"REs" and "QRLs"

Tue Jul 25 13:27:37 EDT 1995

Reference the recent complaints about REs and the QRL discussions.
 Apparently there are some on the reflector who do not want to read some of
the more interesting and lengthy discussions related to CONTESTING.  I learn
something everyday from reading ALL of the items posted on the reflector.  I
look at the contest reflector as an ongoing extension of the regular
magazines, CQ, QST, and NCJ.  There are thoughtful discussions and
station/operating tidbits that you just don't find in the magazines.  The
wealth of information available is worth the extra cost of on-line time (for
me $10-30 per month, thru America Online), especially if it saves me $100s or
$1000s as I improve/upgrade my station.
So, KEEP UP THE DISCUSSIONS; it keeps me interested during the times between
the arrival of CQ, QST, and NCJ.

73,
Henry Pollock - WB4HFL

>From Larry Tyree <tree at cmicro.com>  Tue Jul 25 18:14:20 1995
From: Larry Tyree <tree at cmicro.com> (Larry Tyree)
Date: Tue, 25 Jul 1995 10:14:20 -0700
Subject: Internet spring logs
Message-ID: <199507251714.KAA22974 at cascade.cmicro.com>

If you were active in the SprINT last weekend, we would really like to
get your log.  The more logs we get, the better name tracing our crack
software team will be able to do.

If you need a couple of days beyond the deadline to get your log to us,
that is okay.  

Mail your logs in ASCII format to tree at cmicro.com.

Look for the results in another week or two.  

Tree N6TR

>From Daniel R. Violette" <Daniel_R._Violette at ccmail.anatcp.rockwell.com  Tue Jul 25 19:40:35 1995
From: Daniel R. Violette" <Daniel_R._Violette at ccmail.anatcp.rockwell.com (Daniel R. Violette)
Date: Tue, 25 Jul 95 10:40:35 PST
Subject: PARIS speed -> WPM
Message-ID: <9506258066.AA806694313 at ccmail.anatcp.rockwell.com>

     Anyone ever get an answer to the PARIS speed to WPM conversion.  Is 
     the PARIS speed characters per minute?  Then divide by 5 and in the 
     ballpark?

     73, 

     Dan   KI6X

     e-mail:  Daniel_R._Violette at ccmail.anatcp.rockwell.com

>From KAY, LEONARD" <LKAY at pria.com  Tue Jul 25 23:49:00 1995
From: KAY, LEONARD" <LKAY at pria.com (KAY, LEONARD)
Date: Tue, 25 Jul 95 15:49:00 PDT
Subject: PARIS speed -> WPM
Message-ID: <30157A60 at pria.com>

>     Anyone ever get an answer to the PARIS speed to WPM conversion.  Is
>     the PARIS speed characters per minute?  Then divide by 5 and in the
>    ballpark?
>
>     73,
>     Dan   KI6X

I always thought it was direct WPM, i.e. count how many times you can
send PARIS in one minute.

Of course, you can certainly count characters in one minute and divide
by five. However, that assumes PARIS is a five-letter word.  :-)

73, Len KB2R
lkay at pria.com

>From Swanson, Glenn,  KB1GW" <gswanson at arrl.org  Tue Jul 25 22:00:00 1995
From: Swanson, Glenn,  KB1GW" <gswanson at arrl.org (Swanson, Glenn,  KB1GW)
Date: Tue, 25 Jul 95 17:00:00 EDT
Subject: PARIS speed -> WPM
Message-ID: <30155B6B at arrl.org>

Greeting fellow contesters,

Regarding "PARIS" and CW speed, I asked Larry Wolfgang, WR1B in the ARRL 
Technical Department about this, and he gave me the following answer:

PARIS provides a simple way to "time" your code speed. There has been a 
detailed discussion in the ARRL Handbook for years, and a bit less detail in 
Now You're Talking!, but that should answer most questions.

To quote from page 11-5 of Now You're Talking!, "An analysis of English 
plain-language text shows that the average word (including the space at the 
end of the word) is 50 units long. By a unit we mean the time of a single 
dot or space between the parts of a character. The word PARIS is 50 units 
long, so we use it as a standard word to check code speed accurately. For 
example, to transmit at 5 words per minute (wpm), adjust your code-speed 
timing to send PARIS five times in one minute. To transmit at 10 wpm, adjust 
your timing to send PARIS 10 times in one minute."

The text goes on to explain that the length of a dot (and so the lengths of 
dashes and spaces) changes for each word speed. It is also true that the 
PARIS method works to determine the correct word speed using the 
"Farhnsworth" technique of sending the characters (dots, dashes and spaces 
between them) at a faster rate and allowing more space between letters and 
words to slow the overall speed. Even if you are sending the characters at 
20 wpm, if you allow more space between letters and words so you only send 
PARIS five times in one minute, then you are sending at 5 wpm!

Figure 11-2 on page 11-5 of Now You're Talking! shows the relationships 
between the dot length, dash length and the various space lengths. Older 
Handbooks (up through the 1994 edition) go on to point out that if you set 
the code speed to send, for example, 10 wpm, using PARIS, but then sent 
random code groups, you would find that you sent fewer than 10 5-letter 
random code groups in a minute. This is because the average length of a 
5-character random group is 60 elements, not 50. So to set the timing 
properly if random code groups will be used, you use the "word" CODEX.

Other ways to make a quick estimate of code speed in words per minute is to 
count the number of dots per minute and divide by 25, or to count the number 
of dashes in 5 seconds. Both numbers will be good approximations to the code 
speed in words per minute.

>From CT1BOH at tpone.telepac.pt (JOSE C. C. NUNES)  Wed Jul 26 06:38:57 1995
From: CT1BOH at tpone.telepac.pt (JOSE C. C. NUNES) (JOSE C. C. NUNES)
Date: Tue, 25 Jul 95 22:38:57 PDT
Subject: IOTA CONTEST
Message-ID: <Chameleon.950725224347.CT1BOH@>

Hi all
The winning team of the two previous editions of the IOTA contest (CS4B and 
CS5C) will again be QRV this time from Berlenga Island as CS2B.

Team:

Luis CT4NH
Rafael CT1BOP
Jose Alexandre CT1DIZ
Moreira CT1AHU
Jose CT1BOH

Expect QRO QRQ QRZ

Hope to see you all.

Jose 
CT1BOH at telepac.pt

>From James White <0006492564 at mcimail.com>  Wed Jul 26 00:05:00 1995
From: James White <0006492564 at mcimail.com> (James White)
Date: Tue, 25 Jul 95 18:05 EST
Subject: Omni VI and NA/CT Questions
Message-ID: <14950725230541/0006492564PK4EM at MCIMAIL.COM>

...is there anyone on this here reflector who has used the Omni VI
interfaced with a computer - it seems all I have to do is go from its 25 pin
connector to the 25 pin comm port on the '486 and I'm QRV....too easy, what
else do I have to do.....

...also: on the start up screens for NA and CT ---->CONTEST<----- software
there is no mention of the Ten Tec rigs as an option from which one is to
choose...do I pic an Icom rig???

...any halp?

                        Jim, K1ZX        k1zx at mcimail.com