[CQ-Contest] Use of CW decoders in contests - a contrarian opinion

[Hank Greeb]

Paul:

The answer to your question is "Yup, A1A and its variants are 'just 
another data mode.'"

The US Regulations, promulgated under the authority of the Federal 
Communications Commissions, has, in the definitions area of part 97 "1) 
CW. International Morse code telegraphy emissions having designators 
with A, C, H, J or R as the first symbol; 1 as the second symbol; A or B 
as the third symbol; and emissions J2A and J2B".   I'd wager that most 
other countries, including the Ireland, has a similar designation.

Note that there is nothing about how it is encoded nor decoded in the 
regulations defining the mode.

That it may be decoded by the vacuum (or grey matter) between a human's 
ears is immaterial to the mode.

Note that Samuel F. B. Morse, who invented the original Morse Code, used 
a mechanical reader initially.

Does this answer your question?

73 de n8xx Hg.


On 6/1/2010 3:00 PM, "Paul O'Kane" <pokane at ei5di.com> wrote:
> <snip>
>
> Let's be specific, and see if a direct question will get a direct 
> answer. Do you consider CW to be just another data mode? If not, what 
> is it?
>
> 73,
>
> Paul EI5DI