so ive been a tech for about two years and just upgraded to general last month, and i always told myself id eventually learn CW even though its not required anymore. well i finally started and honestly its humbling. i can copy maybe 8-10 wpm if the sending is really clean but my own sending is a mess. im using a straight key right now, an old J-38 i picked up at a hamfest, and i think part of the problem is i dont really know what good timing feels like yet.

i watched some videos and everybody says to just get a keyer and paddles and use iambic mode but i dont really understand the difference between mode A and mode B or why it matters. also does it actually help to start on a straight key or is that just old school thinking at this point. my elmer says straight key builds character but hes also 78 so i dont know how much of that is just tradition talking lol

anyway if anyone has thoughts on how to actually get better at sending without sounding like a dying robot on the air id appreciate it

honest answer — your elmer isnt wrong but hes not entirely right either. straight key is fine for learning rhythm and it forces you to think about timing in a way that paddles kind of handle for you automatically. but i wouldnt stress too much about which tool you use early on. what actually helped me was recording myself and listening back. painful but effective.

on the iambic mode A vs B thing, basically mode A stops a character when you release both paddles and mode B squeezes out one more element. most people just pick one and stick with it and eventually stop noticing. i run mode B on my K3 and barely think about it anymore. if you're just starting out dont even worry about it, set whatever default is on your keyer and just practice.

the biggest thing honestly is dont rush. 10 wpm with good fist sounds way better on the air than sloppy 15 wpm. send slow, send clean, speed comes naturally over time if you just get on the air and do it.

I went through this exact same thing last year. What really clicked for me was using the G4FON trainer software and setting it way higher than I could actually copy — like 20 wpm character speed with extra spacing between them. Called the Farnsworth method I think. Your brain learns the sound of the letters instead of counting dots and dashes and it makes a huge difference when you actually try to copy real QSOs.

For sending I just kept at the straight key for a few months before moving to paddles. Paddles are way easier once you get there but I think the straight key did help me feel the rhythm better early on. Also don't be afraid to just get on 40m around the QRP calling frequencies and listen for a while before you ever transmit. You pick up a lot just hearing how different operators sound.