[TenTec] Bug = truly bad CW!

[Tony Martin W4FOA]

Oooooooh Mike,
You put it so eloquently!  Dead on!
73
Tony, W4FOA

PS: Hack (ex W4DIJ) now K4KP was an elmer to literally hundreds of hams, 
including yours truly.  He was a CW operator, extraordinare.  Unfortunately 
he is not in the best of health and is no longer active on the bands.  There 
really needs to be some sort of "Hall of Fame" for folks like Hack!!



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Hyder -N4NT-" <n4nt_m_o_hyder at charter.net>
To: "Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment" <tentec at contesting.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 10:01 AM
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Bug = truly bad CW!


>I agree with Tony 100%.  Back in the mid '80s we were plagued by hordes of
> "video rangers" who operated CW using computers to both send and receive
> code.  Trouble with them was manifold but in general they would have 
> canned
> blurbs telling me where they were, how many children they had, what their
> rig was, and on and on.  If I asked a question of them it was ignored --
> probably not intentionally, probably because their equipment missed a word
> here and there.  This could have been due to static or my sending or 
> QSB --
> who knows.  I became discouraged with these people because any time I 
> called
> CQ I might run across one of them and they were in a word,  b o r i n g.
>
> A fellow named Hack from Chattanooga told me that those computers could 
> not
> copy a sideswiper, a "Cootie."  Let me assure you that they cannot.
>
> I presume that over the years the video rangers have dwindled, their being
> far better modes for computers to converse with one another, and this is
> good.
>
> Some years ago I heard of a communication specialist's talk.  He said that
> when two people converse, only 15% of the information exchanged goes by 
> way
> of the words.  The other 85% is conveyed by voice inflection, intonation,
> rhythm, and by body language including facial expression.  With electronic
> sending (which I define as iambic keying, keyboard and computer), only the
> words convey the information.  On the other hand, variations in the 
> rhythm,
> which are introduced with mechanical keying (straight key, sideswiper or
> non-iambic keying), add another component to the information.  I find that 
> I
> can often pick up on sadness, happiness, etc., in a friend's sending if he
> is using mechanical keying.  My feeling about it is that talking with a
> person using the electronic sending is like sitting in church between my
> mother and my English teacher while talking with a bug operator is more 
> like
> having a pint at the pub with a mate.
>
> 73, Mike N4NT
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Tony Martin W4FOA" <w4foa at comcast.net>
> To: "Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment" <tentec at contesting.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 8:09 AM
> Subject: Re: [TenTec] Bug = truly bad CW!
>
>
> Hey Guys,
> I just have to add my two cents which of course is my personal 
> opinion....as
> are the other comments.  I'm a CW op, first and foremost, and to me a
> "swing" on a bug or even better yet a good "cootie" operator is absolutely
> music to my ears.  It is one of the only ways one can add a little 
> personal
> touch or feeling to CW...
>
> I'd just like to offer this....just because it is difficult for you or
> someone else to copy, doesn't make it bad or good.  I guess in a perfect
> world it would be preferable for us all to send perfect code but to me one
> of the most dreaded things on CW today is the "keyboard generated" CW.
> Keyboard CW sort of reminds me of eating a "Soybean" hamburger with 
> hothouse
> tomatoes and lettuce, with salt substitute and sugar free ketchup and no
> mustard.
>
> Just my opinion....and guess it really doesn't belong on the TT
> reflector...my apologies.
>
> Tony, W4FOA
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