[SEDXC] Contest Scoring

[Bill Coleman]

On Jun 21, 2007, at 9:49 PM, Jeff Carter wrote:

> On Thursday 21 June 2007 20:50, you wrote:
>> Well, from a non-contestor and someone who has forgotten (20wpm)  
>> code, this
>> is my opinion.
>> I think you are very wrong. Giving extra points for CW helps keep  
>> the band
>> spread out. Also, please don't forget many times when our bands were
>> attacked by commercial interest and PRB-1 judged on it was because  
>> of our
>> ability to get a signal through on CW in an emergency that we won.
>
> Do you mean I was wrong to ask the question?

Absolutely not.

> I'm not certain what you mean.
>
> Please give a link showing how PRB-1 came about via using CW in an  
> emergency,
> I'd be interested in reading that.  I'm an ARRL member, if your  
> citations are
> on that site it's okay.

I'm not sure about the reference here, either. I get the sense that  
the FCC considers phone a more effective means of moving emergency  
traffic, given the regulatory changes they made on 75m.

In the early days of Amateur Radio, hams prided themselves in being  
able to move traffic faster than commercial telegraph, so there may  
be some deep historical precedent for this.

>> To give extra points to someone that is maintaining an art, a  
>> heritage, and
>> the only signal that can get through at times is a great thing.
>
> Surely you can't be serious.  An art?  A heritage?  You're turning  
> a carrier
> off and on at defined intervals.  I respect the time that goes into
> memorizing the sequences, having attempted it myself, but let's be  
> rational.

CW is a serious skill, especially to be able to do it at any speed. I  
passed a 20 wpm CW exam to get my Extra in 1980, and I've always been  
able to copy CW at that speed since then.

For CW contesting, 20 wpm ain't squat. The average speed is closer to  
32 wpm. Over the last 10 years, I've been working to improve my CW  
speed, and I can now contest at close to the average.

It's a skill, like any other, and can be acquired by anyone who is  
willing to practice.

You might be able to memorise a table of dots and dashes and that  
could be good for a couple of wpm, but using CW at speed requires a  
more intimate acquantance. The best ops I know consider it to be a  
language that is heard and understood.

> I prefaced my original posting by saying that I hoped the time had
> come for us to be adults on the CW issue and its many facets.
>
> I'm not sure how you ended up with my posting, but it was intended  
> for an
> Amateur Radio audience.  I note you have not posted your callsign.

And what does the callsign have to do with this discussion? Keep to  
the topic.

Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr at arrl.net
Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
             -- Wilbur Wright, 1901