Doug and all, Not sure what it might have been during WWII, but some years later the speed for radio communications in the Army was based on a required skill of 18 wpm. That was the "intermediate speed" radio operator. There was a "high speed" category (MOS), but that was mostly for intercept work--not traffic handling. The 18 wpm requirement was set, in large part, by the fact that hand keys were used. Sending tended to get pretty sloppy at speeds higher than that, particularly from field operators.
Navy operators generally operated at speeds that were higher than that found in the Army. Those guys had "bugs" long before the Army finally got wise to the benefits. Nonetheless, many Army operators were pretty good at copying much higher than 18 wpm. That's because much of their "practice" time was spent copying much faster code than 18 wpm. They just couldn't send very well at higher speeds. Dave W7AQK ----- Original Message ----- From: "DOUGLAS ZWIEBEL" <doug...@gmail.com> To: "Elecraft Reflector" <elecraft@mailman.qth.net> Sent: Thursday, August 13, 2009 12:57 PM Subject: [Elecraft] OT: CQ WWII naval radio ops > Earlier this week, on our drive back from Nova Scotia, my wife and I > stopped by Battleship Cove in Massachusetts where I was entranced by > Radio Central on the USS Massachusetts. > > They had a mock recording of CW going, mostly 5 letter word groups. > It was going around 16 wpm and I wondered if that was a typical speed > or not. Some guy walked by who had something to do with the ship's > display and said that his "friend from then could go the fastest in > the world...around 35 or even 40 wpm." Well, some of us do that in > our sleep, so that couldn't be right. > > What speed was typical for back then? > > If you get the chance, stop by this exhibit (battleship, PT boats, > submarine, etc.). We had planned on an hour or so, but spend nearly 5 > on just the USS Massachusetts. I got some great shots of the rigs too > - can even see the crackle paint finish! > > Thanks, > de Doug KR2Q > > PS: http://www.battleshipcove.com/index.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 ______________________________________________________________ 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
