[Elecraft] REAL CW!!

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

Much has been written on this reflector about the sound of the sidetone,
particularly the K2's sidetone, and about stability and narrow band
clickless keying, stable signals, with today's operators asking for
razor-sharp selectivity in order to copy signals in a crowded band. 

Here are some recordings of actual COMMERCIAL CW maritime signals on the 600
meter (500 KHz) band from the 1970's in European waters

http://www.n1ea.coastalradio.org.uk/W1DM_500_EU_74.zip

How many stations can you copy at once? And how about that keying by real
fists on mechanical keys! As for the stability and clicks, some sound like
bullfrogs with a belching problem, others redefine "yoop" and still others
sound a cat having its tail pulled. I rather like the one that sounds like a
canary with laryngitis; My one-tube 6V6 rig sounded much like that. At about
that time our Ham bands didn't sound much different! And, no, most of them
didn't have lousy power supplies with too much ripple: many ops ran MCW. All
maritime consoles were capable of modulating the carrier with a tone if
desired. It was required when sending distress signals. 

If those sounds don't grate on your ears, try some real spark transmissions
in the next link below. These were probably recreations produced by the
antique wireless assn using real spark transmitters (in suitably shielded
rooms). No wonder us O.T.s think the K2's sidetone sounds sweet and smooth! 

http://www.n1ea.coastalradio.org.uk/NBD%20spoof.zip

And there's more to hear at:

http://www.n1ea.coastalradio.org.uk/

Ron AC7AC