[Elecraft] CW Mistakes

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

Yep, there are no mistakes bigger than:

1)  Being afraid to get on. 

2) Letting a self-important bad operator discourage you because he/she can't
or won't QRS to your speed or tells you that you don't have the skills to
get on CW, or to operate on a specific band. (I worked a guy who told me he
never used 20 meter CW because he was told by some idiot that it was a
expert operator's band and folks there didn't tolerate anything less!) The
rule is that the Amateur Bands were created for "newbies". That's one reason
why we call it "Amateur": You don't have to pass a professional competency
test to get on the air.  

Let's turn it around and point out good operating practices. These apply to
newbies and OTs alike.  (One of the advantages of having been pounding brass
for well over half a century is that I have personal experience with both.)

2. Send at the speed at which you can copy well.

3. Within your range, always match the other station's speed. 

4. Listen and listen. After CQ, listen all AROUND your frequency, especially
if you're near one of the QRP "watering holes" (e.g. 7030, 7040, 14060,
etc.). There are a significant number of crystal controlled rigs out there
who can't "zero beat" you. Also some simple rigs don't compensate for their
receive BFO offset, so they're several hundred Hz off their transmitting
frequency. And there are those still trying to figure out the controls on
their rig ;-)

5. If you missed something, don't be afraid to ask for a repeat. 

6. Give HONEST signal reports. If the other guy doesn't like it, he's not
worth your time anyway. I get my OT ire up when some guy says my sig is 589
but too weak to copy well! (That's often excused by saying he has a huge QRN
level. That's fine, but then the  R - readability - is NOT 5. The correct
report might be "389 hvy QRN OM". 

7. Remember that the T in RST refers to modulation on the station's carrier,
not to chirp, clicks or any other aberrations. If present, they deserve
separate comment. A station with chirp might have a signal report of 569C
meaning a clean tone but chirp. If anything else is amiss please tell the
guy in plain text (that's true for phone too). 

Did you notice that I skipped number 1? That's because it's too important to
put anywhere but last:

1. Have fun!

Ron AC7AC


-----Original Message-----

Before I get on the air. What are some of the most common errors for
beginning CW Operators. Thanks

-- 
Frank KD8FIP