[Elecraft] Re: Human CW copy speed

[Phil Kane]

On Tue, 16 May 2006 10:24:47 -0700, Fred Jensen wrote about Ted
McElroy:

>  (Urban?) legend has it that he was standing as the test began and the
>code began blasting forth.  He chatted for a minute or two, lighted a
>cigarette, and finally sat down at the mill.  He pounded out the copy,
>and continued pounding for several minutes after the test stopped.
>Obviously, if the legend is true, Ted had a good memory.  I think this
>all took place in the '30s.

  I can't vouch for the above, but I can for the following incident
  in which I was a participant:

  As some on this reflector know, I was with the FCC in the San
  Francisco office for 28 years, retiring as the District Firector
  (then called the Engineer-in-Charge) almost 12 years ago.   In
  the early 1970s I was, among many things, the code examiner for both
  amateur and commercial applicants.  One day an old-timer came in,
  related that he had been a coast station operator at the RCA Coast
  Station KPH, and wanted to upgrade his Second Class Radiotelegraph
  License to First Class before he retired.  To copy the 25 WPM plain
  text, he brought his own "mill" as was permitted.  He sat down,
  asked if he could smoke (in those days it was OK in offices), put
  the paper in the "mill" and said "OK, start the tape".  The
  venerable Boheme paper-tape reader started pounding out at 25 WPM.

  He took a cigarette out of his pocket, put it in his mouth, took a
  pack of matches from another pocket, lit the cigarette, dropped the
  matches on the floor, picked them up, and started typing.  He
  pounded away and by the time the tape was finished had almost caught
  up.  He took the paper from the mill, handed it to me, and said
  "Didn't think I could do it, sonny???"

  He had perfect copy.  I wish that I was that good!

--
   73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane
   K2/100 sn 5402 - "real soon now"