[UK-CONTEST] Typing Speed

[Ken Eastty]

There's no doubt that 'S&P' is much easier than 'running' if your CW & 
keyboard skills need some development.
I've certainly been in the position when 'running' when an incoming 
callsign has had unusual combination of numbers & letters
probably with less used characters like Z & X or I've made a mistake and 
am busy correcting it giving the station calling time to call again, you 
know that it's going to happen & there's nothing you can do about it, it 
puts the pressure on!

I have problems with 'dot' characters 'S, H & 5' when they are sent at 
speed, I don't think that I'm alone in this, it's certainly where I make 
the most errors on Rufz. I also find 5 letter groups much harder than 
callsigns.

I guess like many people I'd rarely used a typewriter or keyboard until 
the first PC loaded with Word Perfect 3.1 & GEM appeared in the office 
around 20 years ago, (apart from NFD about 25 years ago when we (G4KF/P) 
used a logging program written in Basic by G3OIT running on a Commodore 
Pet). I never thought about learning to use a keyboard & just learnt as 
I went along probably using four fingers rather than two, I think this 
makes it difficult to learn to touch type using the correct fingers.

My XYL having complained about the position of my keyboard, PC screen, 
chair, light & everything else that she could think of just did a speed 
test at 70 wpm on text including punctuation & capitals with just two 
errors which she knew that she'd made. No doubt with all the right 
circumstances she & others can easily exceed this.
Apparently the world record typing speed stands at 150 wpm averaged over 
a 50 minute period with a peak speed of 212wpm so my XYL has a way to go 
yet. It's still a pity that I can't persuade her to do my logging or 
learn CW!

Back to CQ WW

73....

Ken

G3LVP