]. It will send
> to you in a variety of modes, including text from a file
>
> 3. Make audio files from Morsegen, write them to a USB stick or CD's, and
> "read" them while on the way to work or a long trip
>
> 4. Send to yourself. Put the K3s in TEST mode
>
> 5. Listen to W1AW practice and bulletin sessions [1]
>
> 6. Listen to CW contests [2]
>
> 7. Have "in-room QSO's" with K3s in TEST with a friend
>
> 8. Put a Morse ringtone on your fone. Mine sends the name, if in my fone
> book, or the number if not, for calls and SMS. You may not get much
> practice unless you get a lot of calls/texts but it sure gets attention in
> the checkout line at Home Depot. [:-)
>
> 9. Put your K3s in TX NORM mode and start making Q's at a speed you're
> comfortable with. I hear a number of 5 WPM CQ's in the afternoons on 20
> around 14050.
>
> Note: There is a vast difference between verbatim copy and "head copy."
> In a normal QSO, the probability is 0.9964 that the only elements you'll
> hear will be RST, Name, QTH, Rig, Antenna, Wx, and "WL TNX QSO GUD DX CUL
> 73." The only one you really need to jot down is name. The only time
> verbatim copy is needed is in traffic handling.
>
> 73,
>
> Fred ["Skip"] K6DGW
> Sparks NV DM09dn
> Washoe County
>
> [1] A potential issue with the W1AW at increasing speeds is that one can
> become obsessive over one's current speed. One needs to forget about
> speed, yours is what it is and it will increase.
>
> [2] Speeds in contests will range around 30-35 WPM. However, all that is
> being sent is call signs and some very small amount of "data" such as 5NN 3
> [fake signal report and CQ zone #]. In the Wed CWT's it's a name [all
> short] and 1-4 digit member #, and knowing what's coming next will improve
> your copy ability and speed dramatically.
>
> On 10/31/2017 11:26 AM, [hidden email] wrote:
>
>> Now that I've given the history, my question to those of you who are
>> gung-ho on CW is; how did you begin the learning process? Is there some
>> secret that I missed?
>>
>> 73
>>
>> Ray
>> KK4WPB
>>
>>
>>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
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> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to [hidden email]

rkruse

Re: On CW

In reply to this post by Clay Autery-2

Thanks.

My problem is that I live out in the country so far that there won't be
broadband for the rest of my life and probably the life of my
grandchildren. I have satelite internet which is fine, but I can not do
skype, so CWOPs is out.

Ray

On 10/31/2017 3:08 PM, Clay Autery wrote:

> CWOPS CW Academy... Learn by hearing. Don't EVER use a chart. If YOU
> doo your part, you can be head copying 25 wpm in what I consider a
> very short time.
>
> I'm not there yet (just finished Level 1), but I'm headed thataway!
>
>
> On 10/31/2017 1:26 PM, [hidden email] wrote:
>> Now that I've given the history, my question to those of you who are
>> gung-ho on CW is; how did you begin the learning process? Is there
>> some secret that I missed?
>>
>> 73
>>
>> Ray
>> KK4WPB
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to [hidden email]

--
Furthermore, I believe that islam must be destroyed.
If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.--Thomas Paine
III% Molon labe.

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K7TV

Re: On CW

In reply to this post by Clay Autery-2

In my post about setting up the CWOPS training outside of the organization, I omitted the following. When discussing the idea with a CWOPS representative, I said some of our presumptive participants might not be able to do Skype. I suggested that we instead use an FM net over a repeater. I was told that that would be just fine. In your case, if you are not in range of a suitable FM communications, I assume HF SSB would be fine as long as you select the frequency and time to produce solid communications for all participants.

73,
Erik K7TV

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of [hidden email]
Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2017 1:59 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] On CW

Thanks.

My problem is that I live out in the country so far that there won't be broadband for the rest of my life and probably the life of my grandchildren. I have satelite internet which is fine, but I can not do skype, so CWOPs is out.

