notbob wrote:
I'm a retired geezer studying for my technical license. I fully
intend to learn morse code and not at a mere 5wpm. I figure one is
not truly a ham until one can cw, so I'm hot on it, listening to the
Koch method to learn code. I'm also looking for a GOOD straight key.

I want to invest in quality, but am not wealthy. I was gonna buy a
Vibroplex Know Code key, but the reviews are less than heartening.
So, I talked to Al at Milestone Technologies and he said something that
kinda set me back on my heels. He claimed a straight key is not much
good for anything over 15 wpm. Yikes!

Am I unnecessarily knocking myself out trying to learn code at Just
Learn Code's default 20wpm? Dropping down to 15wpm sure would speed
up the learning curve. If I want to eventually make 20wpm and faster,
would I be better off with a less expensive straight key in the
beginning and later investing the money in a quality bug? I want
to go bug before paddles and keyers. I guess the bottom line is, do I
want to graduate to a bug as soon as possible and maybe lower my
initial goals for a straight key. IOW, just get on the air?

A lot of what you're asking is really personal preference.

I don't know that I'd say a straight key is worthless beyond 15wpm.
But IMHO it gets fatiuging (sp) pretty quickly for long operating
sessions at *any* speed. IMHO a bug is interesting, fun to use for
nostalgia's sake, just like making QSOs with an old tube-based radio.
But for work where the point is to communicate, IMHO a solid-state rig
-- and a paddle/keyer -- is the way to go.

But again, there's a LOT of personal preference in that paragraph.
Nobody's answer is absolutely correct.

I would not limit one's CW receive training speed based on what you can
send. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being able to receive
faster than you can send. (certainly much less of a problem than the
other way around!) Absolutely, I would listen to the individual
letters at 20wpm from the beginning. You *can't* think "dot, dash,
dot, OK, that's "R"" at that speed -- you have to immediately associate
that sound with a letter -- and that'll get you past the "10wpm hump".
You'll also start hearing some of the shorter -- and more common --
words as a single sound. Words like "and" and "the" etc...

I think I'd start with a decent paddle and keyer. Good paddles are,
I'm afraid, not cheap. (decent keyers are, since you can make one from
a simple PIC chip & some fairly simple software)

--

Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View, TN EM66