[CW] Signal Corps Morse Writing

[D.J.J. Ring, Jr.]

Hi Whitey!  You were tested at Boston with Nate Hallenstein and he let
you send the 20 wpm with a bug? He knew better - the 20 wpm was
supposed to be copied by hand using a pencil or pen and sent by hand
using a straight key!

If I knew I could have gone to the FCC with you and sent with a bug, I
would have chanced it!

There was an exemption to this for the 1st class commercial test - 25
wpm you were allowed to send with a semi-automatic key and copy with a
typewriter.  I needed that exemption because I just could NOT write 25
wpm English with a pencil nor send it with a hand key.  My hand key
speed stays at 23 wpm maximum to this day!

73

David N1EA


On Sat, Jul 31, 2010 at 6:19 PM, cod947 <k1vv at comcast.net> wrote:
> Dave ...
>
> I took the 20 WPM Extra with a pencil ...  no special way to write it down
> ...
> Took the sending test with one of those Skillman bugs from Lafayette Radio
> ...
>
> Passed 18 WPM in the US Army Intermediate Speed Radio School at Ft DIX NJ
> ..  1956...
> no special instruction there on how to write it down ... it was all 5 letter
> word groups ....pencil and paper ..
>
> Whitey  K1VV
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: D.J.J. Ring, Jr.
> To: CW Reflector
> Sent: Saturday, July 31, 2010 1:06 PM
> Subject: Re: [CW] Signal Corps Morse Writing
> When I was studying for my 1st class radiotelegraph Morse tests - 25 wpm
> English and 20 groups per minute of cipher groups, I learned Chancery
> cursive italic which was a bookhand used in the middle ages by monks who
> copied the Bible and other books hour after hour.  It was optimized for
> legibility and speed.
>
> http://jp29.org/itintro.htm
>
> I use a simplified version of the script shown here - with some
> modifications - I put a slash through the zero, and I put a foot on the
> figure one, and I simplify the capitals removing most of the flourishes -
> with the strange exception of the capitals of D and R which for some reason
> got used when I serviced a telegram, those letters being my sine.
>
> I also searched for the fastest ball pen, I found the Write Bros pen at the
> time was fastest.  The test I gave was to drag the pen ove paper without
> pressure and see if it would write.  The Sanford company makes the fastest
> roller balls these days - uniball, jetstream, vision.  Try one you'll love
> it.
>
> The research was worth it - I could NOT write 20 wpm clearly before and the
> examiner at the FCC told me that I had very good handwriting - and even more
> importantly, I passed the two Morse receiving tests.  Fortunately for me the
> FCC allowed me to do the 25 wpm English sending test with a Vibroplex bug.
> I did the 20 gpm ciphers with a hand key - but they're much easier because
> they don't have groups of fast dots like ESE and so forth that are really
> hard to send fast!
>
> 73
>
> DR
>
> David Ring, N1EA
> -30-
>
> On Sat, Jul 31, 2010 at 12:13 PM, Henry Mei'l's <meils at get2net.dk> wrote:
>>
>> Yes, theSG writing style is  fine for legibility -- but is it optimal if
>> you have to copy at hi speed and don't have a mill at hand?
>>
>> 73 Henry OZ1uF, Cph.
>
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