so i've been thinking about getting into CW for a while now and i keep putting it off because i dont even know where to start. i tried looking some stuff up online but there's like a million different opinions and i honestly cant tell whats good advice and what's just outdated stuff from 20 years ago.

like do people still do the whole Koch method thing or is there something better now. i downloaded one of those apps a while back but i kind of gave up after a few days because it felt like nothing was sticking. not sure if i was doing it wrong or just not being patient enough. my goal is just to be able to have basic QSOs eventually, nothing crazy like contesting or anything.

anyone been through this recently and have thoughts on what actually worked for them

the Koch method is still pretty much what most people recommend and honestly it does work but you have to commit to it daily, even just 10-15 minutes. the trick that nobody tells you upfront is to set your code speed higher than feels comfortable — like 20wpm character speed even if you're a total beginner. sounds backwards but if you learn the rhythm of each letter at speed from the start you wont have to unlearn that dit-dah counting thing later which is a real trap.

LCWO.net is free and its basically built around Koch, lots of people use it. there's also the Morse Trainer app which is decent. i'd say the biggest thing is just dont skip days, consistency matters way more than how long each session is. took me maybe 3-4 months before i felt like i could actually copy simple words without wanting to throw my radio out the window, and probably another couple months after that before i made my first actual CW contact. it clicks eventually, just kind of suddenly one day.

yeah im in the same boat kind of, well i started about 6 months ago so a little ahead of you maybe. the app thing is real, i went through like 3 different ones before i stuck with anything. what helped me was finding a youtube channel that does slow code practice, just copying real words and callsigns, feels more like actual radio than just random letters.

also theres a thing called the CW Academy that a lot of people talk about, its free i think and they pair you with an advisor and do zoom sessions. i havent done it myself but ive heard good things on here and on reddit. the main thing i'd say is dont worry about sending yet, just focus on copying for now, thats what i was told anyway