[Elecraft] K3: QRQ high-speed QSK

[FredJensen]

Tom W8JI wrote:
> Who the heck is copying that and what are they copying???
>
> The highest speed record for a long time, of copying 
> unexpected text, was only around 70-80 WPM. That record held 
> the whole time I was growing up, and it was from the 30's I 
> think.
>
> It is certainly impossible to copy 300 WPM without decoding.
>
> I have some nagging questions about these speed claims.
>   
Ted McElroy @ something like 74+ WPM back in the early thirties I think, 
I could Google it I guess.  The legend [urban or otherwise] is that the 
code began, he calmly sat down at the mill, lit a cigarette, took a 
couple of puffs, and then started pounding the keys.  The legend further 
states that after the run finished, he was still pounding the keys for 
some time [3-15 minutes ... 74.34 percent of people make up their own 
statistics so who knows].  That he did make record copy at that speed is 
without question, without the embellishment.  That the record hasn't 
been broken since suggests to me that it may be getting close to some 
physical limit.  Ted went on to found a company manufacturing keys and 
bugs of some fame.

I'm kind of with you Tom.  I can make solid record copy at 25 WPM or so 
if I don't have a glass of wine with dinner just before sitting down at 
the rig.  I can converse pretty well at 30-35 in my head, writing down 
only notes.  I can contest at D4B/C speeds so long as he doesn't send me 
very much and I have a pretty good idea what it's going to be :-)  Real 
conversation ... one which involves questions and meaningful answers ... 
at 100 WPM  or above  is something I'd like to see.   I'm not from  MO  
but  show  me.

I watched the QSK keying waveform from my K3 [#642] on my Tek scope 
sending just a string of dots.  It stays "good" based on what QST 
publishes in product reviews of "good" keying up to about 50 WPM.  Above 
that, it began to look "squished" in time, and at 60 or so was pretty 
square, somewhat uneven in time, and was sounding fairly rough in the 
monitor rx.  I think Elecraft says 45 WPM max which, since they seem to 
be a crafty bunch, would assure meeting their specification.

73,

Fred K6DGW