Astounding! How I made my first CW contact; and you can too
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ก.ค. 2024
- This week, Dave KZ9V, shows me, an utter neophyte, how to make a CW contact. The great news is that you can too.
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Nicely done, guys. I use the macro for calling CQ but I try to do the rest manually. S-L-O-W-L-Y of course! I really enjoy Dave's contributions to these videos. Clear, concise explanations. Glad that I have worked both of you on the air (now to chase you on CW...)
You are doing it the correct way, good job.
When I upgraded from Tech-Plus to General in 1997, I bought an MFJ 9020 and had a blast working all states and countless countries with 5 watts, a straight key, and a dipole. I got my Extra the same year and still use that straight key but with lots more power. I also enjoy SSB but there's just something special about a nice, simple CW QSO. Perhaps being a musician has something to do with it but I just love the swing and rhythm of manual CW. K1NEO, Maine.
Nice job. Keep at it and it will get easier. I knew zero CW in Feburary and last night I activated K-1516 with 43 CW contacts in 70 minutes (plus some SSB before) using my paddle and no macros. It was a CW pileup the whole time until it got too late and I had to stop. POTA hunting and SKCC had a huge hand in helping me learn and improve. 73 de K9FRO
Good job, yes do it yourself, not the computer key it out by hand and head copy what is recieved.
I've seen Dave in many of your videos and his depth of knowledge and passion for sharing his valuable experiences with the community are much appreciated. What a great guy and impressive ham.
We love to see CW content! 73
No that the dam's been breeched, more will be on the way.
@@KB9VBRAntennas great! I’m a software engineer and I made a web based app with a methodology I believe works great for beginners. I would like you to take a look and see if you find it helpful. The link is in my qrz page, section software. Give it a try! If the audio doesn’t play you need to quit the silent mode on the phone (same problem of the web sdr on phones)
Best 73 tu e e
Thanks. I’ll check it out.
Well done Michael, I'm currently in the process of learning cw also. Ive been hunting from parks and manually sending. It's a ton of fun. I can't wait to catch you on cw in a park. 73
Nice work Michael. It’s nice to have Dave helping you out. Once I get my Extra, learning CW will be on the table. 73!
That's awesome to hear. Yeah, get the Extra out of the way first so you can concentrate on the code.
Thank you, Dave and Michael. It's on my list, and I feel much better about trying it.
Well done! It's funny, but I know a number of DXers who've never learned CW, but have hundreds of DX contacts with the mode. DXing has an even more simplified exchange. You can get away with two macros: 1.) Your callsign 2.) "5NN 5NN TU"
I would add that using macros like this is a gateway into the mode. I feel like it tunes up your ear to hear your call and components of other calls along with standard exchange info. Cheers, Thomas (K4SWL)
That's a really good point. Contest exchanges are also very simplified and predictable.
Big Congrats, Michael -- welcome to the POTA CW World ! Soon you'll be off the macros ... just you, your fist and your key. Great work, Professor Dave. You're an outstanding mentor and confidence-builder.
This was a fun video and I'm looking forward to working the code more.
Bravo! It's a start on a long learning trail.
Congratulations Michael! Welcome to the world of CW. The big thing to remember is that the first CW QSO is the most difficult.
Its all downhill from here - hope to work you on CW
-- Mike WB8ERJ
Yes. It will only get better and I hope to get you in the log soon.
Wowser! Welcome to the sunny side of the street Michael! Glad to see you will be active on CW. Great tips from Dave. IMHO, I would have the memories all set up as you have them, but I would recommend not using them until you are comfortable sending/copying CW on your own. That way, you'll develop proficiency and really enjoy the beauties of CW......and you'll pick up your code speed and get comfortable with CW. Most POTA Ops will slow down as needed. Just my $.02. In any case, work at it and have fun. You'll be amazed at what you can work on POTA with CW. Best 73, George K2WO
This motivated me to activate CW. I have been a ham for over 25 years and love POTA. Now to get my General Class Wife to do CW. 🤣
Thank you, I really needed this video!!!!
Congratulations Michael!
Great video on using another mode to make a pota contact, you make it look really easy to make a cw contact, thank you for building my confidence!
Great video! Morse is my next goal! 73
Darn it guys, I really didn’t need something else to be interested in but after watching this I’m gonna open up this chapter as well in my love for radio!! Thanks and great video as always.
