[SOC] CWops.org

[J. Ervin Bates]

Ya know, I can recall a couple of jacka**es in Lansing running around with buttons that said "5WPM IS NO-CODE", suggesting that a CW op worth his salt would strive to attain more than 5WPM.  They missed the boat, because several people who saw that cocky button lost interest in a hobby that COULD have been more fun.  If we take the time to expose people to a particular mode, be it CW or RTTY, we are far more likely to gain interested parties!  It's like sharing a "Mackinac Island Fudge" ice cream cone.....you'll never know how good it is until you TASTE IT, but to be interested in tasting, you can't force your ice cream on a person. (and by the way.....it's VERY good!)

I was personally intimidated by the code for the first few years and then my elmer....my hero.....Ellis Whitehead (W8YB) invited me for a visit one day and began sharing some letters as we chatted.  "We're not going to learn a thing today", he said.  HAHA  Before I knew it, I was taking an interest and learning the code.....and I upgraded all the way to Extra within a year, attaining 20WPM just before they dropped it.  Am I better than you, because I made it that far?  Heavens no......but if you get 5WPM, eventually (if you use the code) you WILL get your speed up.

I don't often talk seriously on this list, because it's so much fun to ENJOY the banter back-n-forth, but CW is a FUN mode.  And thanks to SOC and FPQRP and a few other lists I am a member of, I have made some good friends through the years.  Groups, such as the CWops just grind my butt, because they do more to damage the hobby than to build it.  And everyone knows we cannot afford to damage the hobby.  Nuff said, thanks for reading and don't tease me. or i am takin my Mackinac Fudge Ice Cream and goin home.



EH?
Erv W8ERV

Second Class Operators' Club Certificate Dude
"I strive for mediocrity"