[UK-CONTEST] Typing skills and contesting

[Stewart Rolfe]

Some interesting comments in the latest thread about typing skills.

I'm a self taught touch typist but don't seem to have the confidence to use it properly in a contest. Nevertheless I can keep up with most situations I find myself in and am happy enough for example to press Enter to start sending before I've finished entering the call ('type ahead'..?).

However, I spent some time in WAE cw at the weekend and for me QTCs are a totally different matter; there's no way I'm going to type these in real time when you're normally talking 30wpm minimum. I'm afraid I'm writing them on paper and entering them post contest with all the dangers of reading my own rapidly scribbled letters; in fact I discovered a pdf form in my old files that DARC used to produce for just this purpose so presumably I'm not alone, though it doesn't seem to be available now.

So is touch typing to be considered an essential tool in a contester's armour?

73,

Stewart, GW0ETF

PS I did half intend to get tooled up with audio recording for the purposes of checking my QTCs but never got round to it - feels a bit like cheating anyway?