Recently, I tweeted:
kb6nu@kb6nu
Getting decent spots on 30m, but no calls.
and got this reply:
QRS much?!
In the subsequent conversation, I said that I always slow down if someone replies at a slower speed or asks me to QRS, but Charlie pointed out that sending CQ at a relatively high speed might be scaring guys away.
I must admit that he has a point, but honestly slower operators should not be afraid to reply to fast CQs. After all, the guy’s not sending “CQ HIGH SPEED ONLY.” If you don’t want to have a high-speed contact, reply at whatever speed you’re comfortable with, and the faster op will slow down for you.
I know that I will. I’d rather have a 15 wpm QSO than none at all.
Still working on R, L, F, C
I’m still working on sending these characters iambically. I’m getting better at sending the characters, but still have to make a conscious effort to do so. Every once in a while, I find myself sending an R without thinking about it, but I still need more practice.
CW at Dayton!
I’ll be speaking about CW at Dayton!
On Friday, May 20, at 9:15 am, I’ll be giving a talk about CW at Dayton. It will be pretty basic. I plan to talk about why you might want to operate CW, some ways to learn Morse Code, what key to select, and how to make on-air contacts. I’m not sure what room I’ll be in yet, but I’ll pass on the info as soon as I know it.
I’d love to hear about what you’d like me to talk about. Please leave a comment here or e-mail me directly.
Scott WZ0W says
Dan, I appreciate the comments here. As a new CW op, i have found that most experienced operators are more than willing to slow down for us new folks. One thing I might suggest for your talk at Dayton is some advice for those experienced guys who want to help the newer people. Specifically, one thing I always appreciate more than just going slow overall is leaving some extra “thinking time” between letters. I can take individual characters a little faster if I have a brief moment to process what I’ve heard before hearing the next letter.
73,
Scott WZØW
Dan KB6NU says
I like this idea a lot. I’ll create a slide on how OMs can help the newcomers. After all, if we don’t help out, pretty soon, we won’t have anyone to talk to!