Don't forget January 1st, 2018 starting 00:00 GMT (7pm EST Dec 31) is the start of Straight Key Night 2018. Bring your tired, old equipment on-air and mash your favorite mechanical key. This is not a contest, just an opportunity to make lots of fun QSOs.
The "Cootie" key or "Sideswiper" is basically a double-sided straight key and has a reputation for being very hard to learn, possibly harder even than the Vibroplex Bug. My recent bug practice has been going well so I figured I would add a new level of difficulty by adding a completely different style of key into my brain mix...
A Cootie key
Using a Palm Single in Sideswiper mode. It is magnetically attached to a solid steel base.
My Palm Paddle Single has an internal adjustment that turns it into a sideswiper...
Instructions for turning the Palm Single into a Sideswiper
That means that touching either side of the paddle closes the tip contact of the key jack, rather than operating the ring and the tip independently.
Cooties?
Google "cootie" and you come up with 'body louse'... well at least you come up with that definition. (hopefully you don't actually get body lice). We are talking about a different kind of cootie here...
Morse Express has an article with an excellent description and history of the cootie key here.
I had some interest in operating a sideswiper because a good friend of mine Kurt (N4KJK) uses one regularly and I admire his skill with it. I spent a short time in 2015 practicing with my Palm Single as a sideswiper and was horrible. I quickly gave up. Now with another year of CW in my brain and different types of keys (straight, iambic paddle and bug) swimming around my consciousness I took another shot.
I figured that I would spend an hour practicing side-swiperry and if I was making some progress I would continue the process, and maybe build a real side-swiper key using a hacksaw blade. Before building a key I wanted to practice with what I already had. I spent an hour this morning practicing sideswiper style with the Palm Single in Cootie mode and I went from really terrible to simply terrible, which in my book is great progress.
Level of Difficulty ?
You might have heard that the sideswiper is hard to learn... In general I'd say it is very different to what you may have already learned. If the sideswiper were the first key you tried to use you might have no more difficulty learning it that anything else. The problem is that it's completely different than EVERY OTHER morse key in the way it's operated.
The sideswiper is operated by swinging your thumb and forefinger back and forth rhythmically, where each opposing finger operates the key once for an individual element, rather than repeating any elements on one finger. For a straight key you are always operating in the same direction... down. Repeating elements, say the 3 DITS in an 'S' are repeated downward on the key. In the case of a paddle or bug, your left thumb is pressing to repeat the 3 elements of an 'S'. In the case of the letter 'O', your right index finger (or fingers) are accomplishing the repeating elements (DAHs in this case). In the case of the sideswiper/cootie each finger participates in repeating elements and the order in which finger begins the process is completely up to chance. So for an 'S' or an 'O' you might start with the thumb or the index finger depending on which finger last operated the key... the finger that's swinging toward the key at the time performs one element of the character then leaves the next element to the other finger...
"Arrrgh... it burns, it burns"
This is so completely different than operating other keys you simply must practice the mechanics that you've painstakingly built into your hand away to the beautiful simplicity of the cootie. Or at least that's what I'm telling myself.
So operating a bug takes some getting used to because you are timing the inter-character element transitions from index finger to thumb rather than an electronic keyer, but at least it's similar enough to a paddle that you are expecting to do the DAHs with your index and middle finger and your DITs are always accomplished by your thumb.
The old rules are gone. All your finely tuned muscle memory is thrown to the ether. You are freed of preconceptions of sending code and you become "Ambidextrous" with regard to DITs and DAHs. All your political affiliations are out the window as you now are able to approach a character from the RIGHT or LEFT.
Ok I'm obviously just being silly now but maybe you get my point. Give the sideswiper a try. It will absolutely clean plaque out of your brain. I'm fairly certain that just as learning and using Morse Code staves off brain disease... using all 4 types of Morse code keys in a round-robin fashion (Straight, Paddle, Bug and Cootie) will make your brain look like a young Arnold Schwarzenegger back in his Mr. Universe days.
