[UK-CONTEST] CW speed

[G3RIR]

David,

12wpm was daunting for all of us when we first learnt and I well remember my
fear of my first CW QSO. It was a long time ago (1962 as a schoolboy) but I
gradually improved my speed of receiving so that I can now hold my own in a
contest at 30wpm or more but even now I couldn't possibly hold a rag chew at
more than 20wpm. I suspect this is true of most CW contesters. 

You won't get to 30wpm quickly unless you have an amazing aptitude like one
or two of the superb young contesters. It will take time and much practice.
Come on the 80m CC evening contests and make some QSOs; most (no all) good
ops will reduce their speed to the callers.

I endorse your desire to use CW in breaking DX pile-ups; it is much easier
than with SSB for those with modest antennas and power.

So don't be put off but set yourself some intermediate goals and do not put
30wpm in your goals as yet. In my days of management the idea was that you
cannot eat an elephant at one sitting but have to cut it into many pieces
and go for one at a time!

73 de Neil, G3RIR

ps once you've made good inroads into CW you will probably enjoy it more
than SSB at least on the HF bands.

-----Original Message-----
From: uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of David Ferrington
Sent: 16 January 2007 14:45
To: uk-contest at contesting.com
Subject: [UK-CONTEST] CW speed

As someone who is about to start learning morse, this is an interesting
thread, I really do want to learn, but talk of only contesting at around
30wpm is very off putting - as G4BUO said, even 12wpm is daunting.

Since its early days for me yet, I can't say how things will go, but if I
can't contest at a slower speed, I might just give up in frustration.

The main driver to me at present is to be able to work DX in these poor
conditions, since I'm not getting far with SSB. However, if the future of CW
contests is 30wpm, I might be dead before I get there.

-- 
They are ill discoverers that think there is no land, when they can see
nothing but sea.
-Francis Bacon, essayist, philosopher, and statesman (1561-1626) 


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