That's awesome. It's certainly a fun journey.
Very COOL Thanks
Apparently this video has brought out the angry CW gatekeepers. They're missing the point that this is a way to introduce people to CW and encourage them to learn more about a mode that they've previously avoided. U-rah-rah
You've got it! I figured this video would start a holy war. Last month it was FT8, now it's this. I wonder what they will complain about next?
Nicely done, Michael! I've been inactive for over 20 years, just about have everything ready to get on the air (waiting on coax adapters--never thought about that until I tried hooking everything up), and as a bonus, it's all portable, too! I have not even looked to see what parks are near me, but I will soon. I will practice my CW from home for a while then look for the great outdoors.
I do always enjoy your videos. I almost always run TH-cam at double time (2 x), but with anything with CW in it, I discovered that I can't copy 15 wpm because it becomes 30, so I run them at normal speed. I suppose if it was someone really fast, I could cut to 3/4 or 1/2 speed and cheat a little bit.
73 de KA8VLW, Ken, Michigan
Very nice video. Thank you 73
Dave thank you very much. I will give it a try. greetings Martin PA0KGB
You have inspired me. I think I need to brush up on my CW now. And FLDigi wouldn't hurt ;-) Thanks! Robert KD4YDC
It only requires a small amount of work to get "okay" at CW and it's lots of fun thereafter. Just keep at it
Well done Michael!, as a CW activator, I hope I can work you! As your confidence grows, you will start to pick up CW again. For me it was 25 years since I learned CW until I took it up again at Age 69. Now CW is my primary mode. It won’t be long until you will be a CW activator!
73,
N7TB
Thank you and I am a new poor CW operator. I typically send the POTA call with my call. Sounds like you do not need to send their call. I like how you set this up it helps.
Great Michael! Congrats Dave for getting the cattle prod out. (You did send KB9VR on your key) so that was busted! Just saw Dave on the cluster 14058 but no copy in WNY. Look forward to getting VBR in my log on CW! 73, W2GR
Dave's up on K-1439, Big Bay State Park for the next couple days. This is an island in the Chequamegon Bay of Lake Superior and a bit rare in regards to CW activations. I'm the most prolific activator for that park so it is mostly phone and data.
Good for you Dave. I'm 95% CW in my activations - it would be nice to work you on CW (hihi)
That would be awesome. By the numbers, I'm approaching 17,000 POTA contacts, and about 35% of those are CW mode.
KZ9V
Very cool! I dig dave. Now I need to get a controller.
Dave's a great idea man. I love working with him on projects.
Thank you for this. I learned CW a long time ago, but like you have never used it. I have had an interest in adding CW to my tool kit for a while since I do a lot of weak signal work on VHF/UHF. Unfortunately, only “real” hams do CW here and those “real” hams are far too busy to share their knowledge about the mechanics of making a contact. I got the code, it’s all the K, KR, BK, etc. and what order it all goes in that had me lost. Now I have something to follow. I appreciate your knowledge sharing and encouragement.
"You've taken your first step into a larger world."
nice job!! 73
My goal is to have cw contact by end of year.
This is inspiring.... I'd like to give it a try... Maybe i need to buy a key
From now on my cw CQ sound like this: "CQ CQ CQ de ...... Im human K"
Whatever floats your boat, just be sure to do it sloppily on a straight key so you will never be decoded by a computer.
If I am going to make CW contacts, I am just going to send slow code, and as I get more comfortable with receiving CW at the slow speed, I will then try to speed my code up gradually.
Congrats on your first cw pota! Now show us from the beginning on hooking up the key, the menus, and performing the cw recordings, then hooking up and using the fancy keypad.
Hey Michael - I don’t know how I missed this video you did last year, but I would like to see you do more CW videos. Bill, KC2KNA
Boo, hiss to the detractors in the comments. There's always that element that thinks that just because they had to learn it the hard way, everyone else has to do it the hard way too. But hey, that's why we invented keyers and memories in modern radios! I'm getting back into amateur radio after a long layoff myself - I can still copy in my head at almost 25wpm, but my sending is an absolute disaster. I'm definitely going to use the memory keyer in my 705 more.... Great vid!
It looks a lot like an QSO in FT8. It's fun, but I'm afraid we don't get all the fun of the CW.
I always enjoy your videos and learn something. This time I learned that, “Michael’s computer contacted someone’s computer in a park!”
