Hello Jordan!  This is always my advise if I am Elmering someone just wanting to start into HF.   Get on HF with a used rig.  Hopefully someone locally will have one for sale at a good price.   Build yourself a couple of wire antennas, and learn about that part of the hobby.  Put your rig on the air, make contacts, and learn how all of the things you have read and talked about go together.  Turn your rig down to 5 watts, and play QRP, experiment with this part of the hobby, learn what it takes to operate, hone your skills.  Still interested?  While this is going on, keep throwing those pennies in the jar.  When you are ready to look for radio number 2, maybe this time a dedicated QRP rig, start looking, and then buy.  This gives you plenty of time to decide on exactly what you want for a QRP/portable rig.  I have nice rigs for home, all 100 watt rigs, and a nice K1 I like to take to the park, camping, and portable type operating.   Take your time, slide in to the hobby, gauge your spending, watch for deals, talk to other hams, go to your local club and see what other hams are doing for this type of operating.  Most times, you will find someone that would be happy to let you operate and try out various set ups.

Good Luck!  de Scott N3JJT

Stan:  I own the 10/20/40 model.  I actually have 2.  One lives in the camper, and is used with the K2 or K1.  I have had great success with this set up.  Nice thing, no counterpoise.  I also own the 30 Mtr version. I have it sloped off of the back of my tower.  Works FB.  Not sure of the SSB performance, as I do not do phone, but on CW I have had nothing but fun, and many contacts on 40 and 20.  I usually run mine as a sloper from a 33' fiberglass telescoping mast.

GL, and have fun!  de Scott  N3JJT

Joe, also, make sure on your tuner that you have the 300 watt position selected, not the 30 watt output.  If you leave it in the 30 position, it will peg at 30, and no more. Plus, not good on the meter. Just a thought.

Scott  N3JJT  GL and Welcome to the hobby!

Scott:  Just to check:  There is a menu setting on the IC718 that enables the TX of CW and SSB, or they can be set to RX only.  Forget what the Menu label is, but I am sure it is in the intitial menu setting.  Not your quick sets.  Worth a look.

Scott  N3JJT  GL

There is a menu setting on the 718 that allows transmit of CW/SSB.  I cannot remember if it is in the quick menu, or the hard set menu.  Get in the hard set first, and scroll thru each setting.  I think it might just jump out at you when you see it.  I think the menu item is listed in the manual, page 44, "Set Mode"..try that and see if that helps.

Good Luck!   de N3JJT  Scott

Hello Jim:  Welcome to CW, and the wanting to learn.  The best way to practice your sending, is to open the newspaper, or magazine, and start sending the text.  Send the text at a speed in which it is comfortable.  If you make a mistake, send a few dits, and redo the sending where you made the mistake. (Naturally not on the air,use your sidetone on your rig).
Number one rule:  Never send any faster than you can copy.  If you were to get on the air, and send CQ at 20 wpm, that will more than likely be the speed of the other station.  So, do not set yourself up for failure, and in turn lose interest.
If you do not have a local club that offers CW classes, then I would recommend taking one on CDs.  Supplement the course with other learning aids, such as Koch.  However, the best way to supplement would be to listen to on air QSOs, W1AW bulletins, and code practice.  By listening to on the air QSOs, you will hear allot of abbreviations, and the way most ops carry out a QSO.  The schedule for ARRL will be found on the ARRL website, or in the QST magazine, if you so get one.
If you have the desire to learn, it will happen.  Practice, Practice Practice!  Do not give up!  Do not worry about how fast others are going.  Just learn, and apply what you learn, and everything else will happen on its own.  You will not wake up tomorrow and jump into a QSO, it will take a little bit of time and dedication.  Be patient.
Your final goal will be to copy in your head.  Make notes for the log, but everything else should be a conversation.

Good Luck!  73..de Scott  N3JJT  Hope to hear you on the air.

