I always send QRL? x 2 then wait a bit and listen. Then do it again. Then call.

Not that anybody hears me!

There are guys who DO send QRL? but wait about a millisecond before they start calling.....

I have only ever used one - my Czech Army R31 key. Its a bit weird looking, as tough as a brick dunny, and the gubbins are hidden away. No doubt next hamfest I'll be going to I'll be searching out any bargains. 

Either is cool with me - tonight I'm off to the West Devon radio Club, but most nights after about 9 I am OK.  Send me a message on the Zed.

Well mate we'll have to set up a sked. 

The swallow could take it to the dark side of the moon where the Nazis are!!

7.028 is the European FISTS calling frequency. Im in SKCC too and have made at least one contact via them..right now I am on 30m and hearing voices on there

Thats it Billy, I am in FISTS so maybe I'll just start calling on 7.028 a bit.

Just like my first one too Eric.  And that was only10 months ago... I'm new myself and my main problem is getting enough QSOs to get better. many of the stations I copy strongly are in Europe and are calling DX.

I saw one of these in a second hand shop in about 1990....They wanted too much for it at the time for me, but I wish I had the money at the time.

Maybe catch you there??? 

Hi Mate, yeah 6AM would be possible on a weekend if I slept in the downstairs bedroom by myself. 

That's what I am trying to talk a friend of mine into doing Gil - he's about 7 miles away and good copy on phone and we occaisionally have a long chat on 10 later at night. Although I have been on the air CW since late March this year, he has been reticent to dip his toe in - though he knows his letters numbers and the common abbreviations. I suggested a low pressure qso with me a few times a week on 10m CW and he would be away and flying. We are supposed to be organising this later for this week. 

I happen to quite like Burts videos. I don't agree with every single thing he has to say, but he has some points. And being an Aussie I appreciate a dry sense of humour.

And I have no idea as to his religious persuasion. I myself am a naturalist in that I believe the evidence says there are no non-naturalistic explanations.....nothing surpernatural in the universe. Not only that, but I treat all superstitions the same. Its all the same to me.  I quite like this quote from one of the greatest ever Englishmen..

"My country is the world and to do good is my religion".

Mike is a pleasure to deal with and I too love my Czech Army key. Richmond eh? I'm a HAC Old Boy. 

That's about the long and the short of it mate! It sounds like you are ready to start making a few contacts, and that will spur you on to make more and more and the benefits will become apparent. I got on the air about 3 weeks after I could copy all the letters and numbers reliably from the computer trainer, after I heard a talk by M0BLO about operating CW at my club. His talk was so inspiring I went home that very night and made my first CW contact with HA2PP.