Video
Here's a demonstration after an hour of practice... be kind in the comments section :)
That's all for now So lower your power and take a swipe at your key... from both directions 72/73 Richard, AA4OO
During lunch today I went to nearby city park. I threw my end-fed antenna up in a tree and made a couple of contacts on 40m while rocking on the swing.
Beautiful weather, a swing and CW. What more could you ask for?
Well, if I'd only had my Vibroplex Bug with me I could have been swinging the CW while I was swinging on the bench.
My ever changing station configuration
Left to right - Elecraft KX3, Ten-Tec Century/21 with Ten-Tec Eagle on top, the MFJ 493 keyer on the right
4 keys - Navy Flameproof, Kent Hand Key, Vibroplex Bug, N3ZN QRP paddle
The Elecraft AF1 audio filter is sitting unused in front of the Century/21
After starting our QSO the ARRL QST program started right on top of us causing QRM that forced us to move to another frequency
My old Ten-Tec Century/21 is a lot of fun to use and its direct conversion receiver makes CW sound beautiful. But the frequency dial is fairly imprecise so when I asked the station to QSY up 1kHz finding him again was a bit of a challenge. When I heard him I had to zero-beat him again to make sure I was on the correct side of the direct conversion receivers passband.
Enjoy the QSO and the QRM dodging...
Shooting this video
This video was a bit harder to shoot than what I normally do. I usually place my camera to one side but I wanted to use my fisheye lens and shoot the QSO from above.
While shooting I was straddling the tripod with the camera right in front of my face so I was reaching around the tripod to use my keys and get to my keyboard for logging. It was a bit awkward, and in the video you'll see me bump the VFO while trying to operate the radio because I couldn't really see what I was doing. It's always fun to add a level of difficulty while making these videos.
The bane of those who work Bug key operators is the dreaded "swing". Swing is when the DAH to DIT length doesn't match the accepted ratio of 3 to 1... often with Bug ops the length of the DAHs stretch out to way more than the accepted ratio and the poor schmuck at the receiving end has to make sense of someone speaking CW with a thick accent.
Sometimes a bit of swing on a manual key adds some interest to the sound of the CW and when Bug ops work other Bug ops we often throw some extra-spicy whoop-swing into our FIST. But by and large non-standard DAH to DIT timing is frowned upon because, after all, we are supposed to be communicating and communication is easiest when it is understandable.
Make 'em think you're using a Paddle
As I've been learning to send CW with my circa 1970s Standard Vibroplex Bug, I've strived to make my FIST sound as close to the accepted timing of a paddle through an electronic keyer as I can. I'm very much still in training, as you'll hear in the video, but I thought it might be helpful to have a little show and tell.
Wow! I need practice. After listening to my video I realized my inter-character spacing was terrible with too little spacing between characters. So please don't run your characters together like I did...
Practicing the bug to sound like... errr well a paddle
The phrase I'm sending at the end of the video is a quote from Albert Einstein..
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination"
That's all for now...
So lower your power and raise your expectations, and "enunciate" your DAHs
You can't always get what you want, but you try sometimes...
Recently I've dialed my normal 5 watts down to 1watt (one watt, singular) for all my contacts. To throw some water on the fire I've decided to use my attic antenna which weaves all around my metal ductwork and electrical wiring. Mostly this was to prove a point to myself but it may be enlightening to deed restricted hams that they can use a qrp radio and an attic antenna successfully.
Key lineup... Palm Single (paddle), Vibroplex Bug (circa 1970s), Kent Hand key
It only seems pointless until you try
Calling CQ with 1w QRPp into a poor attic antenna isn't as pointless as it would seem. I didn't have to wait long when calling CQ before I got an answer most of the time.
Now am I going to bust a pileup with 1 watt ? Possibly not but I think that my assumptions about both how much power I need and how big an antenna I need are usually out of proportion with reality.
1 mighty watt
My assumptions are often incorrect
I made QSOs on 30m, 20m, 17m and 10m this morning all at 1 watt. The solar conditions report was not really fantastic, especially for 10m. Yet 1 watt through the attic antenna bagged the only DX I heard on 10m. I had a couple of other multiple exchange contacts on 20m, 17m and one good old fashioned 25 minute long ragchew on 30m where I received a 599 report for my one watt from Bob (NR8M) in Ohio. Admittedly, Bob was booming in and we had good propagation to each other.
