My Journey to QRQ: From Zero to 35+ WPM

It is no secret: I am a CW aficionado.

I was originally a ham back in the 1900s, but I never operated on HF during that time. Living in a tiny apartment, I had no practical way to put up an HF antenna. VHF provided all the distraction I needed.

The Unexpected 13 WPM General Pass

That was the era when the FCC introduced the Technician Plus category. After I passed my Tech exam, a friend told me he had just passed his Tech Plus by copying Morse code at 5 WPM. Although I had no immediate intention of getting on HF, I didn't want to be outdone by my buddy.

I started learning Morse code just to upgrade. My friend handed me a bunch of cassette tapes, and I practiced diligently for the test. If I recall correctly, the code test simply involved listening to a simulated QSO and answering a few questions about the content—like identifying the sender's call sign. I passed with flying colors.

The VE administering the test looked at me and said, "Well, now that you're here, why not try the 13 WPM General test?" After making absolutely sure there were no negative consequences for failing, I gave it a shot. To this day, I have no idea how I managed it, but I eked out a passing grade. The only downside was that I now had a 365-day window to pass the written portion of the General exam to capitalize on it. I never did. So there I sat: a Technician Plus who had never sent a single letter of Morse code over the air!

Eventually, life became busy. I was increasingly drawn away from the radio, dropped the hobby completely, and let my license lapse.

The Pandemic Plunge and an Unpleasant Surprise

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I decided to take the plunge back into ham radio. I took my exams via a Zoom call, which was a pretty intense experience. The VEs had me pan my camera across the entire room to ensure no one else was present, and they even made me open my closet to ensure no one was hiding inside! I passed the General exam successfully and picked up my first modern HF rig, a used Icom IC-7100.

As I tuned around the HF bands for the first time, I finally heard live CW. Hmm. The dits and dahs made absolutely no sense to me. I was shocked to find that my CW recognition skills had completely degraded to nothing over those two decades. As it turns out, CW is nothing like the old cliché about learning to ride a bike—you absolutely can forget it if you don't use it!

Getting Back on the Wagon

I decided to get back on the CW wagon, purely as a personal challenge. Things were much different in 2022. There was a wealth of digital resources available to learn code. I used them all: smartphone apps, websites like LCWO.net, and even MP3s of literary classics like Moby Dick rendered entirely in Morse code.

While those tools helped immensely with copying, I still needed to practice my sending. It took me quite a while to regain my confidence. I practiced sending for hours by turning my rig's break-in (BKIN) function OFF and listening strictly to the side-tones. Thanks to modern rigs, there was no need for an external practice oscillator.

Finally, I decided I was ready.

I will never forget the sheer nervousness I felt when an operator responded to my very first CW CQ. I was so anxious that the details remain a blur; I was just glad when we finally exchanged 73s. The rest, as they say, is history. Today, I am a dedicated ragchewer who is perfectly comfortable copying and sending CW at speeds near 30 WPM.

Joining the QRQ Crew

It would not be an exaggeration to say that I am completely hooked on CW. I love conversational ragchewing and constantly strive to improve my operating proficiency. While groups like CWops are fantastic for bringing code enthusiasts together, many major organizations today tend to lean heavily toward contesting. Because I am not particularly into the contesting scene right now, I wanted to find a space focused purely on the art of high-speed conversation.

That pursuit naturally drew me toward QRQ crew, a group dedicated to promoting conversational CW at 35 WPM and above. It has been an incredible experience so far. I am thoroughly enjoying the challenge, the rapid-fire pacing, and the unique operating opportunities provided by the crew members.

If you are curious about high-speed operations and can sustain even a brief burst of conversational CW at 35 WPM, you should absolutely look into joining the crew.