Ray

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Bill K9YEQ

Re: On CW

In reply to this post by wayne burdick

Reminds me of building my first oscillators in the late 50's using any transistors I could find or afford. I used Raytheon CN722's (I think that is correct) for my first oscillator with military Xtals ground to freq. with a wet stone. OMG what an experience and I too got hooked. Did lots of building, then along came elecraft in late 1990's. Hooked again.

73,
Bill
K9YEQ

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Wayne Burdick
Sent: Monday, October 30, 2017 9:38 PM
To: Elecraft Reflector <[hidden email]>
Cc: QRP-L <[hidden email]>; [hidden email]; [hidden email]
Subject: [Elecraft] On CW

I find that CW has many practical and engaging aspects that I just don’t get with computer-mediated modes like FT8. You’d think I’d be burned out on CW by now, over 45 years since I was first licensed, but no, I’m still doin’ it :)

Yes, FT8 (etc.) is a no-brainer when, despite poor conditions, your goal is to log as many contacts as possible with as many states or countries as possible. It’s so streamlined and efficient that the whole process is readily automated. (If you haven’t read enough opinions on that, see "The mother of all FT8 threads” on QRZ.com, for example.)

But back to CW. Here’s why it works for me. YMMV.

CW feels personal and visceral, like driving a sports car rather than taking a cab. As with a sports car, there are risks. You can get clobbered by larger vehicles (QRM). Witness road range (“UP 2!”). Fall into a pothole (QSB). Be forced to drive through rain or snow (QRN).

With CW, like other forms of human conversation, you can affect your own style. Make mistakes. Joke about it.

CW is a skill that bonds operators together across generations and nations. A language, more like pidgin than anything else, with abbreviations and historical constructs and imperialist oddities. A curious club anyone can join. (At age 60 and able to copy 50 WPM on a good day, I may qualify as a Nerd Mason of some modest order, worthless in any other domain but of value in a contest.)

With very simple equipment that anyone can build, such as a high-power single-transistor oscillator, you can transmit a CW signal. I had very little experience with electronics when I was 14 and built an oscillator that put out maybe 100 mW. Just twisted the leads of all those parts together and keyed the collector supply--a 9-volt battery. With this simple circuit on my desk, coupled to one guy wire of our TV antenna mast, I worked a station 150 miles away and was instantly hooked on building things. And on QRP. I’m sure the signal was key-clicky and had lots of harmonics. I’ve spent a lifetime making such things work better, but this is where it started.

Going even further down the techno food chain, you can “send” CW by whistling, flashing a lamp, tapping on someone’s leg under a table in civics class, or pounding a wrench on the inverted hull of an upside-down U.S. war vessel, as happened at Pearl Harbor. Last Saturday at an engineering club my son belongs to, a 9-year-old demonstrated an Arduino Uno flashing HELLO WORLD in Morse on an LED. The other kids were impressed, including my son, who promptly wrote a version that sends three independent Morse streams on three LEDs. A mini-pileup. His first program.

Finally, to do CW you don’t always need a computer, keyboard, mouse, monitor, or software. Such things are invaluable in our daily lives, but for me, shutting down everything but the radio is the high point of my day. The small display glows like a mystic portal into my personal oyster, the RF spectrum. Unless I crank up the power, there’s no fan noise. Tuning the knob slowly from the bottom end of the band segment to the top is a bit like fishing my favorite stream, Taylor Creek, which connects Fallen Leaf Lake to Lake Tahoe. Drag the line across the green, sunlit pool. See what hits. Big trout? DX. Small trout? Hey, it’s still a fish, and a QSO across town is still a QSO. Admire it, then throw it back in.

(BTW: You now know why the Elecraft K3, K3S, KX2, and KX3 all have built-in RTTY and PSK data modes that allow transmit via the keyer paddle and receive on the rig’s display. We decided to make these data modes conversational...like CW.)

Back to 40 meters....