The recording below was number 4 or 5 this morning. I wanted to post this one because I was working another QRP station in Arkansas (K5EDM) and we did NOT have great propagation to each other. He was running 5w while I was running 1w so it was QRP to QRPp. In the video you can see that I'm using some of the KX3's tricks to pull the signal up because there was a lot of QSB and noise (note the GEOMAGNETIC FIELD UNSETTLED in the solar report).
I had the volume maxed and was using the RF gain control mostly. I eventually had to turn on the preamp which really washed me in noise but I dropped the RF gain more and eventually switched in the APF (audio peaking filter) which performed magic on this contact. Often I find that APF doesn't help but this time it made a big difference.
My burgeoning QRP station was getting messy, having stuff strewn all over the desk, so I made a shelf from some junk laying around to give me some vertical space. It is much more organized now.
A shelf helps
Left to right top shelf:
Ozark Patrol Regen Receiver Kit, MFJ Versa Tuner providing both tuning and antenna switching duties, Two Position Rig switch on top (blue box), Ham Keyer (circa '78) electronic keyer
Left to right under shelf:
Yaesu HT connected to home-brew J-Pole in attic, two switching power supplies, VHF/UHF meter, Elecraft KX3, Ten-Tec Century/21 (circa '77), Homebrew frequency counter on top of TT)
Three keys:
Bencher paddles, Vibroplex Bug, Kent Hand Key
That's all for now.
I've had a week to appreciate the Kent Hand Key. I am in no way an expert on straight keys since the only "straight key" I've used before was my junky, pressed steel, MFJ practice key.
Here is the Kent sitting in front of a MFJ practice key... Maybe I'm compensating for something...
Viva La Difference
I had used my MFJ practice key on maybe 10 actual on-air conversations. It wasn't confidence inspiring due to its mushy, wobbly nature. However I can draw some comparisons. The MFJ key is closer to an "American" style key where the knob is low down and flat where the operator rests their forearm on the desk and operates via the action of their wrist. I spoke with proprietor of Morse Express at length when I was ordering my Palm Single Key regarding what type of Straight Key / Hand Key he recommended and his preference was for the European style of key such as the Kent.
This article (What are American and European “styles?”) from the Morse Express website goes into great detail concerning the differences between the European and American sending styles as well as the difference in keys used. To summarize, having the key low and operating from the wrist was found long ago to cause wrist injury after extended use. In response to this; side operated keys such as the Vibroplex Bug and "Cootie" side-swiper were introduced. The Europeans took a different approach by raising the key and operating it from the edge of the desk such that the operator's arm is in free space and the action of the wrist is greatly lessened as it transfers to the arm and shoulder. The difference in styles requires different motions of the hand and arm. Some people prefer one over the other and some just like to switch between them as the mood strikes.
I looked at a lot of different straight keys on the web but didn't have the opportunity to try any in person. I chose the Kent mainly because I wanted the European style and I just liked the way it looked.
I emailed Robert Kent at Kent Engineering and asked him questions about the Kent Hand Key. I wanted to know the age of my key and the type of wood used in the base.
The base is wood, obviously, but I couldn't determine the type. Even after all these years it's quite fragrant, especially when the bottom cover is removed. Robert Kent told me they used all manner of woods over the years, basically whatever was available so who knows. It smells like Walnut to me but I didn't think Walnut was plentiful in England so it's probably something else. The wood base is weighted internally with two steel bars in a hollowed out section covered by the base plate. It weighs about 2.2lbs (1kg).
Kent Keys were manufactured in England from 1983 until around 2006, after which they contracted out the work to a firm in Germany. As best as I can determine from Robert, keys such as mine with the continuity strap on top were manufactured in England. Those with the strap on the bottom were kitted or made in Germany as is the current model. These keys look very similar to the type used to send the SOS on the ill fated Titanic.
Continuity Strap assures a good electrical connection from arm to base
The terminals are wired internally under the base plate to the posts at the rear. The post have knurled knobs for securing either eyelets or bare wires into holes in the rear of the post.
