[Elecraft] 20 WPM

[Bill W5WVO]

Doug Smith wrote:

> So I copied the 20 WPM without flaw and then started pumping out the
> CW on the hand key with what had to be the world's worst fist.  I
> hadn't used a hand key in 20 years!  About half way through, she said
> - and I quote: "That's just not fast enough".  <GASP>  So I cranked
> up the speed and she somehow managed to get a minute's worth of text
> out of the gibberish I was sending and passed me.  Actually, I think
> she just took pity on me.  Heh..

<LOL> I had a similar experience when I took the Amateur Extra in 1977 at the 
FCC office in Los Angeles. I had brought in my trusty Vibroplex bug, but in my 
nervousness, I had forgotten to check where the weight was set before I 
started. As it turned out, the last guy I had worked with it was apparently 
pretty slow, because I had the weight set all the way down to the bottom of 
the reed. About half way through the sending exam, the examiner says, "You're 
going to have to speed it up." I panicked. What should I do, stop to readjust 
the weight, or just try to squeeze the characters out faster by shrinking the 
spacing? Should have readjusted the weight, of course -- I had plenty of 
time -- but I opted to just press on. Stupid, because now my code sounded like 
crap. It was a close thing, but he passed me.  :-)

The guy I had, truth to be told, was anything but that legendary "steely-eyed 
FCC examiner."  In point of fact, he looked like he was still badly hung over 
from the night before, and would rather be doing just about anything than 
giving a bunch of pimply-faced geeks their ham radio exams.  :-)  That was the 
last ham exam I ever took, of course. Kinda wish there was another higher 
level I could go for, just for the excitement of it!

Bill / W5WVO