K3WWP's CW Stories

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Marc - W6SQL

I just found your website today and can't stop reading it. Absolutely wonderful and full of info.

I just got my General upgrade on Sep 9, 2004 and since then have managed 17 CW QSOs. The microphone has been unplugged from the rig and now sits in a drawer - where it belongs!

Candidly, I'm still very green, but more than 3/4 of my contacts have been very patient, and I'm in love with the mode. For me, it's a huge relief because I have never been comfortable with the telephone or the microphone. I grew up with a very bad speech impediment, which today is virtually non-existant, but it rears its head only when I have to use a telephone or a microphone. So for me, the keyer is an object of liberation and not at all of frustration. Now, I just have to get to the point of instantaneous character recognition, and there'll be no stopping me!

So yes, now that I'm slowly becoming proficient in CW, I don't predict ever using the microphone again - except maybe on 2m in an emergency or something. As you know, it's also this insanely awesome feeling to hear a weak signal coming back to you. This past weekend, JA7PVK came back and I was positively on a cloud! My first DX, and my station is 50W to a Bud dipole inside my house. What a thrill!

I think the most useful part of your site (and I have to say, I've only read about 1/10th of what you've put there. It's so extensive, I'll be reading it for days) is that you give practical examples of the structure of a QSO. It's been frustrating for me to not really know how to close a QSO in a proper way, and I feel relieved to have printed out your page on this subject.

So, thank you very much for providing such a great resource!

(Thank you Marc, for such a wonderful and inspiring story that shows yet another great reason to use CW - K3WWP)

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