MorseBusters

In August of 2016, I won the Morse Code sending competition at the 2016 Friendship Radiosport Games, the only such contest held in the US, sending about 30 WPM, on a straight key.

For comparison, the old "Amateur Extra" radio exam required 20 WPM, the First-Class Commercial license 25 WPM, and the world record - set 75 years ago - was a whopping 35 WPM.

So 30 was pretty good. 

Before the contest, the best I could manage was 23 WPM. Getting from 23 to 30 took seven months of practice. But practicing what?  "Just go faster" didn't work. And I found nothing on the Internet about how to achieve these commercial-level straight key speeds. Nothing at all.

Instead, I found lots of well-intentioned advice, and myths: "Straight keys cause glass arm," "balance a quarter on your hand," and on and on and on. Gaack. 

I had to reinvent techniques that were once common. These are my research reports: bread crumbs for others to follow.  

73, Chris Rutkowski NW6V