Name Plate: KENT Preston England PR46BY
My hookup wire is an old lamp cord
The anvil and striker are heavy duty and produce a "clack" in operation duly amplified by the wooden base. Some reviews on eHam find this a real detractor and if I operated within earshot of my family they would likely not appreciate its music as much as I do.
The Kent CLACKER !!
The business end of the key is solid brass with a brushed finish. This key is at least a decade old and the finish has held up well. The arm is SOLID stuff, no bending is going to occur no matter how HAM fisted you are (pun intended).
Yep that's a thick piece 'o brass
The sealed bearings are sturdily secured to the frame. There is absolutely no side-to-side motion as the key is being used. Tension is maintained by a spring in the base that pulls down on the rear of the bar. This keeps the bearings tensioned more evenly than a pusher spring in the front would (from what I read). All the adjustments use finely pitched screws with knurled knobs. It can be adjusted to an extremely small gap and tension can be adjusted from a butterfly's wing to longbow pull given the leverage of the spring. The larger the gap of course the more cacophony the key makes in operation. As my form keeps changing I find that I keep adjusting it to fit.
The "Navy Style" knob is a two piece hard rubber monster of a thing. When my key first arrived, the knob had oxidized with some white discoloration but oils from my hand have turned it dark again. It is very slightly dished on top with a good height for a proper grip. Some people seem to like to replace the bottom section with a poker chip but I don't think I'd want that to be rough edged.
The base plate is sturdy metal, covered with green felt/blaze. The screws secure the rubber feet and plate to the base. Removing the plate gains access to the wiring and screws securing the components and bar holding the spring.
Alright, I'm admittedly no expert in these things but I have to say that I'm very pleased with this key. All my contacts this week have been made using this key and it's beginning to feel like an extension of my arm. I'm very pleased. The only negatives I can find with it is the racket it makes in operation but with headphones on or the sidetone turned up it's of no concern to me and for some reason I'm growing to like the noise. If you operate in a room adjacent to family members it may cause some consternation. Also of concern is it's size and the operating style requires you to have it near the edge of your desk, so if you're not willing to dedicate that space it wouldn't be right for you. It is also larger than my KX3 radio so I certainly wouldn't classify this as a "portable" key however I'd have no concerns over its durability for transport. You could probably throw it in your trunk and take a long trip without any wear for the worse on the Kent.
I do plan to eventually try some other keys. Junker's seem to be popular choices as well as Nye's. I briefly tried a friend's Vibroplex Bug and don't feel that it's a good choice for a new CW operator (at least for me). I've also tried using my Palm Single as a side-swiper and that's not natural to me either.
Lastly here's a video I already posted of a QSO I made using the Kent Hand Key. It will allow you to hear its "clacking" albeit at a slow speed.
Ok so maybe all the cool kids aren't doing it... who wants to be a cool kid anyway? They have issues.
So whats up with all this beeping?
Morse code is fundamentally a method of encoding every letter in the alphabet plus numbers and punctuation as two pieces of data. Two sounds actually, one 3 times longer than the other. If you were to speak the two sounds out loud one would sound like DIT and the other DAH. That's it. That's all you have to know. Two sounds, one 3 times longer than the other. There, and you thought this would be hard? Pah!
Beep Beeeeeep -- There you have it... Morse Code. Any questions?
Why is it called Morse Code?
Samuel Morse was a painter. Yep, a portrait painter. Ah, you're thinking he must have painted numerology into his portraits thus developing a "code". Nope, nothing so cloak and dagger. The motivation for his invention was due to a sad event in his life.
While he was painting a portrait of the Marquis de Lafayette in Washing DC he received a message delivered by a messenger on horseback telling him that his wife at home in New Haven Connecticut was sick. He received another message the following day informing him that she had died. He immediately returned home but she was already buried. Morse was heartbroken that his wife had been ill for days before he could receive a message. He decided to explore a means of long distance communication. Along with his assistant Alfred Vail they developed the primary language used in telegraphy across the world and collaborated with other men to design the mechanism to deliver messages in Morse Code over long distances.
