[CW] High speed code demonstration

[DANNY DOUGLAS]

Very often, I have attended field days, and worked the CW tent.  The guys 
kid me, because I sit and talk with them, have a coke, and park my feet on 
the table, while doing so.  I never know what I have typed, because if I do, 
I loose track of what I am copying, by reading behind the copy.  It just is 
an auto reflex,  to type the words, and this guy probably wasnt remembering 
what he had typed before.  This is one reason that CW ops usually can copy 
much faster at 5 letter, or 5 number, code groups, than they can plain text 
traffic.  YOu will hear, over and over again, that code ops should type 
several letters behind.  I dont, havent and never will.  The code enters the 
ear, the finger flexes.  If, there is a burst of QRM, QSB etc. that causes 
me to not recognize a character, the second smallest finger on the right 
hand flexes, and a period comes on the paper, or screen, and the next 
character is already sent and finger being flexed.  Pretty much the same if 
I am copying by paper and pencil, though I may be behind by one character 
doing that.

When I first started copying code in the army, I had already learned the 
code as a kid, and also was a champion high school typist (around 72 wpm my 
first year of typing) so had no problem coverting over to a MILL. All this 
becomes midless reflex, and makes it very difficult for me to do head copy, 
because I dont remember what the last seveal characters were.  Only now have 
I started really trying to NOT copy down anything and listen for words, 
instead of characters.
Danny Douglas
N7DC
ex WN5QMX ET2US WA5UKR ET3USA SV0WPP VS6DD N7DC/YV5 G5CTB
All 2 years or more (except Novice). Short stints at:  DA/PA/SU/HZ/7X/DU
CR9/7Y/KH7/5A/GW/GM/F
Pls QSL direct, buro, or LOTW preferred,
I Do not use, but as a courtesy do upload to eQSL for those who do.
Moderator
DXandTALK
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DXandTalk
Digital_modes
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/digital_modes/?yguid=341090159

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ken Brown" <ken.d.brown at hawaiiantel.net>
To: "CW Reflector" <cw at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Saturday, January 08, 2011 7:00 PM
Subject: [CW] High speed code demonstration


> 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
> ______________________________________________________________
> CW mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/cw
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:CW at mailman.qth.net
> CW List ARCHIVES: http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/cw/
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
> =30=
>