[Fists] Is it just me?

[Fred Adsit]

Just tried to work N2LJD/mm on 7040 but the thunderstorm started the =
instant we began and for a few moments I could not send my own call =
right. No sign of a storm on doppler radar here. He was in the mud - in =
Norfolk VA me in Syracuse NY but band is workable other than this ugly =
storm. I wanted to get on and talk w you, but no such luck. I had my =
keyer down to almost 5 wpm I think - standing still almost, but he had a =
decent fist at least. So I had better give up. This has been a terrible =
week to get on the air, OR the web. I am involved in a major effort to =
address concerns about the latest developments, but can't communicate =
too well or often there either due to the lightning storms. Some hams =
are just now starting to pay attention to CW. Remember, many are rusty =
no matter their tenure, and in recent history, no sending tests are =
given. It is up to the VE examiner to teach them how to send I would =
say. But I will still try. I have been in this since 1948 and have =
worked some of the world's worst fists, and it CAN be done with effort. =
I don't know any diplomatic way either. Maybe tell the station that you =
are having bad QRM and could he/she please send each letter with wide =
spacing in between, maybe that will help? It is a lie in your case, but =
the spacing would help. :-)  Where there is a will there is a way. We =
all started somewhere. And you do not know the person on the other end. =
Maybe handicapped, maybe just very green as I suggested above.

73
Fred NY2V
ex W2ZOJ 1948
FISTS 1293 when they had about 300 members :-)
I gotta unhook this computer before lightning destroys it.
Good thing I can type this fast. Wanted to get you while you were on the =
web.=20

-----=20
  From: ke9v@yahoo.com=20
  To: FISTS=20
  Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2003 11:35 AM
  Subject: [Fists] Is it just me?


  I've noticed myself becoming much more picky about the CQs I answer.
  Frankly, life is just too short to suffer through a QSO with a crummy
  fist. I know, that sounds awful, and I suppose it's none too friendly
  on my part, but it just happens. As I am typing this I am listening to
  a KA1 calling CQ and he is running the letters of his callsign
  together so badly that I had to listen four or five times to decipher
  his callsign. I was about to reach for the paddles and call him back
  but then I stopped. How many QSOs have I endured where I had to really
  work and sweat to figure out what the heck the operator on the other
  end was trying to send because his fist was so poor? So I passed on
  the KA1 and let someone else "work" for that QSO.

  I'm not talking about speed, QRN, QRM, proper procedural signs or
  tone. I'm talking about sloppy sending plain and simple. You know what
  I mean, if the letter "H" has four dits then by golly five or six dits
  are so much the better, etc. This is just poor amateur practice, isn't
  it?

  Maybe I'm just getting old and grumpy, but the "joy" has certainly
  gone out of the game for me when a fellow two states over with a 599
  signal is trying to tell me his weather and I have to work my tail off
  to decipher his crappy sending. I don't feel that I should tell the
  guy he has a horrible fist (kinda like telling someone at a party they
  have bad breath) so I just dream up some excuse to go QRT and get the
  heck out.

  Is it just me or is sloppy sending becoming an epidemic?

  --=20
  Jeff, KE9V


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