Keyboard sending

[Imre Forro]

Hi gang. Not too long ago I had a very nice, and long rag chew with Rick, N4RLD we started at around 30 WPM and cranked up to 60 WPM shortly. After we finished our QSO, I received this e-mail from Richard, W5AK                                               I listened to you tonight and I can copy ay very high speeds. I am so unimpressed by all you computer users who use them to send high speed CW. Unplug the keyboard and prove to everyone that you are a great cw operator with the paddle of your choice, I hate listening to keyboard generated CW/  W5AK.    Well I think we were doing good, because we were both using paddle :-)   73 Imi, KV1I 

[Joe Hetrick]

It sucks you got this type of response.  Glad you got to zing 'em.  I don't see any CW evangelism or anything on W5AK's QRZ page, but, I don't really have time for people that think this way.  To me it's the same thing as telling a new ham that they need to learn a straight key, or they're not a real CW op, and I had plenty of advice when I first got my ticket to start with a SK, or a Bug and then move to a paddle.  Much before I started to do QRQ, I was reasonable at 30 or so wpm and I'd have guys accuse me of sending with a keyboard because I hadn't had my ticket very long (5'ish years).  I don't know how they could make that mistake, I'm sure I wasn't sending machine-spaced, and machine-perfect code the whole time!

 The simple fact is, radio is an aging hobby.  CW operators are not being minted by the dozens anymore, and, as folks get older, agility with a key for various reasons diminishes.  I'd much rather have a QRQ ragchew with a guy on a keyboard who is still active than me sending CQ for 45 minutes and getting 1 or 2 responses.  I know I'm not likely going to be sending QRQ code by hand forever (some may argue I can't send it now!), but, I'll try for as long as it's at least somewhat intelligible ;).

 

  For a lot of guys, radio is all about what you can't do if you want to be a Real Ham <TM>.  You can't use a cluster, you can't use a computer, you can't use a cw skimmer, you can't use a keyboard, you can't use a pan-adapter, you can't use a remote station, you can't do this, you can't do that.  Those people suck.

VKN

  

On Sat, Mar 22, 2025 at 1:13 PM Imre Forro <qrq...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi gang. Not too long ago I had a very nice, and long rag chew with Rick, N4RLD we started at around 30 WPM and cranked up to 60 WPM shortly. After we finished our QSO, I received this e-mail from Richard, W5AK                                               I listened to you tonight and I can copy ay very high speeds. I am so unimpressed by all you computer users who use them to send high speed CW. Unplug the keyboard and prove to everyone that you are a great cw operator with the paddle of your choice, I hate listening to keyboard generated CW/  W5AK.    Well I think we were doing good, because we were both using paddle :-)   73 Imi, KV1I 

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[Imre Forro]

Oh yes. An experienced CW operator can tell the difference between paddle or Keyboard sending at high speed. Don't get me wrong I would love to be able to send at 60 WPM on a keyboard, but I can't.  anyhow, I just enjoy having QRQ QSOs at any time. ask me to QRS and I will. 73 Imi KV1I

[Mike Cizek WØVTT]

I would just send him a picture of my Bencher….   

73,
Mike Cizek WØVTT

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[Joe Hetrick]

That's what you named it?

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[Bonnie Lewis]

The trouble with me is, I cannot copy QRQ.   I prefer like 25--30 wpm or thereabouts.  I do use a bug but I noticed when I was just out of the hospital last year that my cw was not as good as it should have been.   However I have recovered and still using a bug.  Sometimes I use a keyer.

To me the idea is te QSO and not the other details. In re. a remote station:  maybe some folks are in an apartment and there is no other alternative:  at least they cared enough to be on the air.

Anyhow thats my 2Cents worth and i am not even a member yet, although Im looking forward to it.

73, Bonnie in Sanford.

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[Mike Cizek WØVTT]

Careful OM, there are ladies on this reflector, and one of them is under age!!

73,
Mike Cizek WØVTT

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[Joe Hetrick]

I should also agree with Imi and Bonnie; I think it's about the person on the otherside of the CW, the "how" or "how fast" doesn't really matter.

Also, apologies for the innuendo.  W0VTT should have named one of their new kittens "Bencher".  

Joe VKN

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[D.J.J. Ring, Jr.]

Bencher, what a great name for a kitten. 

Hand key, Cootie key, Vibroplex, Paddles single and dual, and keyboards all make great CW.

I'm guessing that somewhere along the line we had various code speed requirements and length of QSO requirements. 

I think I was told that I needed to QSO at 45 WPM and have a QSO of at least a half hour, preferably longer. 

But that wouldn't include the bug sending members like W0BMU and others who regularly sent around 27 to 33 WPM and CFO would have suffered without them. 

So ragchewing ability was a stronger asset than speed. 

I doubt I could send 55-60 WPM like I did in the 1970s with Jim Rick's W9TO due to age and the interference of the neurological disease I'm struggling with, but I still try.

I believe we should make Chicken-Fat-Operators-Club a big tent for all excellent CW operators like Jim W9TO had it originally and have First-class accommodations for high speed operators of all kinds, paddles, keyboards, etc.  But not exclusively for super high speed operators, we should always include the proficient Morse operators who can ragchew. 

73

David N1EA 

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