so ive been a tech for about 3 years and just upgraded to general last month and decided this is the year i actually learn CW. not required anymore obviously but something about it just appeals to me, maybe its the old school factor or whatever.

anyway i picked up a used Bencher BY-1 paddle and a MFJ keyer off ebay and ive been practicing but something feels off. like the dots and dashes dont sound even to me, the dots feel too short compared to the dashes. i messed with the ratio settings on the keyer a bit but i honestly dont really know what im doing. is this a settings issue or am i just not squeezing the paddle right? i find myself hesitating before each letter and then rushing through it which probably sounds terrible on the air.

also should i even be going on the air yet or just keep practicing with a practice oscillator type thing. i can copy maybe 6-7 wpm on a good day with simple words but sending feels completely different than receiving

the hesitating then rushing thing is super common when youre starting out, dont sweat it. what helped me was just slowing the keyer ALL the way down, like uncomfortably slow, and forcing myself to think about each element before i send it. your brain wants to rush ahead to the next letter before your hand has finished the current one.

on the ratio thing — most keyers default to 3:1 dash to dot ratio which is correct, so i wouldnt mess with that unless you have a specific reason. the more likely issue is just your paddle tension and the gap between the paddles themselves. the Bencher should have two little screws for adjusting the contact gap and the spring tension. if the gap is too wide youre working harder than you need to and it throws off your timing. try getting the gap down to just a hair, like barely any daylight between the paddle and the contact. took me weeks to get mine dialed in the way i liked it.

as for going on air — honestly the CWT sprints on wednesday evenings are great for beginners because exchanges are super short, just your call and a number. nobody expects perfection. but if youre not ready for that yet just get on 40m around 7.050 and listen for a while, you'll start picking out calls and it clicks faster than you think.

I was in the same boat not too long ago. One thing nobody told me that made a huge difference — practice sending random 5 character groups, not words. Words let your brain autocomplete and you stop actually hearing the code. Random groups force you to really listen to what youre sending and it tightens up your fist a lot faster. there's stuff on the LCWO site for this.

Also the Bencher BY-1 is a solid paddle to learn on, good choice on that one.