so ive been at this for about 4 months now and im stuck somewhere around 10-12wpm and it feels like the wall is just not moving. started with the Koch method on the LCWO website which was great for getting the characters down but now im just kind of plateauing and not sure what the next step is supposed to be.

i do maybe 20-30 minutes a day which i know probably isnt enough but thats what i can fit in around work and kids. mostly just doing the random character drills and some of the word exercises. should i be doing actual on-air stuff at this point or is it too early? i dont want to slow everyone down on a slow speed net if im not ready.

anyway just curious how long it took people to go from casual beginner to actually feeling comfortable around 20wpm because right now 20wpm sounds like complete gibberish to me and i cant even imagine getting there

honest answer -- it took me about 18 months to feel truly comfortable at 20wpm but i wasnt being very systematic about it. the plateau you're hitting around 10-12 is super common, thats where most people stall out because the easy gains from learning characters are done and now it's just about building the neural pathways through repetition which takes time and feels like nothing is happening for weeks.

the thing that actually unstuck me was forcing myself onto the air even when i felt not ready. the W1AW code practice transmissions are great for this -- they send at multiple speeds and you can just listen without any pressure. but honestly getting on a slow speed net even if you're copying at 60% is way more useful than drills because real QSO rhythm is different from random characters. also try listening to stuff slightly above your comfort zone, like if you can copy 10wpm start listening to 13 or 14 and dont worry about getting everything. your brain will start catching up over time.

20-30 min a day is actually fine if it's consistent, don't let anyone tell you you need 2 hours. consistency beats duration every time with CW.

same boat as you honestly, been at it about 6 months and just cracked 13wpm on a good day. one thing i started doing that helped was the Just Learn Morse Code software set to Farnsworth timing -- basically keeps the character speed high like 20wpm but puts longer gaps between characters so you have time to think without slowing the actual sound of the letters down. supposed to help your brain recognize the characters at full speed even before you can process whole words at that speed. i dont know the science behind it but it does seem to be doing something