How to Contact An Elmer

Many members of the SKCC group volunteer as CW Elmers. It doesn't matter whether you are a new ham just getting interested in Morse or a seasoned veteran looking to explore the world of radio telegraph keying and operation more deeply. As a group, the members listed below bring hundreds of years telegraph experience.

To request assistance simply send an email to one of these members with "Elmer Request" in the subject line. Be sure to tell your Elmer something about yourself; how long you've been a ham; the kind of equipment you have; type of key; any special problems or difficulties you're having learning and using Morse, etc. They, in turn, will contact you with details about how and where to meet on the air for your first session. Afterwards you and your Elmer will agree on a regular schedule and frequency to meet on.

To be the most successful at building proficiency, your Elmer may ask you to set aside 30 to 60 minutes per session. This allows you to "warm-up" your key and provides for the greatest degree of conversational diversity. Above all, don't be shy!

If you can only key at 3 words per minute, so be it. Speed increases the more you practice; and the more you practice the faster you discover the thrill of talking in the only code or cipher allowed over the air--Morse!

If, after a while, you decide you've gone as far as you care to, or are ready to chart-off on your own, simply send off a message to your Elmer thanking them for their service and informing them they can move to the next request on the list. It's that easy!

If you would like to become a SKCC Elmer, contact the Webmaster, Bill@nt9k.com