I've been a cw op for most of my life. I often hear (non ) cw ops saying how impressed they are when cw ops are both transmitting and receiving cw yet holding a conversation with them. I can chat with people while making a few rubber stamp Qs. Anything more than 599/001 or whatever and I would struggle. I can also send the odd whatsapp in between Qs using the keyboard but not while using a key. Is anyone really able to do what they claim? I don't mean working a few Qs with the keyboard but using an up/downer or paddle and actually holding a conversation in cw on the radio and voice with someone in the shack at the same time - duplex.

If anyone can do it, please send me a vid.

Tel/G4MKP

LOL.

Yes, I can do it. I don't find it difficult. I can do it with my paddle or the SK. I never use a keyboard on air. Zzzz...
As for sending a vid...erm, no...you can believe me or not believe me, it really won't change my world...but pop over for a cup of coffee and I will happily show you.

I never really thought about it before, but my wife is always talking to me when I'm on the air and I don't find any problem answering her. The other quirk I have is I can type the log book with my left hand while sending with the other hand, always have, that's with both the straight key and elbug key.

so talking and sending cw simultaneously. I am seriously impressed and not worthy of this forum.

I can send Morse with my right hand, and drink a glass of red wine with my left.

I think the claims should stop there

Can anyone send different Morse on each hand simultaneously?

I have a key for the HF rig & another key on the VHF rig. I was winding up a QSO on 2m when I could hear my sched calling me on 80m, then they both passed it over. Although my brain could send instructions to the left hand it cut off the instructions to the right hand.

So I could send characters only separately to one hand at a time or I end up sending the same message to both hands simultaneously. As I am incapable of engaging both hands to work a keyboard, the use of two Morse keys will evade me but I'm sure someone is able to do it?

Smutty boy.

Seriously though; Morse ops don't need 'silent concentration' to copy Morse. We just read it in our heads in the same way that SSB folk do.
If I'm - say - on the key in a club shack, it doesn't matter if there is 'stuff' going on around me.

I've heard of folks doing it but I've never seen it. I know i cant do it with paddles...i tried

I wasn't really asking about having a chat with someone in the shack or taking cw with noise in background, something you get used to easily enough. Receiving and gisting while having a chat is also easy enough. I'm talking about sending cw - other than 5nn tu - and talking to your mate/wife/husband or whatever at the same time - not in between overs or while receiving. I've tried but find it impossible.

'er-indoors' often comes into the shack while I'm sending to ask a question. I used to be (just) able to manage it until a virus wrecked my right ear back in 1993 and since then (because I can't 'directionalise' sound) it is beyond me. That was on a straight key. I didn't have to resort to using a paddle until about 3 years back.

I guess its a similar skill to playing an instrument and singing at the same time.

Playing (I use that term loosely) keyboards and singing (again, this verb needs qualifying) along I find easy including L and R hands and pedal but of course they are all related and I pretty much know the lyrics by heart. Also I'm always a couple of chords ahead in my head so it's sort of banked anyway. Sending station info or whatever in cw and saying something completely different to someone in the shack that isn't gibberish is beyond me. I tried it again earlier this evening but my brain simply can't do it. Different strokes I guess.

Just say: "Shut it, Woman ... Can't you see I'm on the bloody radio?".

No need...she doesnt know what it sending to my mate...

"...Just say: "Shut it, Woman ... Can't you see I'm on the bloody radio?"...."

Hell, no. I know which side my bread is buttered

Doesn't pay to upset the person who cooks your food and knows how to use a large knife.