Hi Mike,
First, I'd like to correct your statement, "(Of course sending at 100wpm
would not work because nobody can copy that)," I can, and I know others
who can, too. :-)
I recall working K5GO in a SS where he sent me the exchange to me at 60
WPM. I was fine with that. Thanks, Stan!
I've sent QTCs to some of my HST buddies, such as DL2CC and HA3NU, at 60
WPM. No problem. I have weekly QRQ skeds (60 WPM) with NN7CW and crank it
for him, too.
I'm no longer a serious contester, but thinking back to my serious contest
days, I typically CQed at 32-38 WPM, mostly at 34 WPM, depending on the
number of callers. The more callers, the faster I set the speed. As far
as what works best, I think it depends on the contest. If you're in an
"exchangeless" contest like CQWW, or a contest where everyone uses pre-fill
files, like NAQP, it really doesn't matter. If it's a contest where you
really have to copy something, like SS, too fast can be counterproductive.
Also, if it's Sunday afternoon, and things are slow, that's a good time to
QRS to attract the casual ops.
To the guy who complained about everyone sending too fast, practice!
Operate more contests, including the slow speed contests. Getting people
to QRS isn't easy. As the sayi8ng goes, the tail doesn't wag the dog :-)
73,
Barry W2UP
On Sun, Feb 8, 2026 at 9:18 PM Mike Smith VE9AA <ve9aa@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:
> This thread started (and morphed) on the Topband reflector but upon
> reflection(hi) it's really a topic much more suited for CQ-CONTEST.
> Since the OP didn't post here, I've wiped his call and edited out almost
> all
> of his comments, leaving only a brief statement and his question which
> seems
> to be a common complaint here and there on the internet after every major
> contest. Certainly I've seen it numerous times in the 3830scores.com
> comments.
>
> The new subject line is my interpretation of his statement/question.
>
> My reply to him/all is below his question.
>
> Thoughts?
>
> VE9AA
> Mike - Keswick Ridge, NB, Canada
>
>
>
> <snipped the rest out> <wiped the OP's call>
> ...< the late Fred Laun, K3ZO (bless his departed soul), flatly refused to
> send any faster than about 24 - 26 WPM and STILL usually managed to work
> more people over the entire period of a contest than most DXpeditions
> manage
> to work over the same time period on any band while sounding like a runaway
> woodchuck.
>
> So, to repeat my question: how the hell do you get these QRQ fellows
> to QRS??
> <snip>…”
> - - -
>
> de VE9AA:
> GM Everyone,
>
> With respect. May Fred/K3ZO RIP. I liked Fred a lot.
>
> Nobody is winning major contests at 24-26wpm. It's purely a contest math
> thing. There's only so much time in a contest to work with and every
> second
> counts. You can get roughly twice as many characters sent at 50wpm than you
> could at 25wpm.
>
> (Of course sending at 100wpm would not work because nobody can copy that),
> but certainly most ops can copy their call at 30, 40 or even 50wpm. If
> it's
> a known exchange (like CQ Zone #) then it's easy to make a QSO. (SS would
> likely not work running @ 50wpm for obvious reasons)
>
> You don’t even need to take my word for it. Please don't.
>
> Go to the online scoreboard during or 3830scores.com very soon after any
> major contest(CQWW,ARRLDX,CW Sprint etc). Go to the RBN. Search any
> callsign in the top five. The speeds are all reported by the RBN.
> They’re ALL sending faster than 24-26wpm. It's just contest math. Nothing
> more. A few seem to want guys to send slower, but you can't fight the math.
> That's why SO2R is also popular. You can squeeze in more QSOs.
>
> If 33-36wpm CW bothers you, then you need to learn to listen faster.
>
> (BTW, I am not being belligerent; I put my money where my mouth is.) When I
> got back into contesting in 2010 after a hiatus, I was rock solid at only
> 26-27wpm but found in my years away speeds in general had gone up, so I put
> a mobile rig in my car (see qrz.com) and listened to 20M CW for an hour a
> day M-F for a year, then pushed and pushed and pushed myself with on-air
> practice (home+mobile) and Morserunner so I can keep up with most (but not
> all) contest ops today. QRQ ops don't bother me like they seem to some
> folks. It just drives me to practice more.
>
> Asking QRQ contest ops (or DXpeditions) to slow down won't work. You
> can't
> fight the math. If they want to make more Q's, they need to send faster
> (or
> lose the contest or come home from that rare Island with xx thousands less
> Q's).
>
> GL in your endeavours !
>
> dit dit
>
> CU (all of a sudden!) in the next one.
>
> 73 de Mike VE9AA
>
>
> Mike - Keswick Ridge, NB, Canada
>
>
>
>
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