I'm all for learning CW but I hope those who graduate take it further than just the midweek CWT and weekend contests. I enjoy a good CW raghew and those are becoming mighty rare.
John K7FD > On Jul 12, 2020, at 1:18 PM, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> > wrote: > > Hi Steve, > Welcome to the ham community. If you are interested in CW operation I > encourage you to look at the CW Academy sponsored CWOps at CWops.org. There > is a program to carry you from beginner to 25 WPM with proper instruction > along the way. That KX3 is a great radio for CW or any other mode you wish to > pursue. > > 73, > Bill WE5P > > Comfortably Numb > >> On Jul 12, 2020, at 16:11, Steve Belunek <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Hi Wayne, >> >> As a new ham, having just joined this list and excitedly awaiting my first >> HF rig (a KX3), I really appreciate this perspective. >> >> I had considered whether to pursue getting into HF and DX, and what radio in >> general could offer over more "instant-gratification" forms of communication >> like SMS. What I kept coming back to is the excitement of learning and >> figuring new things out, the challenge of making contact, and the human >> element. >> >> I feel like quick and easy texting has made conversation disposable, I >> remember when email was a once-a-day transmission via modem… or you had to >> write an actual letter to reach someone… the content of the transmission was >> far more considered, precisely because it took time and effort… and I think >> that effort made the message even more appreciated by the recipient. >> >> When I was younger, my physics teacher gave me a shortwave radio… I must >> have spent hours tuning that dial listening to voice transmissions and >> strange beeps and boops. Then I got busy with a career working in computers. >> I am definitely a tinkerer and gadget geek. >> >> Fast forward to today, I’ve re-discovered radio, got my license and my >> VHF/UHF HT… and I’m still intrigued by those far away signals… who’s out >> there sending them, and where are they coming from? >> >> 73, >> Steve >> KM6ZNZ >> >> >>> On Jul 12, 2020, at 8:07 AM, Wayne Burdick <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> I have a friend about my age who got into amateur radio only a few years >>> ago. Like many of us, he was enthusiastic about the technology. Intrigued >>> with DX. >>> >>> I showed him my station; we talked endlessly about gear. Later, I helped >>> him put up a simple wire antenna. >>> >>> Then, when his license arrived, he dove straight into FT8 and didn't look >>> back. Within days, he'd worked all states, then DXCC. He'd bag a few rare >>> ones over a light lunch, then pat his laptop on the back and congratulate >>> his software app for its near-mythical ability to extract weak signals out >>> of noise. >>> >>> Within weeks, he'd mastered everything there was to know about this >>> glorious new hobby. >>> >>> Point. Click. >>> >>> In this new world order, those of us who took the longer, slower path to >>> ionospheric enlightenment -- and who still occasionally enjoy making waves >>> by hand -- often fail to explain why. >>> >>> I had failed to explain it to my friend. Even as hints of his boredom crept >>> in, creating an opening, the best argument I'd made for trying CW was that >>> he could do it without a computer. Coming in a weak second was the notion >>> that CW was the original digital mode. For obvious reasons, I didn't bother >>> with the classic argument about CW's signal-to-noise advantage over SSB. >>> >>> I had all but given up. >>> >>> Then, in a moment of delayed clarity, I decided on a different approach. I >>> invited him to a weekday brunch. A bit of an escape. He willingly took the >>> bait. >>> >>> On the appointed day, arriving at his workplace, I bypassed the lobby's >>> glistening elevators and climbed the four flights of stairs to his office. >>> I insisted we take the stairs down, too. >>> >>> "Why?" he asked. "And how'd you get up here so fast?" >>> >>> I pointed out that I always chose stairs, when possible. That's why I >>> wasn't out of breath. We hustled down, jockeying for position, and emerged >>> on the ground floor invigorated by the effort. >>> >>> "So, where are we going?" he asked. We'd been to every overrated >>> twenty-dollar burger venue at least twice. >>> >>> I replied that we'd be going someplace we'd never tried. My kitchen. >>> >>> When we arrived, I put him to work chopping onions and broccoli and >>> squeezing oranges while I whipped eggs into a froth and grated Swiss >>> cheese. We ate our omelettes outside, in full sun and a cool breeze. >>> >>> "What's for desert?" he asked. "Isn't there a frozen yogurt place a >>> two-minute drive from here?" >>> >>> I had something else in mind. Back in the kitchen, I handed him a water >>> bottle, then strapped on a small pack I'd