so ive been practicing CW for about 3 months now, finally passed my extra and wanted to really get into morse code properly. i picked up a used Bencher BY-1 paddle and a Winkeyer USB and honestly its been a blast but something feels weird about my sending. like the spacing between elements feels slightly off to me, not sure if its the iambic mode or my squeeze timing or what.

i mess around with the dit/dah ratio in the software and it helps a little but when i record myself and play it back it still sounds a bit... clumpy? if that makes sense. my elmer says my fist is actually pretty decent for 3 months but i can tell something isnt quite right. is this just a muscle memory thing that goes away with time or is there something i should actually be adjusting. running it around 15 wpm right now trying to build up from there. any advice from folks who went through this phase would be great

yeah that clumpy feeling is super common when you're learning iambic mode, especially if you came from straight key or just starting fresh. the squeeze timing takes way longer to feel natural than people expect. i'd actually suggest backing the speed down a little, maybe 12 wpm, and just doing drills focusing on single characters before you worry about words. the Winkeyer ratio settings are worth tweaking but honestly dont chase perfection there until your hands know what they're doing first.

also check if you're in mode A or mode B on the Winkeyer — that caught me off guard when i switched keyers years ago. mode B adds a trailing element when you release both paddles which can really mess with your feel for the rhythm if you're not expecting it. try mode A if you haven't already and see if it clicks better for you. the BY-1 is a solid paddle so its probably not the hardware.

honestly same boat here, been at it maybe 5 months and the recording yourself thing is brutal but it really works. i use the Koch method with the LCWO website to practice receiving and i feel like that actually helped my sending too because you start to internalize what proper timing sounds like. also dont worry too much about what your elmer thinks sounds good — your own ear is what matters on the air lol. keep at it 15 wpm is solid for 3 months