so i got my technician license a few months ago and ive been reading about CW operation and it honestly sounds really cool to me, like the idea of being able to work dx with low power using just dots and dashes is pretty appealing. but i have no idea how to actually learn it. i downloaded a couple apps but i dont know if im doing it the right way or just wasting time. like do you learn the letters one at a time or what? i feel like ive been staring at charts trying to memorize the patterns visually and i keep reading that thats the wrong approach but then what IS the right approach. also how long did it realistically take you to get to where you could actually use it on the air

okay so the number one thing that helped me and i wish someone had told me this early on -- stop looking at the dots and dashes on paper. seriously just stop. you want to learn the sounds not the symbols. the Koch method is what most people recommend and theres a free program called LCWO dot net that walks you through it, you start with just two characters at full speed, like 20wpm or whatever, and you only add a new character when you can copy the ones you already know at like 90% accuracy. the idea is your brain learns to recognize the whole sound of a letter instead of counting dits and dahs which completely falls apart once things speed up.

i also used the Morse Trainer app on my phone for practice during lunch breaks and stuff, even just 10 minutes a day adds up fast. it took me maybe 4 or 5 months of pretty consistent practice before i felt comfortable enough to make my first QSO and it was slow and painful but the other guy was patient lol. the slow speed nets are great for that, 13130 khz on 40 meters has one most evenings i think, people there expect beginners so dont be scared off

yeah im kind of in the same boat as you actually, been at it for like 6 weeks now. the LCWO thing the other guy mentioned is what im using and its pretty good but i'll be honest some days i sit down to practice and my brain just refuses to cooperate, like i'll know a letter fine one session and then the next day its completely gone. i think thats just how it works though. one thing i read somewhere is that you should practice copying by writing or typing it out rather than just listening passively, something about how the motor memory helps it stick. havent gotten on the air yet myself but thats the goal