so ive been trying to get into CW for about 3 months now and i finally feel like im sending something that resembles actual morse code, but the timing still feels really off. im using an old Bencher BY-1 paddle i picked up at a hamfest and a Winkeyer USB connected to my rig. the problem is when i try to send anything faster than like 15wpm it just turns into mush, like my dashes are running into the next character or something. i adjusted the weight setting in the software but i honestly cant tell if im making it better or worse.

at lower speeds like 10-12wpm it sounds decent but the moment i try to bump it up everything falls apart. is this a keyer settings issue or is it just my paddle technique? i cant really tell from listening to myself if the issue is mechanical or software. any advice would be helpful, ive been at this for a while and its starting to get a little frustrating

the Winkeyer has a lot of settings that can mess you up if they're not dialed in — the weight adjustment especially can make things sound really compressed or sloppy at higher speeds even if your hand technique is fine. what i'd suggest is record yourself sending and then play it back, sometimes you cant hear your own mistakes in real time but they're really obvious on a recording. also the BY-1 is a solid paddle but the tension and gap adjustments matter a lot, if the contacts are set too close you'll get extra dits sneaking in when you dont want them. try opening the gap up just a hair and see if that cleans things up at speed.

honestly though 3 months in and hitting 15wpm? thats actually pretty decent progress. most people take way longer to get comfortable with a paddle after coming from a straight key or whatever. just keep sending, your muscle memory will sort itself out eventually

yeah i went through the same thing when i started, the jump from 12 to 15 felt like hitting a wall. what helped me was practicing with the Koch method using LCWO dot net, just doing receive drills at the speed i wanted to send at. weird as it sounds, getting your ear trained to the faster speed first made my sending loosen up. no idea why that worked but it did. also dont obsess too much over the keyer settings at first, get your hand comfortable and then tweak