Hello Jerry!  I home brewed a junction box that can accept up to 5 hand keys.  I use the adapter Ken mentioned, 2 females to one male.  I use an external keyer.  I turned off the built in keyer, and hooked the external keyer to one connection, and the other is the patch cable coming from the junction box I made.  This makes it very easy to switch from hand key to paddle at any time, allowing up to 5 different hand keys on the desk at the same time.  It makes it like a "Hand Key Buffet"!

73..Scott   N3JJT

Hello Jay!  I would have to say the Ten Tec Eagle.   A very simple rig, no hidden menus.  There is a "Function" button, and this button enables the 2nd half of the dual purpose buttons.  Everything that is set on the radio, is visible on the display.  Go to the Ten Tec website, and view the manual.  Like, Ken has said:  The IC718 is also an easy radio to operate.

Good Luck!  Scott  N3JJT

I agree, if you can try a couple of keys ahead time this will help choose.

I have a Begali Simplex, and a Simplex Basic.  Also a K8RA P2.  Love them all!

Gud luck on your choice.  You can always sell,and buy another if you do not like your first choice.

73  Scott  N3JJT

Hello Garth!  You and I may have had this conversation before on the SKCC Sked page.  I use an inexpensive pair of wireless headphones.  No wire to get in the way.  Plus, you can go to the kitchen for a drink and never miss a thing!

73  Scott N3JJT

Well said by all!  I still have my paper logs, but now I update an electronic log.  With a quick search you can see if you have worked a call before, or not.  If so, how many times.  I use Winlog, and I have multiple logs for various contacts..ie:  SKCC, FISTS, general, portable, etc and so on.  Makes it easy to see if you sent cards or received them.  Although not required, it is nice to have on hand, whether paper or plastic..

73..de ..Scott  N3JJT

Hello Steve!  I use the Idiom Press C4 and the K5.  The reason I use external keyers:  I have a paddle and a straight key hooked up to each rig at all times.  This enables a quick change to the straight key to swap SKCC numbers during a QSO

73..de N3JJT...Scott

The key would be a personal issue, and everyone elses are their opinions, based on what they like in their keys.   What ends up happening over time, something will catch your eye, and you may find you like the new key better, and maybe not.  Like some of us we have keys on the shelf that see little use, and get put in the rotation if we get the urge.  I also have 2 BY-1s, and like them, and those are the keys I started with.  I have since grew a small collection of hand keys and paddles. So with that said, here is my opinion; My favorite keys are the Begali Simplex, and the Simplex Basic.  I also like my K8RA P2.  My favorite hand key is the Begali Spark. 

73, and enjoy..De N3JJT..Scott

Hello Chris!  I have the K5 on one rig, and a CMOS 4 on another.  I am not a big contester.  I did use the CMOS 4 for FD this year.  I had my call in one slot, my exchange in another,, the section in one, and state in one.  I could repeat anything asked.  Now that FD is over, I have one with CQ, one with a 73 statement, one with CQ FISTS.  I think one is just my call.  If you work DX, you put ur call in one, and a quick 599 TU in another.  I like both keyers quite well, and work very nice.  I prefer an external keyer to a built in keyer.  Just my preference.  I run my keyer on batteries also.  Have fun!

73..de N3JJT

Robert:  Totally natural to feel this way.  Keep going!  As you are copying down the letters, and you miss one, just put a tick mark on the paper, and listen for the next.  It will not show you much during random letters, but later when you are receiving text, and place a tick mark on a missed letter, chances are good you can go back and fill in the missing letter.  Speed will develop on its own thru time as you learn the code better.  Good quality code is the key.  Once you have mastered the code, put the pencil down and start listening for "words", not so much the letters.  This will increase the enjoyment of operating cw as a language.  A good suggestion already listed...turn cw on in the background while you are in the shack.  Another big one...never get discouraged, and never over take your lessons.  15 to 20 minutes a session, 2 times a day if possible, but no more.  Everday....When you start practicing sending, send text from the paper or a magazine...send it as you read it..very good practice.

GL..73  de N3JJT  Scott