Subj : New Adventures in Old Tech
To : All
From : n2qfd
Date : Sun Jul 07 2024 05:36 pm
I can't be the only CW person in here.
It was a good time this past week with the Special Event and making it a Ham Radio focused vacation for once. Something I did find though was that while I was stalking my prey station for the event I came across loads of other operators calling CQ. By this time I had swapped by cootie (double speed) key over to the keyer so that I might stand a chance with K2E who refused for most of the week to operate at less than 35WPM and wasn't making much in the way of replies to slower stations.
I can copy at 35-40, anyone who practices can, but it's work, and this is my hobby.
That being said I dialed in my keyer and kept hunting but I was sort of put off not being able to answer several SKCC calls for the change in set up. Now combine that with a long smoldering desire for a crack at this I've decided I'm getting a bug.
There are loads of contrivances to slow the roll of a semi-automatic keyer such as the Vibroplex so I can work in that sweet spot of 15-20 WPM where I like to hang out, but I can also answer the SKCC calls of my fellow looking for numbers and chasing that next appended letter. So, back to school for me I think, I'll have to relearn my key!
Currently I'm using a Vibrokeyer that I've got wired as double speed key and it's been really great. I'm comfortable with the hardware but I hope I'm able to convince my brain after a decade of this that I have to pick a direction now!
Any other Vibroplex operators out there? I'm thinking I'll use my set up to practice sending to something like my FLDigi of PK-232 to make sure I'm sending quality code. I've read one should vary the speed regularly too to keep sharp.
Any pointers for a new bug operator?
best 73
N2QFD{Queen City BBS}:// "Does this need to be said? Does this need to be said
by me? Does this need to be said by me right now?" - Craig Ferguson
