CW - For Real this Time

[timbo]

Well, I'm about ready to join the ranks of CW ops only. I am so F*****G tired of the SSB Lids that just can't seem to call a DX station without stomping all over each other (and worse, stomping on the DX station while he or she is transmitting)...it seems that it's worse than it's ever been.

Today there was a station from Gibraltar on 20 meters (it's not that rare) and I listened to him for about 20 minutes and it was all I could handle. He was buried under the total bedlam from the east coast, especially the a**holes from NY/NJ. JFC...even he had to beg them to wait until he was done transmitting and called QRZ. I can't tell you how many of these lids even asked for his callsign after they gave him a 5/9 . He ended up shutting his station down for the night, he was that frustrated. Personally, I think he should've been working split or at least by the numbers/call areas but that was his call.

I ended up going up the band a few kilohertz and chatted with an old friend, Jan, S51DX, just to clear my head. Even he said it's gotten really bad the past few years. He told me when it gets crazy like that, he just reaches over and hits the on/off switch.

Anyway, I guess it's time to brush up on my CW "skills" and become fluent in it once again. It's been pretty much since the late 80s since I tapped a key.

 

[ToddDubya]

Well, I'm about ready to join the ranks of CW ops only. I am so F*****G tired of the SSB Lids that just can't seem to call a DX station without stomping all over each other (and worse, stomping on the DX station while he or she is transmitting)...it seems that it's worse than it's ever been.

Today there was a station from Gibraltar on 20 meters (it's not that rare) and I listened to him for about 20 minutes and it was all I could handle. He was buried under the total bedlam from the east coast, especially the a**holes from NY/NJ. JFC...even he had to beg them to wait until he was done transmitting and called QRZ. I can't tell you how many of these lids even asked for his callsign after they gave him a 5/9 . He ended up shutting his station down for the night, he was that frustrated. Personally, I think he should've been working split or at least by the numbers/call areas but that was his call.

I ended up going up the band a few kilohertz and chatted with an old friend, Jan, S51DX, just to clear my head. Even he said it's gotten really bad the past few years. He told me when it gets crazy like that, he just reaches over and hits the on/off switch.

Anyway, I guess it's time to brush up on my CW "skills" and become fluent in it once again. It's been pretty much since the late 80s since I tapped a key.

"Station ending in delta come back. Station ending in delta come back."
<everyone comes back>

I'm no pro, but I find CW ops to be much more gentlemanly. I have been distracted by SSB lately, and some nights I try a few POTA stations and just can't. The guys calling will try and keep it orderly, but people don't care. If you can't hear well enough to know he hasn't said QRZ yet, you're just noise. Worse is when they call those guys to get rid of them and just reinforce the behavior.

And yeah, do people just find a pileup and join in? Listen for two minutes and get the guy's call sign, geez. Sometimes they don't give it every time, so maybe listen for three minutes.

I wonder if some of that is what's sparking the CW renaissance.

I'm pretty sure I've worked S51DX. It sticks in my mind because I've worked S57DX a few times. The DX guys are so nice. "Nice to talk to you again my friend."

 

[timbo]

"Station ending in delta come back. Station ending in delta come back."
<everyone comes back>

I'm no pro, but I find CW ops to be much more gentlemanly. I have been distracted by SSB lately, and some nights I try a few POTA stations and just can't. The guys calling will try and keep it orderly, but people don't care. If you can't hear well enough to know he hasn't said QRZ yet, you're just noise. Worse is when they call those guys to get rid of them and just reinforce the behavior.

And yeah, do people just find a pileup and join in? Listen for two minutes and get the guy's call sign, geez. Sometimes they don't give it every time, so maybe listen for three minutes.

I wonder if some of that is what's sparking the CW renaissance.

I'm pretty sure I've worked S51DX. It sticks in my mind because I've worked S57DX a few times. The DX guys are so nice. "Nice to talk to you again my friend."