Morse code has been in use for over 160 years, the longest of any electrical coding system. Morse code is still transmitted by some automated aviation beacons and the US Navy still (?) employs the code when using signal lamps for radio silence operations. Submarines have signal lamps in their periscopes. Morse code is still taught by the Air Force at Goodfellow base in Texas.
So that's cool but the main reason to learn and use Morse code is for use in amateur radio. CW (continuous wave) communication is the most energy efficient mode of electronic wireless communication that doesn't require computerized encoding/decoding. In the case of Morse Code the human is the modem. CW mode allows amateur radio operators to communicate world wide at QRP (low power) and QRPp (very low power) levels. CW's power density and simple transmitter/receiver requirements provides for simplified station operations and ideal emergency operations. You can carry a small, battery powered radio and some wire in your backpack and talk around the world.
CW is small but powerful
CW uses between 100Hz and 150Hz of bandwidth compared to 2400Hz - 3000Hz used by phone modes. That makes it about 20 times more efficient, or put another way, your signal to noise is improved by a factor of 20 over phone. It's also easier to copy (interpret) a CW signal down in the noise than a spoken voice.
But the real reason to learn Morse code is that it's fun and unique. Learning it can be the mental equivalent of climbing a mountain and, most importantly, all the cool kids are doing it.
So you want to learn "the code"
Usually your first exposure to Morse code will be some chart that shows you what combination of DITs and DAHs (or dots and dashes) make up each character. This might encourage you to listen for the individual DITs and DAHs to learn the code. But it's a trap. There is a part of your brain that counts and another part that handles language. The part that counts will quickly hit a limit as to how fast it can count and interpret what you are hearing. The part that handles language is designed to interpret and transmit communication at incredible speed but the language part of you brain works with sound.
Thus you have to approach learning Morse Code as a language by the way it sounds. An "A" sounds like DIT DAH. Say it out loud a couple of times, go ahead, don't be embarrassed, the people around will simply think you've finally lost it and pull out that power of attorney they've been keeping in the drawer. Ok are you saying DIT DAH? If so you are hearing the letter A. Congratulations, you just learned the first letter of the alphabet in Morse Code.
A "C" in Morse Code sounds like DAH DIT DAH DIT. It has a beautiful rhythm when you listen to it out loud. Go ahead and shout it out, you've got nothing to lose at this point.
So, if you have toyed around with learning Morse Code and have some visual chart with dots and dashes. Shred that chart right now. Go ahead and do it. I'll wait... Did you shred it? Ok let's proceed.
Methodology
There are probably as many ways to learn Morse Code as there are days of the year but I'll address the two ways I learned it. First, a wrong way, then a right way.
One wrong way
Morse Code was a requirement for my General amateur radio license in 2006, but I only had to prove copy skills at 5 words per minute. Someone recommended a set of tapes that employed mnemonic phrases to memorize each letter. Basically each letter "sounds" like some phrase. I'm going to tell you one of the mnemonic phrases as an example but please immediately erase it from your memory because it takes a long time to un-learn this method. The letter "Y" sounds like the following phrase said out loud "Why did I die?" OK, now just imagine you've memorized some phrase like that for every letter of the alphabet and punctuation mark. Now every time you hear a letter in Morse Code one of these phrases runs through your head and you have to let it run its course before the letter pops out on the other side of your consciousness. You can understand how crippling this becomes when the speed goes above 5 words per minute. Trying to counts DITs and DAHs hits the same wall.
One right way
I'm not going out on a limb to say there is only one right way to learn Morse Code so I will say that what follows is "One right way" to learn the code and it is working for me.
Learn the code by its sound. Learn the code by its sound. Learn the code by its sound. Let's review: Learn the code by its sound.
There are lots of different software applications out there that will teach you the code by the way it sounds. Many employ two well established methodologies; the Farnsworth Method and the Koch Method.
Farnsworth Method
Learn the sound of the letters at the full target speed you wish to be able to copy.
Keep the speed of the letter spacing (silence between the letters) to be at your current learning speed to give you thinking time. I.e. you're letter spacing may be set at 8-10wpm to start out with while you're actually learning the characters at a target speed of 20wpm.
