Tuesday, November 19, 2013

CW Is Cool !!

CW Is Cool

Written By
David Keath N0WKZ

So tonight, I sat down at my rig and tuned up 40 meters to do my usual time tediously listening to CW that I mostly do not understand quite yet. Indeed, very often it has been months of torture. An act of seeming sheer futility. Oh, of course I can pick out numbers, letters and the occasional word 'is,' but up until recently it has been like hiking up a ladder with a bundle of 50 year shingles. Then there is the almighty 'CQ' that seems to ring endlessly up and down the band and is quite recognizable from one gazillion miles away. All those single character triumphs are great but there is no cigar when you cant understand the conversation. But tonight was different. Tuning up the band I finally heard an operator who was keying the characters at about my speed, 15 WPM, but with wide spacing. Here we go I thought. I might as well listen in and at least muscle through a few minutes of copy practice. After all, what could I lose.

As I sat listening, I started to hear more than I normally hear and then it happened. I heard the word 'GETTING!' I was amazed! Astounded! I had heard the characters but I also heard the word. I had been told this would happen but as of late I was kind of losing faith that it would for me. I was so excited that I tore off my headphones and ran through the house into our kitchen where my wife was making jello and exclaimed my victory in a sort of touch down/crazy dance. Wow!

Youth returns for that one fleeting moment, my hair catches the fire of exuberance, and CW is too Cool....

Amen

GB and 73's

Certainly the sobering fact is that I still have a ways to go learning CW.  But, one thing is for sure.  Personal effort is only a spark in the fire of achievement.  Learning CW without the help of friends would be exponentially more difficult.  I would be remiss if I did not extend a word of gratitude to the local Amateurs for the time they spend helping myself and others.  Also for me, the continued help from my Friends Joe - W0MQY, and Bill - WB0LXZ...

David Keath N0WKZ




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