Neither of those gents are hard to miss...LOL. They are LOUD! And I've worked them both many times The first time I heard Jan, S51DX he had just started calling CQ so I came right back to him and we talked about 20 minutes...all that time you could hear US hams LIDS trying to interject their calls into our conversation. He finally stopped our convo for a few seconds and read them the riot act. He's on a lot and not a hard contact to make if you don't mind waiting a bit.

Anyway...back a few months ago I was in contact with another station in Italy (that's like shooting fish in a barrel), S51DX heard me and when I signed, he asked me if I could move up a few kilohertz, which I did. We just shot the shit for 30-40 minutes...and it was me he contacted...LOL. And still, these LIDS tried again to slide into our conversation. We just ignored them. Like spoiled kids, they usually find someone else to bother if you ignore them long enough.

I listen on the CW segments fairly often and can get some of the calls, etc. I need to spend a lot more time down there and you're right, it's a lot friendlier...maybe I'll even upgrade to extra so I can work that part of the band and I'm guess there will be a lot less idiots there as well. For some reason, the ones I have the hardest time with are with the prosigns.

 

[ToddDubya]

Neither of those gents are hard to miss...LOL. They are LOUD! And I've worked them both many times The first time I heard Jan, S51DX he had just started calling CQ so I came right back to him and we talked about 20 minutes...all that time you could hear US hams LIDS trying to interject their calls into our conversation. He finally stopped our convo for a few seconds and read them the riot act. He's on a lot and not a hard contact to make if you don't mind waiting a bit.

Anyway...back a few months ago I was in contact with another station in Italy (that's like shooting fish in a barrel), S51DX heard me and when I signed, he asked me if I could move up a few kilohertz, which I did. We just shot the shit for 30-40 minutes...and it was me he contacted...LOL. And still, these LIDS tried again to slide into our conversation. We just ignored them. Like spoiled kids, they usually find someone else to bother if you ignore them long enough.

I listen on the CW segments fairly often and can get some of the calls, etc. I need to spend a lot more time down there and you're right, it's a lot friendlier...maybe I'll even upgrade to extra so I can work that part of the band and I'm guess there will be a lot less idiots there as well. For some reason, the ones I have the hardest time with are with the prosigns.

I started putting together a prosign cheat sheet. It's on my other laptop or I'd paste it in here. I get very distracted by them because they're the wrong number of elements. So I try and figure out was it an error like an extra dit, or did he not leave enough space between characters, or what. I end up writing down the dits and dahs and looking it up.

Without enough experience to know how QSOs flow, I don't know what to expect and weird stuff throws me. Add in the shorthand and I can get lost pretty fast. Then add in that there is more than one shortcut for things like "thank you", and it's tough. I know it'll get easier but the curve is steep.

I could be wrong, but I thought it was fair game to throw your call into an ongoing QSO if you wanted to cut in. If they wanted you to join, they'd respond, otherwise move along or wait. Same method for SSB and CW. I don't ever do it because it seems rude to me, but I thought it was legit.

 

[timbo]

I'm heading to bed pretty soon so I'll respond tomorrow with a bit more content but this is where I got my prosign info:

SKCC - Beginner's Corner

The SKCC Group is the world's fastest growing group of straight-key Morse code enthusiasts from around the globe. The group hosts an extensive list of Morse code resources; a forum for members to share ideas, experiences and techniques, and active mailing list are a few of the services offered.

www.skccgroup.com

Lots of info in there...I just printed it and keep it in my radio desk notebook. I've been a member of SKCC for a few months and there is tons of good info on that site. Not sure if you are aware of SKCC...

 

[ToddDubya]

I'm heading to bed pretty soon so I'll respond tomorrow with a bit more content but this is where I got my prosign info:

SKCC - Beginner's Corner

The SKCC Group is the world's fastest growing group of straight-key Morse code enthusiasts from around the globe. The group hosts an extensive list of Morse code resources; a forum for members to share ideas, experiences and techniques, and active mailing list are a few of the services offered.

www.skccgroup.com

Lots of info in there...I just printed it and keep it in my radio desk notebook. I've been a member of SKCC for a few months and there is tons of good info on that site. Not sure if you are aware of SKCC...