prepared earlier. >>> >>> We walked a mile or so through my neighborhood, admiring the houses' varied >>> architecture, ending up (as planned) at a local park festooned with >>> blackberry bushes. The most accessible branches had been picked clean, but >>> with teamwork and persistence we were able to gather several large handfuls >>> of fat, ripe berries, which we devoured on the spot. >>> >>> We'd been poked and scratched but didn't care. >>> >>> "Doesn't brunch usually end with champagne?" he wondered aloud, admiring >>> his wounds. >>> >>> Not this time. I pulled out two bottles of craft beer that I'd obtained >>> from a neighbor in trade for repairing his ancient home stereo. Carlos had >>> spent years crafting an American pilsner to die for, sweating every detail, >>> including iconic, hand-painted labels. >>> >>> My friend accepted the bottle, then tried in vain to remove the cap. Not a >>> twist-off. >>> >>> "Opener?" he said. >>> >>> I handed him a small pocket knife, an antique without specialty blades. He >>> soon discovered it could not be used to remove the cap directly. He looked >>> at me with a bemused expression, no doubt wondering what I had up my sleeve >>> this time. >>> >>> I pointed out that we were surrounded by white oaks, a species known for >>> its hard wood. He got the message, smiled, and began hunting. Within >>> seconds he'd collected a small fallen branch. I watched as he used the >>> knife to fashion a few inches of it into a passable bottle opener. We >>> popped the caps, toasted his new-found skill, and traded stories of our >>> misspent youths. >>> >>> "Oh, one more thing," I said. >>> >>> I pulled a KX2 out of my pack, along with two lengths of wire. Of course he >>> knew everything there was to know about Elecraft, and me, so he wasn't >>> surprised when I also pulled out the rig's attachable keyer paddle. We >>> threw one wire in the closest tree and laid the other on the ground. >>> >>> He didn't have to ask whether I'd brought a laptop. >>> >>> We listened to CW signals up and down 20 meters, which was open to Europe >>> at the time. As he tuned in each station, I copied for him using pencil and >>> paper. He'd learned Morse code, but only at very slow speeds. >>> >>> After making a contact, I set the internal keyer speed to 10 words per >>> minute and dialed power output to zero, for practice purposes, then showed >>> him how to use the paddle. He smiled as he got the hang of it. Sending the >>> full alphabet was a challenge, but he got there. The KX2 decoded and >>> displayed his keying, providing confirmation. >>> >>> We'd blown through his allotted lunch break by a factor of three, so it was >>> time to go. We coiled up the antenna wires, packed up, and walked back. As >>> I drove him back to his employer, we made plans to get together again for a >>> weekend hike. >>> >>> I could have just dropped him off, but we went back into the lobby >>> together. Out of habit, he stopped in front of the elevator. Then he looked >>> up. >>> >>> "OK," he said. "I get it. This CW thing. It's slow, it's hard to do well, >>> and it takes years of practice." >>> >>> "Like hunting for your own food, or carving your own tools," I added. >>> >>> "Or cooking from scratch. Or brewing your own beer. Building your own >>> radio. And you use more of your senses. Not just your eyes, but your ears. >>> Your sense of touch." >>> >>> I nodded. Listening. Feeling. That was the radio I'd grown up with. >>> >>> "Of course it's harder to work DX with CW than with FT8," I reminded him, >>> playing devil's advocate. >>> >>> "Is that what matters, though?" he asked. >>> >>> A longer discussion for another day. >>> >>> "Your call," I said. >>> >>> He gripped my shoulder and smiled, then reached toward the elevator's >>> glowing, ivory colored button, framed by polished brass. >>> >>> The path most taken. >>> >>> Point. Click. >>> >>> "On second thought," he said, "I'll take the stairs." >>> >>> * * * >>> >>> Wayne, >>> N6KR >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> ______________________________________________________________ >>> Elecraft mailing list >>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft >>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >>> Post: mailto:[email protected] >>> >>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >>> Message delivered to [email protected] >> >> ______________________________________________________________ >> Elecraft mailing list >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >> Post: mailto:[email protected] >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >> Message delivered to [email protected] > > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[email protected] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Message delivered to [email protected] ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [email protected]
