If you can copy *most* QSO's on the Ham bands, you're more than qualified to work anyone on the Ham bands.
I'm a commercial and amateur radiotelegraph licensee. To get my commercial I had to be able to copy 20 WPM code groups, not plain text: letter and punctuation combinations that meant nothing such as :;!() as a code group. (Yes, back then we had to know all the arcane punctuation marks). That got me past the FCC examiner, but it's no measure of my ability to work CW, either as a Ham or as a commercial operator. It is, at best, an indicator of some CW proficiency. >From the standpoint of a "commercial" CW operator, someone who can exchange contest QSO's at 40 WPM may well be a CW "Idiot". Computers are idiots and some can do as well. CW competency means you can think and talk using Morse just as you can using your native language. You can "listen" to the other station and you can reply and ask questions just as if you were in an "eyeball" QSO. Many extremely competent contest and DX-chasing CW ops cannot do that. If contesting is your interest is in contesting and DX-ing, focus on learning to follow a very simple exchange. But, if your interest is in exchanging information beyond the "formula QSO" you need to think and talk Morse. In that case you will find that 99.999999% of Amateur QSOs happen at less than 20 WPM. Actually 15 WPM is FB almost all the time. So, once you have enough speed to copy *most* QSOs, get on the air, and just being on the air will increase your CW speed dramatically. Back when I worked on passing 5 WPM for my Novice ticket, I spent over a *year* just learning all the characters. I passed my Novice test at an FCC office (this was in '52 when all license tests were given in front of an FCC examiner) in the Spring - probably in April - and got my license in May. My license was good for only 1 year and was not renewable so I had some motivation. But my *only* training was "on the air". I passed the 13 WPM General Class license exam that August - 4 months later - before the next school term started. It was a few years later - about '57 - that I passed that horrendous 20 wpm test complete with all those punctuation marks and it *was* tough because Hams didn't use punctuation! I had to do it the hard way - practicing on my own. My point is that there's no training like just using the skill on the air! 73 & have fun! Ron AC7AC -----Original Message----- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of JIM DAVIS Sent: Monday, March 09, 2009 4:36 PM To: KC2UEE; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Whaddayaknow... passed the Extra On Mon, 9 Mar 2009 16:48:59 -0400 KC2UEE <kc2...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hi gang, > > Just so you all know, I am in the process of learning CW. Not because I > have too as someone else mentioned, but because I want to learn something > that I feel is an integral part of the amateur experience. > > Hopefully within a few months, I'll be proficient enough to send and copy at > 15wpm. I'm actually learning at 25wpm, but I don't want to burn myself out > too quickly. > > Interestingly enough, I actually find it easier learning the alphabet for > how it sounds as a complete letter, and not as dots and dashes. Hopefully > if I get good enough, I can decipher entire words just by how the string of > code sounds instead of listening for each letter and copying that way. > > 73, > James KC2UEE > > On Mon, Mar 9, 2009 at 3:41 PM, Bruce McLaughlin <bmcla...@bex.net> wrote: > >> Congratulations James on your fine accomplishment. I hope to find you on >> the air one of these days very soon. Enjoy your new privileges. >> >> Bruce-W8FU >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net >> [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of James Sarte >> Sent: Sunday, March 08, 2009 1:59 PM >> To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net >> Subject: [Elecraft] Whaddayaknow... passed the Extra >> >> Hello fellow Elecrafters, >> >> >> >> Sorry for the OT post here guys, but I just wanted to share with you that I >> passed my element 4 exam today with flying colors. Hope to have my license >> info updated on the ULS within a few days! >> >> >> >> 73, >> >> James KC2UEE (soon to be K3JPS) >> >> ______________________________________________________________ Too bad James that you did'nt bother to learn "Intl. morse" earlier when you were younger and your mind was'nt "MUSH"!!! Seriously a lot of us had told people time and time again to learn it earlier, but to no avail! Now all of a sudden you and OTHERS understand about the WORTH of CW!!! It's "We told you-so scenario" isn't it??? Regards, Jim/nn6ee S/N#2406 ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
