"Foxs Mercantile" wrote

I got my Novice license in 1967. Same routine. Upgrade or die.
It was fun at 5 WPM and every QSO was special. "Oh hey, I'm
talking to a guy 100 miles from here. Pant pant."

Getting my code speed up to 13+ so I could upgrade was painful.

Everyone's different, and everyone has a different experience of it all. I
got my Novice as a teen in 1963. (Yes, "pant-pant!" for those "DX"
contacts.) My friend and I decided to go for our Generals a few months later
to beat the $4 exam fee that was to be instituted January 1964. (Talk about
"incentive licensing!") We worked on our code (not painful for us), and we
went down to the FCC office during Christmas vacation. We both passed. I've
enjoyed CW (and phone) to this day. Fortunately for me I still hear plenty
of CW on the bands. A good fist makes for good music.

Howard N7SO