There are a lot of great advisors and instructors who teach Morse Code and CW. I think Mark Tyler, K5GQ, is one of the greatest CW teachers there has ever been! If you ever get the opportunity to take Mark’s class, don’t pass it up! You will be

QRQ, When You Want To Go Fast!

Jun 27th, 2022 29m 39s

Terry Jackson spent eight to ten hours a day head copying Morse code at 50 words-per-minute... and got paid to do it! His job as a Naval Communications Officer was to intercept coded messages being sent from Russian ships during the Cold War. T

A Conversation With KB6NU

Jun 10th, 2022 38m 23s

Dan Romanchik, KB6NU, is a well known CW operator that is not only active on the air, but has been active with numerous organizations and Amateur Radio events over the years. He is the author of a popular series of Amateur Radio license exam st

Episode #32 - The Long Island CW Club

Jun 27th, 2020 1h

We first heard about the Long Island CW Club back in the fall of 2018. After talking with the club’s founders, Howard Bernstein, WB2UZE and Rich Collins, K2UPS, we featured the club in Episode #23 in January 2019. The club (actually it’s a comm

CW Traffic Nets

May 20th, 2020 50m 57s

CW traffic nets have been around for a long time. They operate every day, 365 days a year by dedicated amateur radio volunteers. In spite of today’s digital technologies, CW traffic nets continue to be a highly survivable, efficient, and reliab

The Key Maker

Apr 24th, 2020 30m 26s

There is a long tradition of amateur radio operators experimenting and building gear. Recently I built my own cootie key using an old saw blade and some discarded metal parts I had tossed in a junk box. It fell apart the first time I used it on

Morse Code Ninja

Mar 19th, 2020 48m 23s

Kurt Zoglmann, AD0WE, created Morse Code Ninja, a very comprehensive Morse code/CW training program using learning theory and techniques not used in other programs until now. There are more than 979 Youtube videos and over 2000 hours of Morse c

The Ship's Radio Officer

Feb 24th, 2020 30m 34s

Episode #27 was about the great coastal maritime radio stations that communicated with all the ships around the world at sea. In this episode we hear what it was like to be the ship’s radio officer who depended on and communicated with those co

Coastal Maritime Station KPH

Jan 21st, 2020 32m 49s

There was a time when the airways bristled with Morse Code. There were commercial radio stations all around the world whose business was sending and receiving Morse Code messages to ships at sea. Coast station KPH, located at Point Reyes Na

CW RAgchewing 101

Jan 3rd, 2020 41m 29s

CW ragchewing… the idea makes some CW operators weak in the knees. The good news is it’s a lot easier than most CW operators think it is. Gary Stone, N5PHT, would like you to go beyond the basic QSO and start having more CW conversations. G

A Conversation With N9EP

Dec 8th, 2019 44m 9s

Ed Picha, N9EP, is a CW operator who enjoys talking about CW and loves training and mentoring new CW ops. He’s been teaching code classes for 40+ years, while helping and encouraging a whole new generation of CW operators. Over the years Ed has

World Wide Flora and Fauna

Apr 9th, 2019 33m 34s

Fresh Air… Nature… and CW… what could be better!?! If you have ever considered grabbing your gear and heading to the great outdoors, then check out the World Wide Flora and Fauna program. In 2016 the ARRL held a year long event called ‘National

The New Elmers

Jan 26th, 2019 25m 7s

Many HAM operators never had the benefit of an Elmer. Most of us figured it out, but there were other times, like the time we were wondering why nobody ever answered our CQs because we didn’t know our code sending was so atrocious. It would hav

Jitters, Anxiety, and your first QSO

Nov 22nd, 2018 31m 4s

‘Key Fright’ - The feeling of anxiety, nervousness, and excessive worry about making mistakes sending and receiving Morse code. Most often afflicting new CW operators immediately before attempting their first QSO. Every CW operator remembers th

The North American QRP CW Club (NAQCC)

Sep 27th, 2018 26m 4s

The North American QRP CW Club (NAQCC) is the world’s largest organization of it’s kind with thousands of members in over 140 countries around the globe. All of the organization’s events are operated QRP and CW mode. Paul Huff, N8XMS, the NAQCC

Pay It Forward

Jul 19th, 2018 40m 18s

Amateur radio has a long tradition of giving back and Elmering new radio operators. Anyone who has ever received the generous and patient attention from an Elmer is ever so thankful and appreciative for that help. John Merkel, AJ1DM, is a shin

The Straight Keyentury Club

Jun 22nd, 2018 34m 4s

There are several organizations that promote Morse code and the CW operating mode. One of the very best is the Straight Key Century Club (SKCC). The organization officially began on January 2, 2006 and currently has over 18,800+ members worldwi

Gettin' Schooled

Apr 25th, 2018 55m 4s

Tom Parish, KB5RF, had the rare opportunity to take all three CW Academy courses in a twelve-month period. He began his Level 1 course hardly knowing anything about Morse code and completed the advanced Level 3 course twelve months later as a s

Alpha Antenna

Mar 27th, 2018 55m 22s

No matter if your operating QRP or QRO, having the right antenna for the job depends on what your target is. In this episode, Steve Deines, N0TES, owner of Alpha Antenna talks about targeted antenna deployment, getting the best out of your ant

Better Ways To Learn The Code!

Mar 16th, 2018 27m 7s

There are many ways to learn Morse code. People often take the leap and try learning on their own. That what Roland Simmons, K7FOP, did... until he found a better way! Roland is an avid SOTA activator who had been packing not-so-light gear to p

Grab Your Gear And Go

Mar 7th, 2018 48m 30s

Cabin fever making you crazy... had enough of winter!? Spring is almost here, it's time to check your gear and head out into the fresh air. Find a comfy spot, throw a wire up in a tree and get on the air. Chris Bravo, W4ALF, talks about the joy

The Other Side Of The Mountain

Oct 25th, 2017 31m 12s

It takes two hands to clap... to wings to fly... two to tangle... and two amateur radio ops to make a QSO! It's fun to read about field operations and look at images of hams doing amazing things in amazing places (like driving your Jeep down t

A 112 Year HAM Legacy!

Oct 11th, 2017 40m 18s

There probably is no other piece of HAM equipment more ubiquitous than the Vibroplex key. For more than a 100 years, hundreds of thousands of Vibroplex keys have been produced and used on ships at sea, by railroads across continents, militaries

The CW Op's Guide To Contesting 101

Sep 25th, 2017 31m 28s

If you're a CW op looking for something new to do, contesting maybe just what you are looking for. There are literally hundreds of contests each year. Some are big and some are small. Either way, contests are a great way ops can take their CW s

Point The Beam... Crank It Up... Let It Fly!

Sep 11th, 2017 32m

Cody Codianni, KC2LSD, holds an Amateur Extra license, is a FISTS North America Board Member and manager of the FISTS North America club call, KN0WCW. He has achieved DXCC on numerous bands, including the very challenging 160M DXCC in 2017. Not