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[TenTec] CW keying weight

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Subject: [TenTec] CW keying weight
From: mark@microenh.com (Mark Erbaugh)
Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2002 08:07:31 -0500
This is for the serious CW ops out there.

I'm working on a rig control program for the Pegasus. The Pegasus lets you
adjust the length of the dits, dahs and element spaces independently. I have
figured out the formula for calculating the timing of CW dits, dahs and
spaces from WPM when using standard weighting (dah = 3 * dit = 3 * space).
Is there an accepted standard on how to apply weighting? My assumption would
be that normal weight would be 100%, a weight of 80% would mean that dah = 3
* dit * 0.80, a weight of 120% would mean dah = 3 * dit * 1.2. Is this what
people would expect of CW weight? What's an acceptable range of weight
adjustment. Obviously an absolute minimum would be 33% when dahs would have
the same length as dits.

When the weight is not 100%, how does one calculate the WPM? Is it based on
the length of the dit or the dah or perhaps based on the recalculated length
of some standard 'word' such as PARIS?

When the weight is not 100%, is the length of the element space still the
same as the length of a dit or is it 1/3 the length of the dah? Or is it
something else, like the normal length of a dit at the adjusted WPM
calculated above?

Why do operators adjust the keyeing weight? Is it just for a characteristic
sound or does is improve the readability under certain conditions? If so,
what adjustment is used under what conditions?


Thanks and 73,
Mark


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