Thanks. I think I will join. I'm rubbish with a straight key but I'm sure I'll clean up with some practice. And I could use the motivation to get on the air more.

 

[ToddDubya]

More slow code tonight and I don't seem to be improving any. This was the first time this week, so I'm not being really consistent. I listened to a few QSOs while I waited for the ARRL code to begin; I'm sure that helps.

I signed up for SKCC too. I hunted around for some SKCC QSOs but couldn't find anything yet. I just wanted to listen for a bit and get the hang of how those go. I gotta work on my SK sending before I'll tackle that.

 

[ToddDubya]

Damn, slow code tonight was even worse. QSB went from too loud to inaudible over and over the whole time. I did realize after the 4th of 5 speeds that I was on the wrong antenna. Fixing that helped, but not completely. I didn't copy very well at all.

 

[ToddDubya]

It wasn't until I got to 15wpm last night that I remembered to not translate, just listen. I'll have to remember that again tonight.

In related news, my buddy/Elmer just happened upon some color burst crystals and he's going to drop some off for me. I'm looking for some simple designs to build at least one into a transmitter, maybe moving to transceivers after that. There are some simple designs out there I'm eyeing. If anyone has any suggestions I'm all ears.

There's a niche group of weirdos who refer to themselves as the Color Burst Liberation Army. They "liberate" the color burst crystals from old tube TVs and use them in home brewed radios. The color burst frequency is 3.579 MHz, right in the CW portion of 80m. In this case, I'm liberating them from his hand.

 

[ToddDubya]

I accidentally tuned into the fast code practice last night. It was down to 20wpm when I stumbled onto it, so I listened. I got a little, and did about the same at the 15,13,10 speeds. I think slow code starting so slow (5wpm) is doing me a disservice. 5wpm gives too much time to think and decode, where 20+ you just have to listen. I'll try more of the fast code sessions.

 

[UJay]

CQ WPX CW This weekend.
Exchange is a serial number,

CQ WPX - Rules

cqwpx.com

UJay

 

[ToddDubya]

I just realized I've been checking "ROOKIE" on contests wrong. I thought it was for your first time participating. Good things I also keep my scores low so the only person I'm probably bumping is the guy who forgot his mic and is just shouting at people.

 

[CatSnoutSoup]

CQ WPX CW This weekend.
Exchange is a serial number,

CQ WPX - Rules

cqwpx.com

UJay

I just realized I've been checking "ROOKIE" on contests wrong. I thought it was for your first time participating.

I will be Single Op Low Power (All band) (TB-Wires).
I have been looking forward to it for weeks, but I am currently so tired I don't know how much time I will be able to actually commit.

 

[CatSnoutSoup]

I will be Single Op Low Power (All band) (TB-Wires).
I have been looking forward to it for weeks, but I am currently so tired I don't know how much time I will be able to actually commit.

Indeed I did sleep a lot in odd shifts over the weekend, but I did still manage to log 256 QSOs via search and pounce between the usual household distractions. I was going to try and round it out to 300 but the end of the contest corresponded with steak, baked potato, and another nap.

I am always astonished by the single op stations that return you a serial number into the thousands. I am simply not good enough to run (hold a frequency) like that.

 

[ToddDubya]

I just picked up the CW endorsement in POTA for 50 different units, which I believe is 50 unique operators. I'm *this close* to 500 unique parks (SSB + CW) and I'm trying to close that out on CW. But man, the bands are dead at my house today.

 

[ToddDubya]

I've been resting on my laurels lately and after Field Day was feeling a little cocky. Wrong-o bucko. I listened to the ARRL practice code files on their website and 20 was awful, 18 pretty awful, and 15 not great. Looks like I need to get back into doing that regularly. I'm hoping I can get some back soon, then maybe I'll try SKCC.

POTA has been a good jump start, but the exchange is so basic it's really only practice for call signs and states.

