been doing cw for about 6 months now with my old vibroplex bug and honestly im getting frustrated. everyone keeps telling me to get a paddle and keyer but i dont really understand what the big deal is. isnt morse code supposed to be about developing good timing and rhythm? feels like using a keyer is kind of cheating or something. maybe im just old fashioned but my granddad worked the world with a straight key back in the day

anyway just curious what you guys think, am i missing something obvious here or should i stick with what im doing

I get where youre coming from but trust me once you try a good paddle and keyer setup you'll never go back. its not about cheating its about being able to focus on the actual communication instead of fighting with the mechanics of sending. I can do 25-30 wpm conversations now without breaking a sweat whereas before with my straight key i was maxed out at maybe 15 wpm and my fist sounded terrible

that said nothing wrong with keeping the straight key around for slow rag chews and special events, but for everyday operating a paddle just makes so much more sense

dude just get a cheap paddle from ebay and try it out, you can always sell it if you hate it. i was the same way when i started but honestly the difference is huge especially once you get above 20wpm or so