Glad to hear another ham at the same point as I. I’m lucky to even get 50% of the far end ham’s code during an attempted QSO. Have determined to become skilled enough to effectively work stations during Field Day in June. I will consider myself effective if I can converse at least at 12 words per minute. If the other side doesn’t slow to my speed with his/her blazing electronic keyer, I’ll be out-no RST, no exchange, no points for him/her.

Good call! I didn't think of that, but you're totally right.

Thank you!

Thanks! Yeah, LICW is great. That's where I learned CW. I'm actually an instructor there now. Good luck with your CW journey!

@@EvanK2EJT Hey, that's cool. Hopefully, I'll hop into one of your classes. Just watched your video on the Field Activating Episode 1: Radios. Lot of great info on the video. I have been doing some serious research on small, portable radios for field activating (CW) and you had quite the collection in that video. I am leaning towards the Mountain Topper or the KX2. I think I am going to lean towards the KX2 (pricey option), but I like the idea of a radio that can do SSB and CW, although I think CW will be my primary mode. Again, I'm a new subscriber. Glad I found your channel.

@@betterbprepared Yeah, if you're choosing between those two radios as your only field radio, I'd go KX2 all day every day. The MTR4B is a great radio, but I wouldn't want it as my only field radio. The KX2 has a LONG wait time, so if you want one, order it and plan on waiting like 4 months, or buy a used one (that's what I did). While the KX2 isn't perfect, it's about as complete a package as you're going to find in a field radio. Hopefully I'll see you in my class one of these days!

Thank you and thanks for watching!

Thank you!

Awesome! Now get on the air! It's nowhere near as scary as it seems. The first QSO is always the most nerve wracking, and from there on out it gets much easier. Before you know it you'll be on the air every day making multiple QSOs. Thanks for watching and 73 (oh, and yes, a good mechanical pencil is a requirement LOL)

Thanks!

That's another great point! I'll add some new stuff like name, ?, agn, etc in the next video. Thanks!

When the codes comes fast and s****y, just send dit-dit-dah dah-dit-ditty. Courtesy of the US Navy Operators. Easy way to remember question mark (?)

Thanks for the feedback! As for park numbers, they don't normally send the park designator. Some ops will send it after your RST but it's pretty uncommon. Normally the only time I ever hear a park reference is during a park to park contact. Park numbers are long to send, so people usually don't unless you ask for it or it's a park to park.

@@EvanK2EJT Thanks for the reply. I've only ever hunted on SSB, and the park designator has always been given. Thus, I was a little surprised to not see it in the example exchange. Your explanation makes total sense, though. Thanks again!

Thanks for watching! Yeah, POTA is a great gateway into CW. I apologize if this is a little long, but I feel like it requires a little explanation: As for key selection, I generally recommend beginners start out on a straight key. It's easier to translate the character in your brain to motion in your arm. It's 1:1. An "L" is di Dah di dit.......and your arm follows that exact pattern. With a paddle, you're layering on another level of translation. Getting the feel for how long to hold each paddle down to create the correct number of dits or dahs takes a little getting used to, and there's some muscle memory involved. It also changes with character speed, so that adds another layer of complexity. That being said, plenty of people start out on paddles and they're just fine. I just find that most beginners have an easier time making the straight key do what they want it to do with less effort. In the end, use what you find works best for you. I bounce between multiple dual iambic paddles (which I use most of the time), a single paddle key, a cootie, two different bugs, and a straight key. As for the G90, that's pretty simple. Turn the rig on and hit the "key" button on the right four times. "QSK" will be displayed. Turn the VFO to change it from "on" to "off". Turn the volume on the radio to zero and you'll be left with just the side tone. No transmitting, no background noise. To change the side tone volume, hit the "func" button on the top front row of buttons, and then hit the "key" button. The first option will be tone volume. Set that to something comfortable. From there, you can practice to your heart's content and not have to worry about transmitting or hearing background HF static.