73,

Wayne
N6KR

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David Mackey

Re: [Elecraft_K3] RE: On CW

CK722

David Mackey
[hidden email]

> On Oct 31, 2017, at 19:51, Bill Johnson [hidden email] [Elecraft_K3] <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> Reminds me of building my first oscillators in the late 50's using any transistors I could find or afford. I used Raytheon CN722's (I think that is correct) for my first oscillator with military Xtals ground to freq. with a wet stone. OMG what an experience and I too got hooked. Did lots of building, then along came elecraft in late 1990's. Hooked again.
>
> 73,
> Bill
> K9YEQ
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Wayne Burdick
> Sent: Monday, October 30, 2017 9:38 PM
> To: Elecraft Reflector <[hidden email]>
> Cc: QRP-L <[hidden email]>; [hidden email]; [hidden email]
> Subject: [Elecraft] On CW
>
> I find that CW has many practical and engaging aspects that I just don’t get with computer-mediated modes like FT8. You’d think I’d be burned out on CW by now, over 45 years since I was first licensed, but no, I’m still doin’ it :)
>
> Yes, FT8 (etc.) is a no-brainer when, despite poor conditions, your goal is to log as many contacts as possible with as many states or countries as possible. It’s so streamlined and efficient that the whole process is readily automated. (If you haven’t read enough opinions on that, see "The mother of all FT8 threads” on QRZ.com, for example.)
>
> But back to CW. Here’s why it works for me. YMMV.
>
> CW feels personal and visceral, like driving a sports car rather than taking a cab. As with a sports car, there are risks. You can get clobbered by larger vehicles (QRM). Witness road range (“UP 2!”). Fall into a pothole (QSB). Be forced to drive through rain or snow (QRN).
>
> With CW, like other forms of human conversation, you can affect your own style. Make mistakes. Joke about it.
>
> CW is a skill that bonds operators together across generations and nations. A language, more like pidgin than anything else, with abbreviations and historical constructs and imperialist oddities. A curious club anyone can join. (At age 60 and able to copy 50 WPM on a good day, I may qualify as a Nerd Mason of some modest order, worthless in any other domain but of value in a contest.)
>
> With very simple equipment that anyone can build, such as a high-power single-transistor oscillator, you can transmit a CW signal. I had very little experience with electronics when I was 14 and built an oscillator that put out maybe 100 mW. Just twisted the leads of all those parts together and keyed the collector supply--a 9-volt battery. With this simple circuit on my desk, coupled to one guy wire of our TV antenna mast, I worked a station 150 miles away and was instantly hooked on building things. And on QRP. I’m sure the signal was key-clicky and had lots of harmonics. I’ve spent a lifetime making such things work better, but this is where it started.
>
> Going even further down the techno food chain, you can “send” CW by whistling, flashing a lamp, tapping on someone’s leg under a table in civics class, or pounding a wrench on the inverted hull of an upside-down U.S. war vessel, as happened at Pearl Harbor. Last Saturday at an engineering club my son belongs to, a 9-year-old demonstrated an Arduino Uno flashing HELLO WORLD in Morse on an LED. The other kids were impressed, including my son, who promptly wrote a version that sends three independent Morse streams on three LEDs. A mini-pileup. His first program.
>
> Finally, to do CW you don’t always need a computer, keyboard, mouse, monitor, or software. Such things are invaluable in our daily lives, but for me, shutting down everything but the radio is the high point of my day. The small display glows like a mystic portal into my personal oyster, the RF spectrum. Unless I crank up the power, there’s no fan noise. Tuning the knob slowly from the bottom end of the band segment to the top is a bit like fishing my favorite stream, Taylor Creek, which connects Fallen Leaf Lake to Lake Tahoe. Drag the line across the green, sunlit pool. See what hits. Big trout? DX. Small trout? Hey, it’s still a fish, and a QSO across town is still a QSO. Admire it, then throw it back in.
>
> (BTW: You now know why the Elecraft K3, K3S, KX2, and KX3 all have built-in RTTY and PSK data modes that allow transmit via the keyer paddle and receive on the rig’s display. We decided to make these data modes conversational...like CW.)
>
> Back to 40 meters....
>
> 73,
>
> Wayne
> N6KR
>
>
>
> __________________________________________________________
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iw2noy

Re: On CW

In reply to this post by wayne burdick

Wow !
Wayne, thanks for this message.
It's one of the best sentiment and love declaration to CW that i have read.
I am proud to be an Elecrafter and own more of your project.

