BINGO! Excellent, Al.
When you learn on a straight key, "you" learn the rhythm of Morse code.
You must learn the timing as well as the dits and dahs.
If you learn using a keyer with any kind of auto-completing, you don't worry
about timing, and you don't learn to have timing.
I've had about 25 years of listing to the young(er) ops whining at multi-op
events when the keyer didn't have exactly the one type of keying or the
other. I could never understand what all the whining was about. I can send
with anything, even touching two wires together. Some of these guys were
much better CW ops than me but if they had the wrong keyer or paddle, they
botched the job or gave up entirely. I always wondered why.
On the other hand, a couple of my old buddies, like me, could send good
Morse code on any key, paddle or keyer we sat down at. I never understood
that. Now I do.
Al, you dad nailed it!
So as I see it, if you want to learn code for the test (which is no longer
necessary anyway), use any crutch you want, but IF YOU WANT TO LEARN IT
RIGHT, LEARN IT ON A STRAIGHT KEY.
I found 15 wpm pretty easy on the straight key, but I could never keep up
sending at 20 wpm. My right arm would get real tight, like when arm
wrestling. You said 18wpm. So somewhere in that range is probably a limit
for most people, but you can get plenty of mileage out of 15 wpm.
However, I don't want to be guilty of telling James how he should do it and
insisting my way is the only way. I think it's outstanding that he is so
dedicated to learning it at all.
73
Rick, DJ0IP
-----Original Message-----
From: tentec-bounces@contesting.com [mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com]
On Behalf Of Al Gulseth
Sent: Tuesday, July 03, 2012 3:05 PM
To: Richards; Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
Subject: Re: [TenTec] new to CW dxing
One other thing (which can be a source of controversy for some folks): I was
emphatically told (by my now SK dad who was first licensed in 1934 and
served as a seagoing radio op in the Coast Guard during WWII) that I needed
to master the straight key first (i.e. being able to send smooth
mistake-free 18WPM or so code) before trying to use a bug or keyer. If you
think about it, it makes sense: a self-completing electronic keyer will
cover up very sloppy timing, whereas with a straight key the least bit of
inconsistency will immediately be obvious.
>From what I've been able to glean from other sources this concept goes
>back a
long way and was probably SOP for the military.
(Just my $0.02 worth....)
73, Al
On Mon July 2 2012 11:09:11 pm Richards wrote:
> That is consistent with what other guys are telling me.
>
> I have been following a learning plan laid out by an old ham friend,
> Bob, N1KPR, who wrote a short book on learning the code....
>
> I am equally fortunate to have already accumulated a few high quality
> keys - One is the Limited Edition Ten-Tec 40th Anniversary/Bencher
> iambic paddle, Serial No. 006 (which I have yet to take from the box).
> Another is my most recent acquisition, one of the very first Vibroplex
> Vibrocube dual iambic paddles ...
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