 

[ToddDubya]

Damn, I listened to the 15 and 13 wpm files from ARRL and today was even worse than yesterday. I went down to 10 and it was okay but still not great. At this point I don't think I care what speed, I just want something to click.

 

[ToddDubya]

Admitting you have a problem is the first step. I am having a problem learning on my own. I just signed up for LICW Club, or at least filled out the form to start signing up. They have an interesting system where they do classes in carousels, and you can jump into a given level at any point, and the carousel just keeps going around and around. When you're satisfied, you jump off and get on the next level's carousel. I think they have their own online practice tools, so hopefully that helps.

I'm afraid if I don't get to where I can use it for more than RST, 5nn, state I'll lose interest and all of this work will be for naught.

 

[ToddDubya]

I got the rest of the way signed up for LICW club. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it once I get going, but there are over 100 classes/meetings a week, a pile of Discord/groups.io things, a practice program, a chat room of sorts (I don't have access to that yet), and probably more. It's a bit overwhelming at the moment. We use Skype for meetings at work, but I just click "Join Meeting" and I'm in. I'll have to figure out the Zoom stuff. I'm sure it's not hard.

I can't imagine what this is like for even older guys trying to learn.

 

[ToddDubya]

Didn't mean to sound like I was bitching about the program. It's highly regarded and I'm sure it'll serve me well.

 

[UJay]

Disclaimer ; Personally - I prefer contesting operation with high-speed short exchanges... Letting the PC send my messages and using software tools to help me increase accuracy.... etc... or... UJay = not a rag-chewer....

Accuracy with callsigns and simple exchanges will align everything else. Think of the simple exchanges as a timer for the start and finish. Irrelevant otherwise.
Using RufZ, MorseRunner etc.... offer instant feedback on your accuracy and RufZ increases speed as you get things correct... decreasing speed if there is a mistake. These are super good tools for speed and accuracy building.
Once it 'clicks in' for you, you won't be looking back..... Stick with it!
5 Minutes of MR or RufZ a day should give you measurable results.
Suggest starting at at least 20wpm everywhere.

The Wednesday CWTs are very popular and perfect for on-the-air practice.

Keep us updated!

UJay

 

[ToddDubya]

Alright, I sat through the two LICW intro classes last night that covered a lot of stuff on keys, bugs, paddles, how to set them up, pros and cons, etc. I got a little out of that, but I could see it being invaluable to a newbie. They showed you how to setup Zoom to not filter out side tones (I think I finally got that to work), and showed all of the stuff on the various websites, etc. There's a lot, so that was helpful even just to know that something exists.

After those were done a beginner class was starting so I stayed on for that. The instructor was great, and had only started learning CW about a year ago. He made mistakes, which is good to see when you think everyone else is perfect. I didn't need to learn the characters, but I am going to try a few levels and see where I belong. From the perspective of someone who knows the characters, I can say the approach is pretty good. They introduce characters without telling you what they are, then they send the week's characters in groups of various lengths, do a high speed (instant character recognition) drill, and show you how to use the trainer. The second half of the class they add in the characters from the previous two weeks and do drills with those. It's very relaxed and comfortable, and he kept repeating that you should be making mistakes. If not, you need to make your training harder.

The "carousels" are a nice idea. Each week they add three letters, but only review the previous two weeks, so you can jump in any time and by the 3rd week you're on schedule. And the first half is just for the new characters so you if you're new you can drop when the review starts.

I liked that the drills included things like state abbreviations, QSO abbreviations, etc.

I think I'll stick with the first level for a few more weeks, then jump to the next which is just the rest of the characters, and I think the lessons are at a higher wpm speed.

This definitely looks like a good program, and quite possibly where I should have started. Oh well.

 

[ToddDubya]

This could go here or in the kit building thread, but I ordered a Morserino kit this morning. They had not been taking orders until today, so when I woke up 4 hours before I wanted to get up I ordered it.

I think it comes from Austria, and the website says to expect up to 3 weeks after ordering for shipment. Hopefully my cat like reflexes got me in early enough that I don't have to wait that long.