@@EvanK2EJT thank you so much for taking the time for a detailed reply...you helped more than you know. I'm a general class of about 15 years but haven't been active for about half of that, just bought a g90 a couple of weeks ago and have built a few different antennas to go with it for POTA and portable in general. Thanks again, 73 de KJ4ICG dit dit

@@TheWingnut58 Glad I could help! Your question actually prompted me to shoot a quick video on key selection and the difference between different keys. I'm going to start editing now, and it should be up later this evening or tomorrow morning. Thanks for the inspiration and the feedback.

@@EvanK2EJT subbed so I won't miss it!

@@TheWingnut58 Thanks!

The RST numbers will be based on a couple of things. The first number is readability on a scale of 1-5, 5 being perfectly readable, and 1 being barely audible. The second number is the signal strength, it will be displayed on the S meter on the transceiver. This is a scale of 1-9 with 1 being the lowest S meter measure, and 9 being the highest. The last number is tone, and unless it's a homebrew radio, tone should always be a 9.

@@EvanK2EJT Thank you for your reply! You mean only the 'S' number is displayed on the transceiver and I have to make judgment for the other 2 numbers. 73 de VE3INE

@@havefun2952 Correct. The other two numbers are a judgment call, but for all intents and purposes the tone (the T in RST) will always be a 9, so a signal that's super easy to hear, at full power, would be 599. A signal that's pretty easy to hear, but not perfect, and about half power, would be a 459. Something way down in the noise and barely registers might be like a 219 or something similar.

@@EvanK2EJT Thanks for your helpful reply! 73 de VE3INE

We almost never send a park designation. It doesn't matter, so we don't usually send it. The only time you'll ever hear anyone send it is during a Park to Park, and even then it isn't needed because the POTA website figures it out when you submit the logs

You're not wrong. When you call CQ you control the speed, pace, and information in the QSO, so it theoretically should be less intimidating. I think the reason a lot of newer CW ops gravitate towards things like hunting POTA or SOTA or making SKCC contacts is that it's formulaic. You have an idea of what's going to be sent. When you're new, it's very easy to fall off the rails and become flustered. Now, as for POTA activators running fast....yes, it's true that the average is probably somewhere around 22wpm or so, but the vast majority of us will QRS for anyone calling slower than we're working. The only time I don't physically slow down is when I'm on a radio where key speed is difficult to change. In that instance, I'll add as much Farnsworth as the hunter needs, and repeat myself as many times as needed to make the contact. Don't be intimidated by the speed. We generally run reasonably fast so we can keep the QSO rate up, but we're more than happy to slow down. Thanks for watching, and thanks for the thoughtful comments!

Good points, all. Thanks. @@EvanK2EJT

Keep at it! The more QSOs you make, the better you get, and the easier it gets!

It's pretty much an efficiency thing. It takes a long time to send K-5011 or something. You can absolutely ask for it though. Don't be surprised if the activator doesn't copy it the first time around. When you're not expecting someone to ask off script stuff it'll throw you off, so you may have to ask for it a couple of times.

Yeah, I realized that after I posted the video. Good catch LOL

I have it as a Google doc. I'll post the link here. If you'd rather a PDF, I can download it and email it to you if you'd like. docs.google.com/document/d/1aYRz4z05M5ZChosEpd5oLHXmQvSgRStko_7zTnKFBUo/edit?usp=sharing

@@EvanK2EJT THANK YOU!

@@deltafour1212 No problem at all

Nope. Not even if it's a Park to Park. You'll very rarely hear anyone send a park number. Occasionally operators will send it in the CQ, but it's uncommon. The only time you'll hear it is if it's a park to park (which again isn't even necessary as POTA will sort that out when it's logged), or if someone asks for it. Great question though! Thanks

@@EvanK2EJT Interesting! Very different than my experience with SOTA. Personally I'm more interested in the person's location and operating conditions than in the official summit identifier, but it's needed for logging.

@@brianclimbs1509 Yeah, it's a little different in SOTA. In POTA, the only person who submits logs is the activator. The hunter doesn't need to do anything aside from contact the activator at the park and have a valid QSO. The activator handles everything else.

LOL I try to send close to what you're going to hear on the air. I can definitely do a QRS video though. That's a good idea!

Thanks!

Thank you, and thanks for activating. POTA wouldn't be any fun without you guys!

Thanks for watching! Yeah, those are some of the best ways to get into CW in a way that's fairly standardized and controlled.