[Elecraft] Off-Topic: CW sending vs. receiving speed

[Tom Hammond]

Hi Duane:

>Is it logical to assume that a person's CW sending speed approximates
>their copy speed?
>
>I can't help but assume this, and so when I call CQ and get a return
>caller sending at half the speed which I called or sending extreme
>farnsworth, I almost always lower my speed in order to be considerate.

In general, yes.  One should assume that if a station calls "CQ" at x-WPM,
he is soliciting a reply at or near that speed.

Likewise if you call "CQ" at 20 WPM you would normally expect to get a
reply at somewhere around that speed.

However... there are those (and I currently have one in my Advanced CW class)
who can readily copy 20-22 WPM, but who are still learning to send 'clean' CW
with a keyer, BUT they can send decent 13 WPM CW with a straight key.

I ALWAYS try to match my speed to that of the other guy, regardless of his
sending speed.  Sometimes that means that we have a 45-minute 15 WPM QSO,
only to find at the 45th minute that he actually can send/copy 50 WPM and
for some odd reason he just chose to send 15 WPM when he answered my CQ...
So we just had a QRS QSO when we could have held it at a much higher speed
which would have still suited both of us... <G>

IF you have any reason to believe that the other guy can send/receive at a
higher speed, you can always ASK him if he's able to send/copy faster.
I also have (several) students who can send (decent CQ) at a speed faster
than they can copy.  They won't speed up their sending unless asked to do so
and if asked, they tell the other guy to please NOT increase his speed to them
faster than they can copy (but 'pressing' their copy is good for them, to
some extent).

Hope this helps.

73,

Tom Hammond   N0SS