so i finally got my technician license last month and ive been reading about HF and everyone keeps saying to learn CW but honestly i dont even know where to begin. i downloaded like three different apps and they all seem different. one has you learn letters one at a time starting slow, another one throws random characters at you right away which was pretty overwhelming. theres also just youtube videos of people sending code but i cant tell if im supposed to be copying or just listening or what

i guess my main question is does it matter which method you use or is it more about just putting in the time every day? i have maybe 20-30 minutes i could practice. also is there a point where i should get on the air even if im really slow, or should i wait until im faster

the Koch method is what most people recommend and honestly its what finally worked for me after i tried a few other things. basically you start with just two characters at full speed like 20wpm and you dont move on until you can copy them at 90% accuracy or whatever. the idea is your brain learns the sound as a whole thing instead of counting dits and dahs which is a trap a lot of beginners fall into. LCWO.net is free and does the Koch method, ive sent a lot of people there

as for getting on the air, dont wait until youre fast. seriously. there are slow speed nets specifically for people learning, like the slow net on 40 meters. when i was learning i found that actual QSOs pushed my progress way faster than just solo practice. theres something about the pressure of a real contact that makes your brain lock it in. just look up some QRS frequencies and hang around, people are generally pretty patient with beginners sending at 5wpm

yeah im kind of in the same boat, been at it for about two months now. what helped me a lot was just listening to stuff even when im not actively trying to copy it, like having a CW practice file playing while im doing dishes or whatever. not sure if thats actually a real technique or i just made it up but my brain seems to recognize letters faster now

the app i ended up sticking with is Morse Mania, its not fancy but it works. the one thing nobody told me is that its really easy to burn out if you try to do too much at once so i keep my sessions short