[TenTec] Re: The QSK of SSB

[al_lorona at agilent.com]

Wow! Arrived home to find a barrage of replies.

Very amazing replies. Let me make a couple of observations. I really wasn't trolling at all with my question, as I was just curious about an apparent disparity.

There is a very vocal group that strongly advocates the use of QSK at all times. But there is no corresponding group doing so for VOX operation on phone. The main reason cited was the poor VOX operation of many rigs. But didn't we just get through a thread where many rigs (including some Ten Tecs) were bashed for their poor QSK operation? So why the difference? Why am I 'forced' to use QSK no matter what (and no matter what rig I use), yet I'm allowed not to use VOX, especially if my rig doesn't work right in VOX? Strange.

Another observation I've made is that many (if not most; many pointed out to me that there was no clear majority, and point taken) hams who insist on using QSK so that they can be broken into in the middle of a transmission don't insist on the same ability during phone operation. In other words, they are perfectly happy to use PTT and thus *not* be broken into during phone operation. Strange.

Finally, may I simply state that in listening to CW QSOs on the bands, I almost *never* hear true QSK operation, where the operators are breaking in on each other. I'd say maybe 1% of the QSOs I hear are following a true QSK format. Even during contests. I myself have it turned on all the time, but the last time I was broken into was years ago. For as critically important a function as this reflector would have one regard QSK, and even if the majority of ops have it turned on all the time, it almost never is put into practice! Strange.

Of course, as soon as many of you read this last paragraph perhaps you will be on the keyboard telling me that I'm crazy and I don't listen to such-and-such frequency where QSK is king. Let me save you the trouble.

Al  W6LX