He goes up to 25 wpm, I believe.  I tried lots of different code courses (ARRL, WB6NOA, K7OQ, etc.) and this was the one that worked for me.

There is the Jerry Ziliak KB6MT course that does this - and this was the way I learned (finally after several different methods!) of learning CW.  They were recorded on cassette in the 80's, but someone sells them on an mp3 cd out there if you do a google search (I bought both, one in the late 80's and the mp3 version a few years ago)...

Congratulations!  It gets easier fast, and then you will start to know what all the fuss is about.  CW contacts are always fun, and I know you will love it!

I think it is because you spent all that time learning the code, racking your brain to become proficient and the first time when you fall down, you think "I'm awful" or "I have wasted my time", or it is just a blow to the ego since you thought you were ready and you weren't.

It happens with mike fright the first time you get on voice as well, though it isn't as bad, in my opinion...

A filter will be helpful, but a couple of helpful hints:

I prefer the tone to be a bit lower than what the default is, and I think it is easier to tune out stations when you use a lower cw pitch (both with controls and the gray computer between the ears).

Don't forget to use your IF shift - you can knock out some of that QRM by playing with that control.

Same with reducing IF gain - if the station you are working is S9, drop the gain and increase the volume - that will eliminate signals below S9 (to an extent).

If it gets rough, try holding down the mode button to switch to CW-R which flips the sideband - if someone is right above you, they will disappear!

I have a SCAF filter I built from a kit (NEScaf, actually) which is very helpful and makes CW easier to manage.  A proper IF filter will be better since that will eliminate signals from pumping the AGC in signal path, which when you work enough CW, you will know what I am talking about.

Your contact was similar to almost all of ours our first time.  That WAS your practice.  Don't go hide off air, jump in again.  I promise you in five contacts you will have 80% of what was sent.

Think of it this way, you copied all the information you would have copied in a pileup on voice.  On voice you are happy to hear your call and your signal report, and maybe a confirmation that he/she heard you.

Just because a string of dits went after that fact, you copied enought to count as a contact.  Go do it again!

Great advice in the thread - the only thing I don't think was mentioned was that it is possible you have a null since you are using an 80m dipole on 20m.  When you have a lobe that is good, it is great! but if you happen to have a null in that direction, that might be why you don't hear them so well.

However, fall is when I hear Oceania in my setup on the higher bands, and honestly the numbers have been down this winter, not near the peak we were all hoping for, so the openings - while there - tend to be shorter.  40m in the morning though with your 80m dipole will be a better option.  Most of my contacts are on 15m and 17m.  Some on 40m and 20m

Another shorter antenna sounds like a good idea for you... from a rough idea of your setup, neighbors, impact, etc, I think a 20m dipole would help you 20-10m, since there will be less lobes.  A vertical would be another good option (and give you something different to try)...

Buxcomm sells them - and they have premade 1.8" jacks as well (just grabbed you the 1:1 solder yourself version)

http://www.packetradio.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=13&products_id=2304

Radio Shack still sells them, but you have to find an old store that stocks them - otherwiser mouser or digikey still do as well.

RFI isn't usually, but it can be, two ways - it usually is one thing affecting another, but not usually the other way around. 

The reason I suggested an alarm was for your house - if you cut the breaker and some switching power supply is charging the system, that charging noise would cease, but the alarm is still on, and would possibly still make noise.

This is why while cutting off your house is excellent, and at the breaker, you have to make sure everything is off, like a laptop, etc.  Easy to forget about an alarm due to the set it and forget nature of it.

Posting a youtube video of the noise and linking it is always a good idea - some people are experts at listening to this stuff.

Also, having an AM VHF radio (like an air traffic radio) is excellent for this kind of stuff - while a SW receiver is helpful, having something that is in VHF really helps you get closer in to the noise.

I know it isn't fun - but try to make it a game, and you will be surprised how quickly you become good at this stuff.

As for me - lots of noise in the house, lots of ferrites on everything, but I still have some phantom power line noise at the pole that took 11 visits (one was today), and still working at it.  In the house, my computer, my dvd player, another computer, a cell phone charger, a VCR, several ethernet cables, a CFL bulb, and I finally have most of that squashed down to nothing.

Yes and no.  The vertical will pickup the noise, but also your intended signal, which is not what you want.  You actually want a lossy/crappy antenna that picks up the noise great, but everything else terribly.  That is why I suggested a very low dipole, and not even on the band you are using.  The closer you get to the noise and make it only pick that up, the better.  This way, when you make the null, only the noise disappears.

I agree with the 1026 suggestion - The neighbor isn't going to cooperate, and even if you did buy an expensive line filter for him to put everything through to basically isolate that noise from the powerline, he may or may not use it.

Put up a small receiving loop with a variable cap, aim for loudest noise, tune for loudest noise, and then use the 1026 to cancel it out and be done with it.  You can use catv coax for the run to help save some money.  If the loop doesn't work for you, then a low dipole as best as you can make it practically (ideal if you have a fence, just staple it to it) so you pick up more noise from him then the signal you do want.  Ideally, only him on the antenna.

You will have less headaches in the long run, and there are usually enough 1026's out there to pick one up used for a decent price.

Turning him in probably won't work, and who knows what complications that might cause.  FCC or Law Enforcement channels will take a long time, and personally, I would rather spend the roughly $200 and just work around it.

No one has responded, so I will give a crack.  To me, just going by logic and being an outsider, if it is noisest at your house, and seems to get quieter when you pulled the main power, then it should be something at your house.

Are you sure there isn't a battery backup of something that is stil radiating the noise, but not as loud - UPS power supply, Alarm for the house, etc?  Alarms are often culprits for these things...

The only other post I didn't see was if you want to be free of frustration, perhaps you should just get a VHF FM rig and use echolink to talk to the world.  Not really "radio" enough for me, but audio will be pretty close to perfect, with no problem setting up and your frustrations will go away.  You will meet local friends, and you will talk around the world because as far as I can tell, repeaters sit unused 95% of the time nowadays (not true when we didn't have cellphones, but now that we do, VHF/UHF is a different place).

Then, when you have time, I would suggest getting some kind of portable setup going and operate from parks with a dipole.  Spring is almost here, it will get you out of the house (always a good thing), you should be free of any noise, and it will be fun.  All you will need is a deep cycle battery (size dependent on how big you want to go, and how much power).  From that, maybe a setup for the car using a hamstick...

Once you get comfortable with that, then you can start seeing how you can operate HF from the apartment.

For the most part, you want to start using dipoles in your beginnings - easy to make, easy to setup, forgiving, and very few things beat their performance in the long run.

It is a big hobby, with lots of variables.  You have to chip away at one at a time. 

I have always gotten good reports about my audio just using the stock mic.

Congratulations.  Be warned though, when you are hit with the CW bug, few ever recover.