On this week’s 985 Workbench, Chuck (NA3CW) hosts a packed session with a full house of check-ins and a healthy dose of radio tech, CW training strategies, repeater updates, and automotive chaos.

Operators share their week’s activity—from 10-meter DX bursts and attic antenna installs, to general-class classes, POTA activations, and prepping classic 1929 transmitters for the upcoming Bruce Kelly event. The big question of the night: What’s the right way to learn CW? Members weigh in with decades of experience, covering straight-keys vs paddles, Farnsworth spacing, the Koch method, and why you should never start by looking at dots and dashes.

The after-session turns into a bonus “Ham Radio & Car Repair Support Group,” featuring drilling out broken bolts, tapping aluminum, leaking Dodge Intrepids, and a machinist-level masterclass on removing a broken tap without sacrificing your sanity.

A friendly, technical, and surprisingly funny Workbench full of real-world skills—RF, CW, machining, troubleshooting, and the eternal truth that every project takes three times longer than it should.