On Jan 8, 10:03�pm, Rockinghorse Winner wrote:
back when I first started in ham early 70's, there were a
lot of fast cw ops on the air, and the *average* speed of ops was quite a
bit higher than the *average* today.

Until 1990, any US ham you heard heard on CW on the non-novice HF
amateur bands bands had passed at least 10 wpm and most had passed 13
wpm. Any US ham you heard on the Extra parts of the bands had passed 20
wpm. That meant you'd rarely hear anything slower. The Novice bands
were the exception that prived the rule

But with medical waivers in 1990, the reduction to 5 wpm for all
classes in 2000, the change in CW privileges for Novices and Tech
Pluses and the elimination of the code test in 2007, it's not a
surprise that the *average* speed would be lower, or at least seem
that way.

Back then, 30 wpm was not the rarity it
is today, and you could even hear the occasional 40 and 50 wpm ops. This
latter is almost never heard today.

With all due respect, I think it depends when and where you listen.
There are still more than a few who can really pour on the coal.

Of course someone who calls CQ at 45 wpm isn't going to get as many
replies as someone who calls at 25 wpm.

On Field Day we run CQs at about 27-30 wpm and we're not as fast as
many who answer. SS is about the same. The DX contesters tend to go
faster.

So...I think a club dedicated to fast cw sending/receiving is not
necessarily a bad thing. I have admiration for anyone who does a thing
competently. Maybe it will inspire others to increase their competence. I
f
so, not a bad thing at all.

I agree 100%! There's nothing quite like a good CW ragchew when you
slide the weights in and let 'er rip. Just like talking - easier, in
fact, once you have the skills. With good QSK, it's a two-way real-
time conversation. (Other HF modes can't do QSK)

Worked an OE1 on 7012 earlier this evening. 599 and he was really
sailing along.

73 de Jim, N2EY