so ive been at this CW thing for about 8 months now and im stuck. like really stuck. i started learning with the Koch method back in the spring and got up to copying about 5wpm pretty comfortably but every time i try to push past that it just falls apart on me. i can hear the letters individually but when someone sends at 12 or 15wpm it just becomes noise and i miss everything and then i panic and miss more.

ive been using the LCWO website and some of the practice files from the ARRL. i practice probably 20-30 minutes a day most days. my goal is to get to 20wpm eventually because i really want to work some DX on 40 meters and honestly i just love the mode, there's something about it that got under my skin. just wondering what actually moved the needle for people who went through this same wall. did you just grind through it or was there some specific thing that clicked?

oh man i remember this exact feeling, it was probably the most frustrating part of the whole journey for me. what helped me more than anything was listening to fast code even when i couldnt copy it. like i mean really fast, 25 or 30wpm, just as background while i was doing other stuff around the shack. your brain starts to recognize the rhythm of words and common sequences without you even trying. took a few weeks before i noticed it but suddenly 15wpm started feeling slower to me.

the other thing is dont practice copying letter by letter. if you're still sounding out dah-dit-dah in your head thats gonna be your ceiling. you gotta get to where you just hear Q and thats it, no translation step. some people call it head copy. LCWO is actually good for this if you crank the character speed up high (like 20wpm) and drop the farnsworth spacing way down so you have more time between characters. start recognizing sounds not sequences. that honestly is what finally broke me through the 15wpm wall.

just chiming in because im in basically the same boat lol, sitting around 8wpm and feeling like 20 is a million miles away. one thing my elmer told me was to get on the air even before i feel ready. like just jump into some of the slow speed nets, there are a few on 40 and 80 that run around 10-13wpm and people are super patient. actually copying real QSOs with real fists is way different than practice files and it somehow makes the practice sessions feel more worthwhile too. havent tried it much yet myself but thats the advice i keep getting