I am still waiting you in Europe to finally meet you.
If you want to came in Italy, to Milan or around, you will be my guest, just let me know.

Best 73's
--... ...--

Graziano IW2NOY

> Il 31 ottobre 2017 alle 3.37 Wayne Burdick <[hidden email]> ha scritto:
>
>
> I find that CW has many practical and engaging aspects that I just don’t get with computer-mediated modes like FT8. You’d think I’d be burned out on CW by now, over 45 years since I was first licensed, but no, I’m still doin’ it :)
>
> Yes, FT8 (etc.) is a no-brainer when, despite poor conditions, your goal is to log as many contacts as possible with as many states or countries as possible. It’s so streamlined and efficient that the whole process is readily automated. (If you haven’t read enough opinions on that, see "The mother of all FT8 threads” on QRZ.com, for example.)
>
> But back to CW. Here’s why it works for me. YMMV.
>
> CW feels personal and visceral, like driving a sports car rather than taking a cab. As with a sports car, there are risks. You can get clobbered by larger vehicles (QRM). Witness road range (“UP 2!”). Fall into a pothole (QSB). Be forced to drive through rain or snow (QRN).
>
> With CW, like other forms of human conversation, you can affect your own style. Make mistakes. Joke about it.
>
> CW is a skill that bonds operators together across generations and nations. A language, more like pidgin than anything else, with abbreviations and historical constructs and imperialist oddities. A curious club anyone can join. (At age 60 and able to copy 50 WPM on a good day, I may qualify as a Nerd Mason of some modest order, worthless in any other domain but of value in a contest.)
>
> With very simple equipment that anyone can build, such as a high-power single-transistor oscillator, you can transmit a CW signal. I had very little experience with electronics when I was 14 and built an oscillator that put out maybe 100 mW. Just twisted the leads of all those parts together and keyed the collector supply--a 9-volt battery. With this simple circuit on my desk, coupled to one guy wire of our TV antenna mast, I worked a station 150 miles away and was instantly hooked on building things. And on QRP. I’m sure the signal was key-clicky and had lots of harmonics. I’ve spent a lifetime making such things work better, but this is where it started.
>
> Going even further down the techno food chain, you can “send” CW by whistling, flashing a lamp, tapping on someone’s leg under a table in civics class, or pounding a wrench on the inverted hull of an upside-down U.S. war vessel, as happened at Pearl Harbor. Last Saturday at an engineering club my son belongs to, a 9-year-old demonstrated an Arduino Uno flashing HELLO WORLD in Morse on an LED. The other kids were impressed, including my son, who promptly wrote a version that sends three independent Morse streams on three LEDs. A mini-pileup. His first program.
>
> Finally, to do CW you don’t always need a computer, keyboard, mouse, monitor, or software. Such things are invaluable in our daily lives, but for me, shutting down everything but the radio is the high point of my day. The small display glows like a mystic portal into my personal oyster, the RF spectrum. Unless I crank up the power, there’s no fan noise. Tuning the knob slowly from the bottom end of the band segment to the top is a bit like fishing my favorite stream, Taylor Creek, which connects Fallen Leaf Lake to Lake Tahoe. Drag the line across the green, sunlit pool. See what hits. Big trout? DX. Small trout? Hey, it’s still a fish, and a QSO across town is still a QSO. Admire it, then throw it back in.
>
> (BTW: You now know why the Elecraft K3, K3S, KX2, and KX3 all have built-in RTTY and PSK data modes that allow transmit via the keyer paddle and receive on the rig’s display. We decided to make these data modes conversational...like CW.)
>
> Back to 40 meters....
>
> 73,
>
> Wayne
> N6KR
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to [hidden email]

Dave Belville

Re: On CW

Wayne,

That should be submitted to QST, QQ, CQ, etc. magazines. It will surely get printed.

