I'm one of those who strongly believe that CW in Ham Radio is the soul and the beating heart of our hobby.
So, it was a great surprise today to stumble on a newly-published ebook written by Carlo IK0YGJ freely available on the web !
Make sure you don't miss this one. You may click here to download it.
The "Zen and the Art of Radiotelegraphy" will not only guide you on how to learn CW the right way, but also assist you on how to build up your CW skills further on, beyond the learning phase. It's simply a great piece of writing.Apart from Carlo's book I do appreciate a lot Chuck's K7QO work, which has helped me loads, especially his manual: it's written in a clear, straightforward way providing all the essentials. Make sure you visit his webpage by clicking here, it's really worth reading what a one-of-a-kind, talented and gifted man like Chuck has to say to us upon the art of CW. His method is also being used by the CW club FISTS. It's also really interesting to check out a presentation for CW training by Chuck, here.
Additionally to the resources above, as well as Morse Runner and RufzXP software which comprise the backbone of my daily training, Fabian's DJ1YFK "Learn CW Online" simply has it all and not only; it has available a series of special features that you cannot find elsewhere. Fabian needs no introduction, just let another gifted CW op and avid contester, who whistles CW like a rapid fire assist you to work further on your skills. If you still haven't tried LCWO, try it here.
Personally speaking, I really struggled coping with CW at the beginning: I had to learn it absolutely all on my own, which of course ended up by learning it the wrong way and I really struggled to get rid of the bad habits along the way, till the code started to feel smooth and enjoyable. I even failed at my first exams (in SV land, CW 5wpm exam is still a requirement to get on HF) and all in all, the whole thing didn't come easy for me, since I didn't have any elmer to guide me. Wish I had all the above material available then. It could have saved me a considerable amount of time and effort, let alone all the negative thinking such as "I ain't learn it, no matter how hard I try !".Thanks to a truly kind and generous man, Bob N2OO, CW became for me the most important and exciting element in my Ham Radio life. He was the one who let me share the brilliant CW experience through a world-class operator's ears & fingers, as well as overcome shyness and build up my confidence to start living up the ultimate excitement and pleasure in Ham Radio: CW.
vy 73 es cwfe Vicky SV2KBS
