Learning CW
Of late, I have been enjoying the fruits of my labor - learning to send and receive Morse code (CW). This has been a challenging and long journey for me, as it is for most, but it is only within the last year that I've genuinely felt confident sending at speeds above 15 WPM.
The downside of this mode is only that of it being less popular than some, and perhaps that it requires some nuance and skill. The benefits are numerous and speak for themselves. There are, however, a few benefits of CW that I had not yet considered until I started putting my dits and dahs on the air.
One thing I found super cool about CW that I never expected was the silence of it to your surroundings. With a pair of earphones, and without the need for a microphone or any speech, sending and receiving morse code creates no sound aside from the light key clicks made by your key or paddle of choice. This not only allows for stealthy operation at campsites and on trails, but also means no disturbing the people or nature around you. Both outdoors and in the shack (if you live with others), this can be a big deal, and I never expected it to be such a driving factor in which mode I choose when portable or camping.
Another cool factor CW brings to the table is simplicity of circuit design. This means building and repairing radios becomes a whole lot easier, and prototypes can be scratch built in minutes without the need for complex audio stages in the transmitter.
I could go on for days about how great learning CW has been, but to keep things short I will just say - if you've been considering giving it a try... DO IT. Finally building the confidence to get on the air and make a couple of QSOs massively accelerated my ability to learn and improve.
73.
2026-05-16