so ive been licensed for about 8 months now and finally decided to take the plunge and learn morse code. not required anymore i know but something about it just appeals to me. anyway ive been using the LCWO website to learn the characters and im up to about 15 wpm copy on a good day which honestly suprised me, i thought it would take way longer.

the problem is my sending is just awful. im using a cheap paddle i picked up off ebay, nothing fancy, and i have a keyer built into my radio (IC-7300). i can form the letters ok i think but when i actually get on the air and try to have a QSO everything falls apart. my spacing is wrong, i rush, and i think my dits are uneven. had one guy just send NIL after my callsign and i wanted to crawl under the desk lol.

is this just practice practice practice or is there some specific thing i should be working on? also wondering if the cheap paddle is making it worse or if thats just an excuse im making for myself

oh man i remember that feeling exactly. the copy comes before the sending for most people, thats just how it works, so you're actually in a pretty normal spot. the thing that helped me most was slowing way down and really listening to what im sending while im sending it. like actively monitor yourself through the sidetone and if something sounds wrong stop and resend it, dont just barrel through. most guys on the air are patient especially if they can tell youre new.

on the paddle question — it might actually be a factor. not saying you need to spend a ton but a really light or stiff action with bad spring tension can mess with your rhythm. the IC-7300 keyer is decent so thats not the problem. maybe see if you can adjust the tension and gap on the paddle you have, sometimes thats all it takes. and honestly just do drills, sending random QSO exchanges over and over until your hand stops thinking about it. took me probably two years before my fist felt comfortable and im still not great haha

the NIL thing stings but dont read too much into it, some ops are just not patient and thats on them not you. i actually think getting on the air even when youre not ready is the fastest way to improve, way faster than just doing drills at home. QRS nets are great for this, there's a bunch of them that specifically welcome slower operators and nobody's going to judge you there.

also one thing nobody told me when i started — try sending with your eyes closed sometimes. sounds weird but it forces you to really feel the rhythm instead of staring at the paddle like youre trying to will it into working correctly