In reply to M0DFA:
That is such a shame Dave. I would still encourage you to give it a whirl, it’s different when you are the activator because you are the one in control and just need to pull one callsign at a time out of the pile up. If the alligators are snapping, just sit there and smile for 5 minutes untill they learn some manners and you can also qrt cw and go on ssb if they don’t cool it.
Please, don’t be put off Dave, you will enjoy it if you give it a go.
73
Mike GW0DSP
In reply to GW0DSP: Sorry, Mike. I now view it with the same enthusiasm as a swim in Llyn Tegid. Explanation for the curious : fresh water areas are always colder than the sea, but Llyn Tegid (or Bala Lake on this side of the border) has the unenviable reputation of being the coldest lake in England and Wales - even colder than Wastwater, I’m lead to believe.
Dave, G6DTN
In reply to GW0DSP:
I would still encourage you to give it a whirl
Well I’m still bashing away at lcwo.net. If a big galoot like Tom can do it then so I can! (Sorry Tom but you know what I mean). Of course the bands aren’t like a nice PC sending to you but that just makes the sense of achievement greater!
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to MM0FMF:
In reply to GW0DSP:
Power to your elbow Andy, stick with it, it will be worth it in the end and it’s only 36 characters when all’s said and done.
Mike
GW0DSP
In reply to M0DFA:
Hi Dave
Don’t get put off… it’s actually easier at the activating end as you can call the shots… it’s more frustrating as a chaser in an unruly pile up but the activator always knows what he wants to do and can suit himself…QRS, QSY, QRT etc
Keep it up as it’s very satisfying and not at all as bad as it sounds.
73 Marc G0AZS
In reply to G0AZS:
Hear hear!
Mike GW0DSP
Fret thee not Dave, it’s a non-issue. Sure, it has happened. It has happened twice to me in 100+ CW activations. So see it as the non-issue it is and continue with your CW. As others have said, you’ll love it.
“You’ll love it” - a famous quote on Frank Zappa’s “Joes’ Garage” album. Which is funny, because the last time I heard the word “Galoot” was on Frank Zappa’s “Thing Fish” album!
Doing all 2m FM up here so far.
Tom M1EYP (in LD)
In reply to M1EYP:
It’s just like a Telefunken U-47
In reply to M0EIQ:
With a tiny little moustache…
Perseverence, perseverence ( is this correct english ?) :o)
In other words: DON’T GIVE UP !!!
From someone who knows
73
In reply to M0DFA:
Don’t let it put you off, Dave! I was already beyond my 40’s when I started to practice CW and thus I knew I would not become the world’s most famous CW operator, that’s for sure! Now speaking as an activator, I also had to bite through, it was like a throw into cold water, as we say here. There are several factors that might affect your concentration like a long and demanding ascent, bad wx, a crowded summit (with people abruptly tapping on your shoulder and asking what the heck you are doing here), a bad seat - and sometimes undisciplined chasers. It’s a matter of statistics: The more callers, the higher the quote of alligators me thinks. You will find them much more easier to handle as your skills will improve. A certain routine will help you to stand even bigger pileups. I found the worst of them on a sunday afternoon on 40m (not my 1st choice that day), while 20m, 30m or even 80m were good to handle, especially on other days. Sometimes it is impossible to serve all chasers, but we always try to do our best of course.
Alligators - that reminds me of something a famous DXer and DXpeditioner from W-land once said: “If you’ve got some of those annoying alligators on frequency, work’em so they disappear, but don’t qsl!” 
Unfortunately I can’t remember his call or name…
73 Bernhard DL4CW
In reply to DL4CW:
Hi Dave,
don´t give up 
cw is a wonderful mode and gives you much more possibility in hamradio.
and its pure fun qrq and qrs.
i also do a lot of qrs and have much fun to do ragchewing with newcomers.
but cw , you learn a life long 
i´m also learn a bit at lcwo.net,but not to learn the sigs,
more to learn typing with the keyboard . because i have the
problem,that my listening and faster than my 2 finger typing in
the keyboard.so i learn by lcwo net and my typing comes better.
and is it about bad behave, i can tell you another story of 40m ssb.
but i don´t stop ssb because there are sometimes problems with…
keep on …
vy 73 Klaus
In reply to all:
Hi all,
I have to say I have been reading this thread with great interest, as, like Dave and many others, I am learning the great mode of CW. I can also second his concerns. The thought of being a new operator and trying to deal with a group of impatient individuals is not something to look forward to.
However, I honestly believe that the impatient individuals are the minority and the true SOTA followers will give any newcomer the help and patience they deserve.
All I can say (and its pretty much already been said!) is please don’t let these few spoil a great hobby.
Have fun all.
73
John
M0EAV
In reply to CW Groan:
I only just found this thread and found the comments very interesting. I was stunned by the pile-ups on 7 MHz during my recent DL trip. At times all I could hear through the narrow filter on the FT817 was a wall of 600Hz tone, even with the preamp off (IPO on), oh for the better filtering of the FT2000 (but not its weight!!!). I soon learnt to use the RIT to seperate people and then used the partial I had to get the right call. A few people called and called despite the partial being unlike their call but it was never impossible to get the correct call.I must have missed some callers but I certainly got better during the week - Practice makes perfect! My last activation resulted in 29 QSOs in 25 minutes before being forced off the hill by a thunderstorm.
I have no blacklist and no favourites but when you hear a familiar group of letters like FAM, SSH, DSP, CWI etc. of course they get called immediately, it saves having to think. My keyer is always set to 20wpm on the FT817 and the KX1 and I QRS by spacing out the letters more, it is usually enough and saves having to find the speed menu on the 817. I can send faster but unless I can get a comfortable position for the key I find I just make loads of mistakes so stick with 20 for /p work. All the newcomers should heed G3WGV’s very useful advice above. Those of us who have never had the opportunity to run a big pile-up on CW have much to learn and his comments are much appreciated by me as I am still learning to manage a CW pile-up. Newcomers should not give up on CW and will find that all the best operators are very patient and will try to help.
We all have to learn! My first CW QSO after getting G4DDL was on 2m CW. I spent the whole QSO replying to Mary and even sent 88 & 73 at the end, only to discover later that the other party was a large plumber called Mark! What a difference a dash makes!!!
73 to all
Mike G4DDL
In reply to G0LGS: As someone who may have helped Stewart (& a few others) through the Morse test I’m sure that I never ‘forced’ anyone to have a CW contact, encouraged maybe but never forced. I think that it’s a great shame (to say nothing of a waste of my time & effort) when having helped someone learn CW for them to discard it once having passed the test. This is especially so when CW is so much more effective than SSB under weak signal conditions. On 2m there’s no need to be a 25wpm+ CW operator to exchange the basic information required for a QSO, even 5wpm will do and yet the majority of 2m operators seem to be reluctant to even give it a try. Note: I make a point of saying 2m as most 4m operators aren’t afraid to resort the the key when it’s required.
Ken
G3LVP
Indeed Ken. I operated just on 2m CW for my activation of Gummers How G/LD-050 this afternoon, and qualified for the point with 5 contacts. I did go to 2m FM for a S2S with a new activator on Moel Famau GW/NW-044, but made only the one contact on that mode.
2m CW is great fun, and an interesting challenge.
Tom M1EYP