[ILQSO] slow speed cw

[Tim N9PUZ]

Danny Pease wrote:
> Mike, I think, like you, that if I was to call at 15 wpm, the stations 
> answering me would do the same. Having not done that during a contest 
> environment, I can't say what would happen. That is, in part, the idea 
> being put forth. If we agree on a frequency for those that can't operate 
> at the higher contest speeds, they may feel more confident about getting 
> on if they know the speed will most likely be in a range they can copy 
> easily. If nothing else, they can all work each other. I am quite sure 
> that many of the more experienced guys are looking for QSO's, they will 
> work them as well.
> 
> Can any of the slower cw ops share your thoughts on this?
> 
> Danny NG9R

I am definitely a slow CW op so I'll chime in here.

First, a good contest to practice your CW skills is the monthly 
Adventure Radio Society Spartan Sprint <http://arsqrp.pbwiki.com/>. 
They are short, a lot of fun, and the ops are very good at slowing 
down to whatever speed you need.

Second, I use a CW decoder but not to decode the CW. I have trouble 
distinguishing various tones from one another--600 Hz and 700 Hz don't 
always sound different to me. The visual info in the decoder lets me 
tune to the station I'm going to call within a few Hz. Being exactly 
zero beat on them really helps get their attention.

Speed differential isn't so much a problem in my opinion when the 
exchange stays the same. If you are doing S&P you can listen to a 
couple of exchanges before you ever call. Even if your top speed is 
around 8-10 WPM most people can recognize their own call when it is 
sent at 20-25 perhaps more. Contests like November Sweeps where each 
contact has a unique sequence number are a little tougher.

Practice, practice, practice. As I said, I am not a good CW op yet. I 
get in a routine where I practice or make a couple of contacts every 
day but then life sidetracks me and before I know it 2-3 weeks have 
gone by and I've lost much of what I gained.

Tim, N9PUZ