The QRPer Board

CW mode and QRP operations complement each other well:

1. CW makes efficient use of radiated power.
2. Many small and high efficiency rigs are CW-only.
3. Many low cost rigs are CW-only.

How about starting a conversation about CW:

• Are you an old hand, a new operator, would you like to learn, or do you have no interest in CW?
• If you use CW, how did you learn, and what would you recommend to others looking to learn?
• Is this useful, or should we terminate the thread?

Brian, I operate only CW. On short exchanges, like POTA, I am good for 20+ wpm, but I slow down a bit for rag chews. I learned code about 23 years ago at 5 wpm - actually "net 5 wpm" because the instructor used a higher character speed with Farnsworth spacing. Over the years my speed increased through several barriers that just seemed to disappear as I gained more experience. I really enjoy the satisfaction of hearing what is effectively a second language and being able to understand it. I began with a straight key but my aging fist has trouble with that now so I prefer paddles. Several hams I know have expressed an interest in learning Morse Code but unless there is a genuine passion for the mode they rarely follow through. There was one exception though. A fellow club member was a dedicated FT8 user and is now taking courses with LICW!

Brian,
Another component of why CW and QRP complement each other is the aspect of building radios. There are a lot of kits out there, from the pixie to (tr)uSDXs and QRP Labs' QCX/QDX/QMX kits, and many others. Sure, there are CW/SSB kits (the (tr)uSDX does SSB) but those kits tend to be more expensive and complicated.
While I enjoy operating, particularly with something I built myself, I realized a while back that I enjoy building the radios more than I enjoy actually using them. My operating goal is to at least break even on building/operating time on all my rigs by the end of this year!

73,
Mike, KL7MJ