[UK-CONTEST] [Fwd: Speed changes in AFS]

[Dave Lawley]

 >I read Ian's comments about new operators and speed with interest. It
 >is bad operating on the part of the other station normally Ian. It IS
 >very easy to slow down the speed from the keyboard, no problem at all.
 >Not only that, but if I am sending at around 28 wpm, the average
 >contest speed in the UK, my serial number will be sent slower than that
 >anyway, as this can be set in the macro, just as you will hear the
 >ubiquitous and redundant 599 sent at around 50 wpm and TEST and the end
 >of a CQ sent about the same speed. Nothing wrong with that because that
 >is not part of the exchange.

While I agree with Roger that it is easy to slow down the speed that the 
logging program is sending, I profoundly disagree with this fashion for 
sending different bits of the exchange at different speeds. Morse is all 
about rhythm, and the rhythm is destroyed if the 5NN or anything else is 
sent at a different speed. It is the sole aspect of Win-Test that I 
hate, though fortunately it is easy enough to remove the offending codes 
from the messages so that all parts are sent at the same speed.

Having been contesting on CW for a mere 36 years, I feel personally 
offended when someone sends my callsign and exchange at their original 
CW speed and then *slows down* to send me the exchange - please don't do 
it! My listening will be 'tuned' to the speed at which I've been called, 
and changing it may impair my ability to copy important information, 
especially under conditions of QRM or QRN.

I do, of course, very much approve of slowing down to the speed of the 
caller, in cases where you judge this to be necessary. But please don't 
destroy the rhythm by slowing some bits down, and speeding up other bits!

 >I would like to know if there were any SO2R ops in the AFS? If so, is
 >it now about time we had another section for those? I got clobbered a
 >couple of times after finding a "clear" freq, starting a QSO, only to
 >find a station calling CQ when I listened for my exchange.

This is almost certainly not SO2R, but someone thinking he can make a 
QSO on the second VFO while failing to defend his run frequency. It can 
be hard but if you lose your run frequency, you lose it and hopefully it 
will make you a better operator next time you try it.

Dave G4BUO