[CW] US Navy training speeds - "quals" and performance standards

[James Hull]

Chris:

I don’t know about the Navy’s requirements ‘back in the day’, but I do know that the Army’s Special Forces Communications Sergeants were required to send and receive 5-character code groups at 18 WPM of 1-minute perfect copy in order to pass the Special Forces Qualification Course (same as the FCC’s commercial “T” license).  Only military straight keys were permitted (knee keys were the norm in the field).  That requirement was obviated quite a while ago (~20 years) as CW is no longer required.  But back then it was The Killer when trying to get commo men to pass the SFQC course.


James Hull
KK4EOU





> On Mar 27, 2023, at 4:49 PM, Chris R. NW6V <chrisrut7 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Greetings group.
> 
> To be clear - my admiration of Navy radiomen is extreme - I was raised by a Navy radioman (Chief Warrant Office 4) and he had me copying and sending 18 WPM code groups fast when I was 11 years old.  
> 
> Anyway, a fellow recently claimed that in 1986, in the Navy "International Morse Code Operator School," he and other students had to be able to SEND at 28 WPM on a straight key. 
> 
> 28 WPM on an SK could win championships - I managed 26 WPM on mixed groups (in a contest), and it required months of training and was very demanding. I suspect the fellow is suffering from memory magnifications (the fish we catch - and the ones that get away - both grow larger as time passes). My recollection is that the RM3 rating required closer to 18 than 28.
> 
> But I prefer facts to recollections. So, a couple of questions. 
> 
> 1. Do any of you know or have access to the actual  "quals" or "performance standards" for the Navy schools or ratings? 
> 
> 2. Do you know the requirements to be issued a "speed key" certificate? My understanding is that there was no official requirement, but that it was done somewhat ad hoc on a unit-by-unit basis.
> 
> Thanks for the bandwidth.
> 
> 73 Chris NW6V
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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/
> Unsubcribe send email to
> cw-unsubscribe at mailman.qth.net
> Subscribe send email to cw-subscribe at mailman.qth.net
> Support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> 
> =30=

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/cw/attachments/20230327/7a321a75/attachment-0001.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Knee_Key.jpeg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 239339 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/cw/attachments/20230327/7a321a75/attachment-0001.jpeg>