To the angry CW gatekeepers out there, I learned CW many years ago. I never was too fast, but knew it nevertheless. Now I am old, and my ears don’t send the sound to my little grey cells like they used to. I need this assistance. You angry folks just need to calm down a little and realize that some of us need a little assistance because of age and physical limitations.
Good for Dave, He knows CW is where Hams hang out, and good for you you will get the CW fever.
Dave I do think it is better to not use the electronics send code for you, but it is much better to write down the rubber stamp POTA exchange and send it your self, you can set the tranceiver in to practic mode to practice practice until you feel it is time to get on the air.
Are you going to make mistakes? yes, we all do even seasond hams make mistakes. Letting a computer program send and desipher code for you is not CW it is more like FT8
A few detractors in the comments. It may not be your way of CW but it's a way for some to participate. The more you do it the more likely you are to develop the skill. If you are working some one who is using this method, would you know, could you tell? I suspect not.
KB9VBR nice .
An important video to demistify using CW and take the sting out of early attempts. Morse isn’t meant to be elitist, it’s a language that we best learn through nurturing.
Excellent video! Maybe I’ll give CW a try for ZPOTA.
Recommend you insert macro AGN
Good idea
Maybe a "QRS" macro, too.🤣
KZ9V
I need to get FLDIGI out and mess with it. I'm learning with morse machine and I'm about 2/3rds through learning all the letters and numbers.
FLdigi isn't perfect, but it is a good fallback if your copy isn't 100%
Good job Dave, it's a start! I think if you go back and listen AI5LC gave you a 57N and Great mentoring Mike
You could be right. I was cut and pasting the titles. My recognition isn't 100% so I was trying my best to be accurate.
If you missed the Badgers hat the Spotted Cow tells you this video was from Wisconsin
what is the black box with the 4 colored buttons called?
It's a remote control box similar to the Yaesu FH-2. Here's a video on how we built it: th-cam.com/video/lj7m-9KC9Iw/w-d-xo.html
Any suggestions for a good key/paddle?
In the video I had my Bencher paddle out with me. It is a beauty but not really suitable for portable use. I ordered a CW-Morse paddle for outdoors. They are an inexpensive and highly recommended. cwmorse.us/collections/outdoor-paddles
Michael, I didn't see any video's on your site on FLDIGI and/or how to set it up for CW? Any help on this subject?
i have mine set up .. but its not decoding ..dont forget to get flrig too .. for rig control ..
Oh one more thing, if someone has a rig that doesn't support CW macro's FLdigi can also handle macro's as well
Yes, it can. So can several logging programs, including N1MM+ and N3FJP. For CW contesting, I always use N1MM+ for logging and sending code.
KZ9V
Was your radio on CW with FLDIGI or set on USB like a PSK31 contact?
The rig was set to CW, that way we could use the macro function that is built into the radio.
@@KB9VBRAntennas Thank you.
The whole concept is awesome and minimal, but adding a guitar distortion pedal in line to the speaker to make it like pulses of fuzz or old tv static is much easier to listen to, the piercing beep is harsh after 5 minute duration.
A blinking led patch or ticker tape, not actual text teleprompter, would be nice and more stealthy, that beep tone...sorry to be negative but it is something that could be improved on. Roger Beep assult. 🍻
Curious that the cw activator does not send his park number, as is usually the case with ssb. In many of my pota parks there is no cell service, so the POTA spot page is not available. Thx for the vid
!
The park number is typically not send during a CW activation. Otherwise the exchange gets cumbersome. When the log is uploaded the park to park contacts will resolve automatically and everyone will get their credit.
Seems absurd reasoning to me as a new cw operator, when it is regular practice in SSB mode. Are CW operators that lazy?!?@@KB9VBRAntennas
Very close to ft8 type of qso
A string dits about 8-dits long means a mistake in a character or number that the sender had sent. It would be sent correctly by repeating it without messing it up again. Or send a K and listen for the call sign to be sent again. K would mean Go ahead.
So, the K: it basically means, "'K, go ahead." Right? 😆
Correct. K and BK signal the other station that the transmission has ended.
An inexperienced CWer (but interested) question. I am familiar with the 599 - Readability, strength, tone report. What is the "N"?
"N" is commonly used in CW mode as the cut abreviation for the number "9". It's faster and easier to send.