This method is recommended by the ARRL and is implemented by many applications used for Morse Code training. This allows you to learn the sound of the letters at the full target speed you want to operate at. If you learn the sound of the letters at 13wpm then you will find yourself stuck there until you relearn them at a higher speed because you're learning to recognize sounds, not DITs and DAHs. Our brain has an easier time of slowing a sound down than speeding it up so if you start at the target speed the slower speeds will work themselves out. I started with a target speed of 18wpm and I am kind of stuck there right now, while learning the sound of the characters at a higher speed to progress. I wish I had originally chosen 20wpm as my target speed because in my experience that is a common speed in many QSOs.
Your training should also incorporate the Koch Method which directs the order in which you learn the letters, numbers and punctuation and determining when to progress to the next element.
Koch Method
Begins with just two characters (K, M). Once strings containing those two characters can be copied with 90% accuracy, an additional character is added, and so on until the full character set is mastered.
Code Trainer
I looked at a number of different code trainers. I tried PC applications, mobile device apps and internet based applications. I live in a very internet connected place and I nearly always have access to the internet. I don't always have my PC with me but I do usually have access to a guest PC or a mobile internet capable device so I chose a website that has a training application that incorporates both the Farnsworth and Koch methods and would keep track of my progress.
Learn CW Online is a really nice Morse Code tutor. You create a login for it to keep track of your progress and settings for character speed and effective speed. It has multiple ways to train so try the different ones out to find out what works best for you. I used the Koch Method CW Course which is accessible after you log in. It starts out with two letters and keeps track of your accuracy, making suggestions as to when you should add an additional letter. There are 40 lessons in that course which include the alphabet, numbers and punctuation. I've read that other people really like the MorseMachine application on that site.
After you've gone through all 40 Koch lessons you may still have trouble with a particular set of characters. Use the Code Groups application to work through your stumbling blocks. Lastly natural language training is provided in the plain text training application which sends real sentences at your speed settings. You can also paste text into the convert text to cw application and download the resulting MP3 to practice off-line.
Machine learning is patient tutor and the best way to get started but after you have learned your letters and numbers and a comma you should incorporate copy of real on-air QSOs into your learning regimen.
Copying real QSOs will teach you a couple of things. First, you'll realize that people by and large do not send perfect, machine generated code. Much of the slower code you will hear on HF is being sent with straight keys, bugs and cooties. Some of these manual key operators will send with timing that is, let's say, creative. At first you may be dismayed that you can't copy a single complete word from some of these operators but give it time and your brain will adjust to the unique cadence used by many manual key operators. Some manual key operators pride themselves in their distinctive style of sending and there are a few operators that I recognize before they ever send their call just by the unique style of their FIST. I'm not encouraging you to emulate that style because it is in essence communicating with a thick accent but you should begin to become familiar with hearing the code sent by these folks because you will eventually have QSOs with them. Even operators using paddles and electronic keyers won't sound like the machine generated code because their letter and word spacing will vary, or in some cases, be nearly non-existent. I describe some operators FIST as sending one extended prosign (no space between the letters) for an entire transmission.
Secondly you'll begin to start copying the myriad of abbreviations and prosigns and jargon used during QSOs that exists nowhere outside of amateur radio CW conversations. As you come across new "words" that you copy. Circle them until you begin to recognize what they mean. Some of the abbreviations are standardized but many others are just shorthand and sometimes unique to a particular operator or region. You'll also start to become familiar with the way operators communicate their goodbyes which vary greatly in content, abbreviations and length. Some goodbyes in morse code seem to take as long as the entire previous part of the QSO. In other cases the conversation ended and you didn't even hear the door slam behind you.
Update 2016-05-06: This article concerns a couple eays to practice your CW copy skills.
A word about Morse Code translators
There are a number of Morse Code translation programs available for mobile devices and computers. My recommendation is to NOT use them when you're learning to copy. They will become a crutch and in real QSOs they tend to not be accurate (excepting for CW-Skimmer) and will get you distracted from trying to actually copy the code yourself. Where they ARE USEFUL is in translating your own sending (see below).