I've been using my FT-818 for practice, but it'll be nice to have something smaller with both sending/receiving training capabilities.

And for those who have no idea what I'm talking about: Home - Morserino-32 - the multifunctional Morse machine

 

[ToddDubya]

I needed a straight key for field use. Needed. I couldn't possibly use the one I already have that survived a World War. It would never hold up to such horrible conditions as: being put in a padded case, driven somewhere, set on a table in nice weather. No, I had to get something else.

I started looking at the CW Morse ones, which people seem to really like. But 3D printed keys just don't give me the fizz. Then I thought I'd see what American Morse Equipment had to offer, since I really love the PortaPaddles I got from him. They have two models that look suitable for field use, and both are well reviewed. The one on the left was winning at first, but I really don't like the electrical connections just hanging off the side. The one on the right is very small, but people say it stays put. It has a threaded hole in the bottom to mount it to something, which could be handy.



Feeling bold this morning, I went with option B. It'll be nice and small/light and the red anodizing looks sexy. Hopefully it's a nice match for my Mountain Topper.

I'm starting to think I have a problem.

KK1 - American Morse Equipment - KK1B Straight Key Kit
MS2 - American Morse Equipment - MS2 Miniature Straight Key

 

[CatSnoutSoup]

RSGB low power contest is tomorrow with 5 and 10 Watt categories for fixed and portable stations.

RSGB Low Power Contest

www.rsgbcc.org

 

[timbo]

Disclaimer ; Personally - I prefer contesting operation with high-speed short exchanges... Letting the PC send my messages and using software tools to help me increase accuracy.... etc... or... UJay = not a rag-chewer....

Accuracy with callsigns and simple exchanges will align everything else. Think of the simple exchanges as a timer for the start and finish. Irrelevant otherwise.
Using RufZ, MorseRunner etc.... offer instant feedback on your accuracy and RufZ increases speed as you get things correct... decreasing speed if there is a mistake. These are super good tools for speed and accuracy building.
Once it 'clicks in' for you, you won't be looking back..... Stick with it!
5 Minutes of MR or RufZ a day should give you measurable results.
Suggest starting at at least 20wpm everywhere.

The Wednesday CWTs are very popular and perfect for on-the-air practice.

Keep us updated!

UJay

my TS-590SG has a built in Morse decoder which works pretty well. If I miss an occasional letter, number or prosign it does a pretty good job of jogging my memory.

 

[ToddDubya]

This baby finally came. It went together pretty easily, I wired it up, and she beeps. The knobs on the set screws are plastic, everything else is metal. It's nice and tight and has a nice feel.

Had I known (I should have known) I was going to become a key/paddle collector, I would have put female connections on all of my keys/paddles and then used one male-to-male cable to connect to each radio. That would have made swapping easier. Then again it would make it easier to get where I'm going and not have a cable.

 

[ToddDubya]

Cross post from the What did you Do In the Shack Today thread.

Morserino came today. I soldered it up and assembled it tonight and it works. I think it'll be a nice learning tool.

 

[ToddDubya]

I spent some good time with my Morserino on vacation last week, and got used to the capacitive touch paddles pretty quickly. Today I switched to straight key to work on that. I had a few POTA QSOs last week with the straight key, but they weren't all that great and a few people abandoned me, so this should get me some good practice. I mostly do the echo mode where it sends a word, you send it back. It's fairly forgiving with the quality of your sending, but only to a point.

There's a way to upload text files to this thing so I was setting up the wifi for that when I found you can also do practice QSOs with a QSO bot (QSO bot site). It only does the basics, but that's what I'm looking for.

 

[ToddDubya]

Still working single words. I sped it up to 17wpm and am trying to send SK at that speed. I do okay and then it senses my cockiness and throws international or government at me. Usually I just spell it wrong because it's too long a word and I get lost in the middle. Oh well, still moving along.

Probably doesn't help that I'm using the tiny travel straight key. My index finger tip is getting sore.