[CW] High speed code demonstration

[Ken Brown]

The discussion about the high speed code competition reminded me a a 
high speed code demonstration I saw at the Portland, Oregon ham 
convention I attended back in about 1988. (Not sure of the exact date)

There was a typewriter and a guy with headphones typing what he heard. 
There was also a loudspeaker so that observers could hear the code too. 
They played some text and the high speed code operator typed the text. 
It was at a speed I could copy in my head, so I could verify that the 
guy was typing what was being sent.

Then they decided to go to a higher speed. They sent some more text at a 
much higher speed. I could still copy well enough to tell that the guy 
was really typing what was being sent, even though I could not really 
say that I could copy at that speed. The text was exactly the same text 
they had sent at the lower speed. Was the high speed code operator 
copying it, or remembering it? I don't know, but I lost interest and 
went to other exhibits at the convention. I couldn't believe they would 
do that.

DE N6KB