I can't be the only CW person in here.
It was a good time this past week with the Special Event and making
it a Ham Radio focused vacation for once. Something I did find though
was that while I was stalking my prey station for the event I came
across loads of other operators calling CQ. By this time I had swapped
by cootie (double speed) key over to the keyer so that I might stand a chance with K2E who refused for most of the week to operate at less than 35WPM and wasn't making much in the way of replies to slower stations.
I can copy at 35-40, anyone who practices can, but it's work, and
this is my hobby.
That being said I dialed in my keyer and kept hunting but I was sort n2> of put off not being able to answer several SKCC calls for the change in n2> set up. Now combine that with a long smoldering desire for a crack at n2> this I've decided I'm getting a bug. n2> There are loads of contrivances to slow the roll of a semi-automatic n2> keyer such as the Vibroplex so I can work in that sweet spot of 15-20 n2> WPM where I like to hang out, but I can also answer the SKCC calls of my n2> fellow looking for numbers and chasing that next appended letter. So, n2> back to school for me I think, I'll have to relearn my key! n2> Currently I'm using a Vibrokeyer that I've got wired as double speed n2> key and it's been really great. I'm comfortable with the hardware but I n2> hope I'm able to convince my brain after a decade of this that I have to n2> pick a direction now! n2>
Any other Vibroplex operators out there? I'm thinking I'll use my set
up to practice sending to something like my FLDigi of PK-232 to make
sure I'm sending quality code. I've read one should vary the speed regularly too to keep sharp.
Any pointers for a new bug operator?
best 73
I can't be the only CW person in here.
It was a good time this past week with the Special Event and making it a Ham Radio focused vacation for once. Something I did find though was that while I was stalking my prey station for the event I came across loads of other operators calling CQ. By this time I had swapped by cootie (double speed) key over to the keyer so that I might stand a chance with K2E who refused for most of the week to operate at less than 35WPM and wasn't making much in the way of replies to slower stations.
I can copy at 35-40, anyone who practices can, but it's work, and this is my hobby.
That being said I dialed in my keyer and kept hunting but I was sort of put off not being able to answer several SKCC calls for the change in set up. Now combine that with a long smoldering desire for a crack at this I've decided I'm getting a bug.
There are loads of contrivances to slow the roll of a semi-automatic keyer such as the Vibroplex so I can work in that sweet spot of 15-20 WPM where I like to hang out, but I can also answer the SKCC calls of my fellow looking for numbers and chasing that next appended letter. So, back to school for me I think, I'll have to relearn my key!
Currently I'm using a Vibrokeyer that I've got wired as double speed key and it's been really great. I'm comfortable with the hardware but I hope I'm able to convince my brain after a decade of this that I have to pick a direction now!
Any other Vibroplex operators out there? I'm thinking I'll use my set up to practice sending to something like my FLDigi of PK-232 to make sure I'm sending quality code. I've read one should vary the speed regularly too to keep sharp.
Any pointers for a new bug operator?
best 73
N2QFD{Queen City BBS}:// "Does this need to be said? Does this need to be said by me? Does this need to be said by me right now?" - Craig Ferguson
--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Raspberry Pi/32)
* Origin: Queen City BBS (21:1/154)
I haven't been on the airwaves for years.
Still have a HF rig but not used it.
I ought to turn the RX on just to see if there is any use in the CW portions most Hams can't use unless they got the top license.
Hope so.
They seem to Ed, that's where the DX is still happening. I'm a general so not permitted but I do sweep past and see what's doing not that I can keep up!FLDigi ???
I never have had the chance to use a Collins, not yet. When I worked for Corning Inc we had a club and there was Drake gear all matched up station and a short tower on the roof of what was then the Baron Stuben Hotel in down town Corning, NY. You got into the shack through a little half door in the hall it was like a sort of un used partial room that had to happen from combining buildings at some point. By then and this was the year 2000 there were no more hams at Corning Inc, I think I was the last one locally to be involved. A VP coming through who was also licensed opened up the club for me.
Don't think I've been miss connected quite like you were but just recently I was trying to use my code oscillator to practice with this bug and could not get the computer to hear me.. well that's because I was plugged in direct and not with the splitter that breaks the line out between the headphones and the computer in. I like to use FLDigi to see if I'm making good letters. If the machine gets me a human will get me!
Best 73 and thanks for the story,
Malachi//N2QFD
N2QFD{Queen City BBS}:// "Does this need to be said? Does this need to be said by me? Does this need to be said by me right now?" - Craig Ferguson
--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Raspberry Pi/32)
* Origin: Queen City BBS (21:1/154)
FLDigi ???