Dave, KD9VT
On 11/13/2017 7:17:59 AM, Graziano Roccon <[hidden email]> wrote:
Wow !
Wayne, thanks for this message.
It's one of the best sentiment and love declaration to CW that i have read.
I am proud to be an Elecrafter and own more of your project.

I am still waiting you in Europe to finally meet you.
If you want to came in Italy, to Milan or around, you will be my guest, just let me know.

Best 73's
--... ...--

Graziano IW2NOY

> Il 31 ottobre 2017 alle 3.37 Wayne Burdick ha scritto:
>
>
> I find that CW has many practical and engaging aspects that I just don’t get with computer-mediated modes like FT8. You’d think I’d be burned out on CW by now, over 45 years since I was first licensed, but no, I’m still doin’ it :)
>
> Yes, FT8 (etc.) is a no-brainer when, despite poor conditions, your goal is to log as many contacts as possible with as many states or countries as possible. It’s so streamlined and efficient that the whole process is readily automated. (If you haven’t read enough opinions on that, see "The mother of all FT8 threads” on QRZ.com, for example.)
>
> But back to CW. Here’s why it works for me. YMMV.
>
> CW feels personal and visceral, like driving a sports car rather than taking a cab. As with a sports car, there are risks. You can get clobbered by larger vehicles (QRM). Witness road range (“UP 2!”). Fall into a pothole (QSB). Be forced to drive through rain or snow (QRN).
>
> With CW, like other forms of human conversation, you can affect your own style. Make mistakes. Joke about it.
>
> CW is a skill that bonds operators together across generations and nations. A language, more like pidgin than anything else, with abbreviations and historical constructs and imperialist oddities. A curious club anyone can join. (At age 60 and able to copy 50 WPM on a good day, I may qualify as a Nerd Mason of some modest order, worthless in any other domain but of value in a contest.)
>
> With very simple equipment that anyone can build, such as a high-power single-transistor oscillator, you can transmit a CW signal. I had very little experience with electronics when I was 14 and built an oscillator that put out maybe 100 mW. Just twisted the leads of all those parts together and keyed the collector supply--a 9-volt battery. With this simple circuit on my desk, coupled to one guy wire of our TV antenna mast, I worked a station 150 miles away and was instantly hooked on building things. And on QRP. I’m sure the signal was key-clicky and had lots of harmonics. I’ve spent a lifetime making such things work better, but this is where it started.
>
> Going even further down the techno food chain, you can “send” CW by whistling, flashing a lamp, tapping on someone’s leg under a table in civics class, or pounding a wrench on the inverted hull of an upside-down U.S. war vessel, as happened at Pearl Harbor. Last Saturday at an engineering club my son belongs to, a 9-year-old demonstrated an Arduino Uno flashing HELLO WORLD in Morse on an LED. The other kids were impressed, including my son, who promptly wrote a version that sends three independent Morse streams on three LEDs. A mini-pileup. His first program.
>
> Finally, to do CW you don’t always need a computer, keyboard, mouse, monitor, or software. Such things are invaluable in our daily lives, but for me, shutting down everything but the radio is the high point of my day. The small display glows like a mystic portal into my personal oyster, the RF spectrum. Unless I crank up the power, there’s no fan noise. Tuning the knob slowly from the bottom end of the band segment to the top is a bit like fishing my favorite stream, Taylor Creek, which connects Fallen Leaf Lake to Lake Tahoe. Drag the line across the green, sunlit pool. See what hits. Big trout? DX. Small trout? Hey, it’s still a fish, and a QSO across town is still a QSO. Admire it, then throw it back in.
>
> (BTW: You now know why the Elecraft K3, K3S, KX2, and KX3 all have built-in RTTY and PSK data modes that allow transmit via the keyer paddle and receive on the rig’s display. We decided to make these data modes conversational...like CW.)
>
> Back to 40 meters....
>
> 73,
>
> Wayne
> N6KR
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to [hidden email]

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