so ive been trying to learn CW for about three months now and i finally broke down and bought a paddle instead of just using a straight key. picked up a cheap Bencher clone off ebay and im using the keyer built into my radio (IC-7300) and honestly the timing feels completely wrong to me. like i know what i want to send but what comes out sounds nothing like it. dots bleed into dashes or i get these weird extra elements sneaking in.

my code speed when copying is probably around 12-13 wpm on a good day but when i actually try to send anything i fall apart. is this just a muscle memory thing that takes months or is there something specific i should be adjusting. i've messed with the weight setting a little but im not sure im doing it right. any tips from people who went through this same thing would be great

oh man i went through exactly this when i switched from straight key to paddle, it really does feel totally foreign at first. the thing that helped me most was slowing the keyer way down, like embarrassingly slow, 10 wpm or even 8, and just drilling individual characters until my thumb and finger started to know where they were going without me thinking about it. the 7300 keyer is actually pretty decent so i doubt its the radio.

also check that your paddle tension isnt too light — a lot of beginners set it feather light thinking that'll help but you end up triggering extra elements by accident. give it just a little resistance and see if that helps with the runon stuff. took me probably 6 months before sending felt even close to natural, dont get discouraged

yeah the weight adjustment is tricky honestly. i spent like two weeks fiddling with mine before i just left it at the default and focused on the practice instead. one thing i do is record myself sending with audacity and play it back, its kind of painful to listen to but you catch stuff you dont notice in real time. also look up the G4FON trainer if you havent already, good for drilling receiving and some people use it to mentally reinforce what the characters should sound like which kind of helps the sending side too if that makes sense