KZ9V
@@davewhite7679 that makes sense in brevity. Thanks.
Do you not have to send actual signal reports? How can they be preset? Great idea Michael!
Signal reports are approximate. Most will give a 59 unless the signal is especially weak or unreadable.
Contesters always send 599 reports. My POTA macro is pre-set to send a generic 559 report. IF a station is exceptionally weak or exceptionally strong, I skip the macro and manually send a more appropriate report.
KZ9V
@@KB9VBRAntennas I see. Thanks Michael!
@@davewhite7679 Makes sense. Thanks Dave!
What piece of equipment did he use to store the macros?
The macros were stored in the FT-891. It has the facility for five voice macros and five CW macros.
Some transceivers allow you to create the macros from a keyboard, but we stored the CW macros on both of our FT-891s using one of my paddle keys.
KZ9V
Is the relay chatter normal for CW? How do you know what park they’re in? Why isn’t the park number part of the exchange? Another great video.
The relay chatter is normal and is more evident on the FT-891 than other rigs. When the rig is set to full break-in, you can set the level of delay between the dits and dahs so you can listen to the received signal between the letters. We have it set pretty tight, but it can be adjusted.
Park numbers are not traditionally sent in the CW exchange. They can be if requested, otherwise you know by looking at the spotting page. When the activators log is submitted, they will include the park number and you can see than on your "My Hunter Log" page.
@@KB9VBRAntennas I only ask because there’s a lot of locations that don’t have cell service.
The neat thing is, and this works with FT8 too, is that you can schedule your activations on the pota.app page, providing your park number. Then when you are out in the field calling CQ, the Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) will pick up your call, decode it, and automatically spot you based on the information you provided in the activation schedule. No need to worry about cell service.
FYI - I've had some issues with RBN not spotting my scheduled activations during my trip this past week. It was pretty unreliable. But "SOTAmat" was 100% reliable every time I used it for self spotting. We need to make a video on how to set up "SOTAmat" and use it for self spotting.
KZ9V
NEED A VID ON HOW U WERE DOING THIS CW ON FLDIGI AND FT8 AT THE SAME TIME.
We may have to dig into FLDigi. I was using my Digrig interface to pipe the audio into the computer. Once the interface is setup, FLdigi automatically starts decoding.
OK THANX FOR THE REPLY. IF U EVER DO A VID ON THIS, I WILL BE WATCHING. THANX. VA3NFL@@KB9VBRAntennas
BY THE WAY, I WATCH ALL YOUR VIDS.
I actually know a guy that does 2-radio contesting and POTA activations. It's called "SO2R". He's usually running CW mode on one radio and FT8 on the other one simultaneously. It's insane to watch him operate.😵
KZ9V
Good job, Michael. Now take the next step and try it with the key. You need to experience trying to send copiable code while your hand is shaking too hard.
No code Extra here !!
Nothing wrong with that.
Michael… your callsign is not conducive to CW. 😂 Enjoy, and I would love to get you on CW. I get a lot of WI guys down here.
No it is not. In making this video, Dave mentioned repeatedly that the V B combination is a bear to send. I hope to get you in the log on CW soon
Michael's call starts out very similar to mine. KB9V vs: KZ9V. That far, his CW call is even easier than mine. But the "VBR" sequence at the end is beastly. He needs a new 4 character vanity call sign.😂
KZ9V
From 38 years 99% cw, iam not sure whether to applaud you or burn my lic hi.
Applaud, I hope? Nothing I did should affect your enjoyment of CW, yet it shows how accessible the mode can be.
Now I want to see you activate with CW. This has encouraged me to do more CW. The Icom CW macros really help. VO1OK
Wouldn't those contacts be park to park?
I logged them as park to park. In a typical CW exchange you don't send the park numbers, so the activator doesn't know if it's a p2p until after the logs are submitted.
@@KB9VBRAntennas Got it. Thanks
Do you send the park number?
No need really...you can if someone asks for it.
No, park numbers are typically not sent in the CW exchange.
