[Elecraft] Fastest: Paddle or Bug

Mon Feb 17 23:09:01 2003

What amazes me is the idea of trying to send code when that destoyer is on
high seas! My impression is that destroyers were probably one of the most
unpleasent ships to be on in a storm because they roll and pitch so easily -
and guess when that cw might need to be sent the most!!!! I admire people
like Frank!
73/Tim NZ7C
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron D'Eau Claire" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, February 17, 2003 8:58 PM
Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Fastest: Paddle or Bug

I'd be darn proud of that certificate too!!

Now you all have smoked out a REAL radio operator hanging around here!
Glad to hear from you Frank!

BTW, when I took my commercial radiotelegraph test in the 50's, we got
five letter code groups too at 20 wpm INCLUDING that %$#@& punctuation
we never used on the Ham bands!  My pencil copy barely stretched to 20
wpm for a minute. I think I had writer's cramp for a week.  I LOVE a
mill.

Every once in a while the radio club that is managing KPH fires it up on
500 KHz and sends some "press". That sure is fun to copy again!

Ron AC7AC
K2 # 1289

-----Original Message-----
Not totally on topic but here goes.

I was a Radioman First Class for 2 years plus on a destroyer in the
Pacific
during WWII. I really enjoyed copying "Fox" broadcasts. Fox means "Do
Not
Respond." We could not break radio silence. They were almost invariably
5
letter code groups at 18 WPM or occasionally 20 if the circuits were
busy. It
was PERFECT code from NPD in Frisca or NPD from Honolulu. It soon became

second nature to copy the stuff.

We put out a little daily newspaper from IFS, KU, or kWh. It was at 45
WPM
and we copied it on a mimeograph stencil. That soon became easy to copy.
Some
included punctuation, paragraphs, etc.

I have a certificate from the Dayton Hamvention for copying 40 WPM with
a
pencil. Perfect copy (crossing t's and dotting i's) for 5 minutes. I'm
very
proud of that certificate.

However, I'm now 77 years old and it doesn't come nearly as easy as it
did.
So be it!

73,

Frank, W8OK

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