I haven't posted for a while about amateur radio adventures, not because I abandoned it, but because I have been very busy trying to learn Morse code. I feel that CW operation is the big next step I need to take. It has proved much more challenging than I expected to learn morse code, so I've already spent many lunch breaks work on it, and I am estimating it will be another few weeks at least before I can operate. It is not really challenging to learn the characters, so much, as it is to learn the sounds well enough that I can copy without pausing frequently or missing a bunch of characters. I switch back and forth between using some Koch training software, and then practicing straight key work in my radio's practice mode, and then trying to transcribe signals I am hearing on 20m. I'm aiming for 10 wpm, which is slow enough to be practical for a beginner, but fast enough not to be boring. So far I can hear around 12 letters pretty well (no numbers yet) but each time I learn a new letter, it interrupts my flow, and the accuracy drops about 30 or 40 percent. Fortunately, there are plenty of CW signals coming in on 20m to listen to, though about two-thirds of them are too fast for me to try to copy.
Short version: I'm working hard on my morse code during lunch breaks, and I'm hoping to join the CW community by the end of March.