Pace yourself and have fun
The most important thing is to have fun. No one makes their living as a telegraph operator any longer and the code is no longer required for a license. So don't stress out about learning the code or push yourself too fast. This is just a hobby and hobbies should be fun.
If you can, practice a little every day. When you start, if you're like me, you will find that you mentally tire out after about 15-20 minutes so don't push it. You are exercising a part of your brain that hasn't had to work much since you learned to talk, and that may have been a few years back.
Different people will learn at a different pace but I haven't met anyone that doesn't make progress if they keep plugging away at it a little every day and if you miss a day no big deal, just try not to let it lapse. You are building a new muscle in your brain. You may also hit a couple walls along the way where you don't seem to progress but it's coming. Just be patient. Morse Code is not fast food.
Morse Code is a mode for folks that don't have a lot to say but want to take a long time to say it; so why rush?
Sending Morse Code
Learning to send code is a different skill than learning to copy. Your ability to send good code is primarily formed by your ability to hear good code. You have to be able to hear the code as properly timed sound bites in your head before you can expect to send properly.
Personally, I'd recommend that you hold off practicing sending code until you have worked through all the lessons and can properly copy. Your brain needs time to memorize the proper sound for each letter. If you start practicing too soon you could develop poor timing habits that will take time to correct.
When you are ready to practice; try sending something like a news article. Or write a few sentences about your weekend and practice sending them. At some point you should begin practicing simulated QSOs. The SKCC beginners corner has a good sample QSOs to practice. When I started real over the air conversations I had my QSOs written out with blanks for the other station's call-sign. I didn't try to stray far from the text in the beginning since trying to think of what to say while spelling it in my head and remembering the sound for it was just too much for my puny brain. But after a couple dozen real QSOs the nervousness starts to wear off and you can think and send.
I have had a little over 300 CW QSOs (as of Fall 2015) and while that is still a relatively small number easily a 3rd of them have been lengthy ragchews lasting over 20-30 minutes so I've spent a lot of time "off-script" from the standard exchange. At this point I don't have to concentrate much on what I'm sending, it just comes out. I only have to think about spelling long words.
When you practice I recommend that you record yourself and then go back maybe a day later and see if you can copy what you sent. You will think you're doing great until you listen to yourself. Then you will practice sending more carefully!
Remember the golden rule. It's better to send good code than receive.
Another useful practice tool for sending is a Morse Code Translator but as stated previously only use a translator to work on your own code sending. Don't use one to copy in real QSOs or you will become dependent on it.
What kind of key
Of course there are different opinions on whether to learn to send code with a straight key or a paddle with an electronic keyer. They each have their merits and detractors. I wouldn't recommend starting with a cootie (sideswiper) or bug, they introduce too many variables for a beginner, but they are lots of fun to use after you're solid with a straight key and paddle..
Straight Key and Paddle... which to start with?
The video below discusses some difference in learning to send on a straight key versus a paddle...
Straight key
Straight Key (manual key)
Straight keys are simple, inexpensive and can work with many inexpensive practice oscillators such that you don't need a radio to practice sending. The disadvantage of straight keys is that your reflexes are entirely responsible for properly spaced DITs and DAHs in addition to intra-character and word spacing. The advantage is that after some practice they become an extension of your arm and simply repeat what you're hearing in your head. I personally started with a straight key and still like to use one regularly for QSOs under 17wpm. My reflexes are not good enough yet to use my straight at higher speeds so I use a paddle when I talk with an operator at speeds above 18wpm.
Paddle with electronic keyer
Paddle -- requires electronic keyer
A paddle works with an electronic keyer. The disadvantage of a paddle is it requires additional equipment and that you will be learning a different reflex from the actual code that is in your head. I.e. when you send an I or an S or an H you are not reflexively sending the DITs that make up the letter but are instead training yourself how long to depress the paddle for the string of DITs. This is a new skill and doesn't directly correspond to what you hear in your head. The advantage to using a paddle with an electronic keyer is that the keyer will send perfect length and ratio DITs and DAHs every time so your reflexes don't have to be as quick or precise. Also it requires far fewer movements of your hand to send code with a paddle and you won't tire as quickly as you would with a straight key. I won't go into the concept of squeeze keying here. For now don't worry about it.