I don't subscribe to any Amateur Radio publications or catalogs, so I am unaware of what a FLDigi is.
How about this for a Tagline:
ZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA is how I say the Alphabet.
I can send it in CW too.
Another story: when in Navy Radiomans School I was listening to mixed words when I heard TENNESSEE
On the air I had heard TENN but not the whole word sent.
The sound of it jarred me.
It has a nice rhythm, try sounding it out
FLDigi is a bit of software that came about as the sound card's got better in PC's and you could use them to make/decode digital signals for HF. It has a CW decoder in it but like most machines it really can't get a great copy on human made CW. This is where we'll always beat the machine! The human hand and brain trumps the machine sent/received CW.
Now this is something to try doing, and great advice. I often would send alphabet as taught then numbers and prosigns, but reversing it would be good good practice.
I think sending Japan is a strange word in CW too, at least for my brain. And I play that car game too, thinking of the letters I'm seeing. It's been years and years since I've had a 73 via horn on the highway as well. I think to do it myself when I see a callsign plate but then I also think, well... don't want to scare him + probably doesn't know code...
Milliwatt sprint last night with NAQCC was difficult. I was tired, and this is a poor starting point. Working for the utility NYSEG we've been cleaning up from storm damage thru NY this week. Then conditions were not super. Lots of lightning crashes, fade and interference. Signal reports were 229 339 some 459's but not much better and I was using 4 watts unlike some of them really squeezing the electrons and sending 72 at the end of the QSO!
We go to the radio with the conditions we have eh? There were a few dozen working the sprint and we made it happen so can't beat that.
I'll work on good lid, haven't had anyone send QLF in a while... probably deserve it after that sprint!
Best 73 to you too.
Mal
N2QFD{Queen City BBS}:// "Does this need to be said? Does this need to be said by me? Does this need to be said by me right now?" - Craig Ferguson
--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Raspberry Pi/32)
* Origin: Queen City BBS (21:1/154)
Mal, When I saw QLF , I once put a J-38 key on the floor and used my
Left Foot to send CQ and began a QSO using the foot for a bit.
BTW, I am Left-Handed.
During the Investigation the operator at the land base station told the law that he heard a different FIST sending the end of the message.
Those low RST's You gave during the QRP Contest to those stations, was it because of Band conditions or because of the very low power the rigs had?
That beast had two 813s putting out 700 watts AM or CW.
I saved a page showing it - www.isquare.com/personal_pages/t350.htm
That address is one I got in 2017, hope it is still good. I don't know
how to be logged on the BBS typing a reply and being able to use another session of Firefox to check the URL out.
Hope it works.
Left handed people are in their right minds! This is what my mom always said anyhow. Dad always said she set the table backwards, but it never bothered me.Mal, Your Mom is correct.
I love this and it goes so under appreciated. I can tell who's sending on a straight key too. My dad's fist for example is so regular to me I know when he's thinking about something he's trying to send. But I can sometimes tell a CQ before the call sign on 40m where I've hung out for so long by the fist too.How far down did Your Jaw Drop when looking at that Monster.
I think people get the impression that CW is cold and that's just not true. It's such a mind to mind conversation with an individual and that hand on the sending device very much comes though which is why I like the straight keys too. I think the keyers steal away the personality.
Both, band was down plus we were all on the electronic kazoos of the amateur world with just enough electrons to vibrate a xtal.
GOOD LORD that thing could make you a grilled cheese sandwich while you were sending too. People talk about how much cooling is needed for todays computers, I don't think they appreciate the hum and the glow of tube life!
Did some Slow Speed Contests this weekend. CQ SST from K3USN the idea is it should be casual and 20WPM max which suits me. Friday the bands were unsettled, but it was only 4-5 PM east coast so makes sense on 40m to be a lot of fade at that hour in the summer. Last night Sunday it was 8-9PM and the bands were stable but everyone knew it too! I worked 2 stations calling SST but then kept hitting CQ FP and it turned out the Flying Pigs QRP club was doing something called the Bacon Run so I looked them up and figured out non-club exchange and got a few of them some points. Then I hit a guy calling CQ WWFF and had to look that up... World Wide Flora and Fauna... whatever, did a quick QSO with him too, then it was time to get ready for bed.I took Drafting in High School.
Another week of being a NYSEG draftsman is ahead of me and if the world can not have any major computer outages again that would be nice!
Best 73--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
Mal
N2QFD{Queen City BBS}:// "Does this need to be said? Does this need to be said by me? Does this need to be said by me right now?" - Craig Ferguson
--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Raspberry Pi/32)
* Origin: Queen City BBS (21:1/154)
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