Only if P2P or by request
Sorry, autocorrection corrupted my msg
Sending a 5 for the middle value of an RST signal report is ambiguous at best, and at worst marks you as a clueless newbie. So, good info overall, but since you are setting 3 feet away I would think that should be a perfect RST signal report, which should be "5 9 9" which is abbreviated as "5 N N" - NOT - "5 5 N". Some operators do like to mix it up and send the proper non-abbreviated 5 9 9 version followed by the quick abbreviated version 5 N N or vs. versa. When someone does have a slightly weaker (but still readable) signal I'll send something like UR RST 3 7 7 which reads as Readability 3 out of 5 -- Signal strength 7 out of 9 and Tone 7 out of 9 (slightly raspy or noisy, no longer 100% pure). I avoid sending "5" for the middle "Signal" number like the plague, even if the signal level is about middle of the road, since the common screw-up of sending 5 as a maximum signal report has made a 5 in the middle position ambiguous. Instead, I'll send a 7 to indicate a slightly weaker signal, and a 2, 3, or 4 as the middle "Signal" number to indicate a significantly weaker barely readable signal - UR RST 2 3 7.
If you wish to become proficient at a foreign language, you don't have a robot do the speaking for you, and Morse Code is a language to practice and master. Just a thought.
I learned two foreign languages in high school and college. Dictionaries and phrase books came in very useful. One key to successfully picking up a language is immersion with a support system.
So push button CW. C'mon man...!
Cw without doing it. Seems off base.
It's just another helpful tool. CW, RTTY, and SSB contesters have all been using macro messages for many years. Manually calling CQ over and over will wear anybody out.
KZ9V
That may as well be FT8 or some other digital mode. Almost no skill involved - reading the cw off the screen and using a memory keyer to answer
Why is there an assumption that there needs to be a certain level of skill and assistive devices can’t be used? We’re using the same techniques that contesters use, just in a non contest setting.
NO NO NO! If you rely on macros and decoding software you will never learn code. The POTA exchange is so well established you can learn to key it easily and, since you probably know what the other party is going to send, you can decode it in your head without much trouble.
Sorry it is not First cw contact. It is just everybody who do not know cw do to make a contact…. Yes Michael You are true First Real cw contact king. Where should i send qsl for the stupiddest video? And You Asi it I want more video like this?? Hell, no…
Anger issues?
Ugh, whatever. Remind me to avoid you the next time I’m on the air.
I don't like it at all, CW is an art and must be studied. Using these objects does not lead to anything, those who like CW study it immediately and do not use these objects. Unfortunately nowadays we want everything, immediately and effortlessly.
73
Good points. CW is often equated to music. In making music, there are many different styles and techniques and one form does not bring down the other. On the contrary, classical styles often make their way into modern hip-hop. We all enjoy it for what it is and how it brings pleasure to our lives.
Great job guys. Jim k1az
I love it! That's my mind set; you can do it, we can do it, let's get on the air! Thanks, Michael. 73 de K0WHW @Bill-HRT
Way to go!!! I went through this....Thomas K4SWL inspired me to do CW.....now that is mostly what I do. KB6QEW
He's an excellent inspiration.
R U DOING RITTY FOR THE SOURCE ON FLDIGI. NOT SURE HOW U R RECIEVING?
I have a G90. I know it has cw but I haven’t tried it. I wonder if I can use the setup you have ? Congratulations and thanks for sharing your experience. KD2UTJ.
That radio had so much potential, needed an hdmi port and a usb keyboard with translate to morse embedded, it has a weak code decoder, but no pileups and a bit wonky like channel 11 close captioning at 3am.
It can often glitch on numbers, wrecking a callsign. They went on to bump out smartphone radios, instead.
Dave has a G90. while he says it has great CW features, the big thing it is lacking is macro storage. He is using a Pico Keyer for that: www.radiodan.com/keyer/pico_keyer_ultra.html
Thanks for the info.
@@KB9VBRAntennas Thank you for this info Michael.
Thanks Michael. Now I have another mode to get an activation with you. I generally I send my code though. Recorded responses are nice but knowing CW I would rather key it. But some of the guys send so fast (30-40 wpm) I cannot get their call. Right now 15 wpm is my max but am training to go higher. Thanks again. Bob WB6TIS.
Can’t wait to get you in the log.
@@KB9VBRAntennas I have you a few times on FT8.... next is CW and SSB. 73. Bob
Great video - got me thinking I can do this too! Thanks and 73s de K5NUN
Want to encourage you to keep after this. I find cw rewarding as a hunter for myself, and occasionally as an activator for our club, K0SLV. . You might even try a touch slower, and give the paddle a try from time to time. 73 de n0km