As to the specifics of using a paddle with a keyer:
The electronic keyer may be external or built-in to the radio. If it's external then it will normally have a speaker or mic jack to provide a sidetone allowing you to practice without connecting to a radio. If you don't have an external keyer and want to practice with a paddle you will need a radio with a built-in electronic keyer and be aware how to set it to not transmit for practice. Usually this is accomplished, strangely enough, by turning off VOX (which stands for voice activation) in the radio's menu. Keyers have a speed setting and weighting. Speed seems pretty obvious. Weighting is the ratio of the length of the DIT to the DAH in length. In general the weighting should be set to a higher value when you are sending at a slow speed and set to a lower value as your speed goes up.
Update (5/3/2016): Here is a video I made a few months later regarding equipment for practicing sending CW. Among other key types, this video shows me using a Vibroplex Bug. I do not recommend a Bug for a beginner, and at the end of the video you can see why...
Your first on-air QSO
So now you've practiced your copy skills and you can confidently copy on-air stations at the speed you wish to operate. You have also been practicing sending and when you listen to a recording of yourself it actually makes sense.
You are ready to venture into your first, heart pounding, fight or flight response on-air QSO
If you can find a local ham who already knows the code to practice with that certainly makes for a less intimidating first foray. If you don't know anyone ask your local 2m repeater club if they have any CW Elmers who are within ground-wave distance of your station to work with you. Barring that ask someone in a forum and see if you can schedule a QSO but scheduling QSOs is often hit or miss based on propagation.
If none of those options present themselves then just go for it on-air. Find an ongoing QSO that you feel you can copy or is moving just slightly faster than you can copy. Copy the call-sign of the station you can best copy and wait for them to sign with each other (they will each send their 73s / 72s and send a DIT DIT at the very end). Then call that station.
AA4XX AA4XX DE N4PBQ N4PBQ N4PBQ PSE QRS KN
If you've been listening to regular QSOs you'll recognize the form above. The repetition of the other station's call is to get their attention. You repeat yours for their benefit. The PSE QRS is asking them to slow down and the prosign KN means you're asking only them to respond. Have a prepared QSO text ready in terms of what to send. The SKCC beginners corner has a good sample QSOs.
Here is a sample QSO from when I was just venturing onto the air.
What is going on in the radio
As far using Morse Code in radio communication is concerned; a transmitter modulates a 100Hz to 150Hz wide signal called a Continuous Wave or CW at a particular frequency. The time the signal is transmitted corresponds to the length of time the trasnmitter key is depressed. When listening on a receiver you hear a tone whose pitch is determined by your offset from the frequency of the transmission. If you are listening exactly on the same frequency you will hear nothing because there will be zero Hz offset. So most modern receivers offset the receiver frequency above or below the signal and offset their own transmit frequency by the chosen offset. So if the offset is 750Hz you will hear a 750Hz tone if you are exactly on frequency with the other station. Confusing? Good, you're well on you way.
Summary
So you know as much as I know now... well admittedly I don't know a lot, I'm just learning this stuff myself but I can almost promise you that it will be fun if you have some patience with it and you will meet some of the nicest people in ham radio... well meet them virtually, well meet them as monotone beeps, well meet them as decoded signals sent from one human computer to another human computer, but trust me; after you've had a 15 minute conversation with them and only exchanged your names, where you live and what the weather is you'll feel as though you've known them your entire life.
So lower your power and raise your expectations
73 / 72
Richard - AA4OO (formerly N4PBQ)
Update 11-05-2016:
I wrote this article after about 6 months of operating in the Fall of 2015. A year later now I have over 1,100 CW QSOs not counting contest operations for Field Day using our club call WQ4RP. I'm presently operating up to 23 wpm during ragchews and still working through the challenges of improving my operating skills. I still think this old post is valid for new operators and I re-visit it occasionally to make sure I still agree with myself... Usually I argue with myself all the time but by and large I think this is still a decent primer. I appreciate corrections and constructive pointers.
