Doug Smith W9WI said :

Any contester of value will welcome any CW op regardless of speed. I
would hope slower CW ops would not be intimidated by my high CQ speed
and would call anyway. (I realize that's probably not realistic) I
will happily slow down to match the speed at which you call me.

Generally these folks can recognize their call sign at any speed, and with a
memory keyer -- pushing buttons (or keyboarding macros) is what they do to
work CW DX or contesting.

This is something I can relate to. Not being a CW lover, my DXCC was
SSB-only, and until last year, that's all I really operated. That and
a little RTTY and PSK-31.

Well, once I realized that even though my primary DXCC was phone, my
band awards could be mixed, I started to get curious. I still couldn't
do more than about 8 or 9 WPM after not using code for about 20 years
(and never being much good at it even then), so I took to using CW
decoding software. It helped a little but I found it more useless than
useful.

Then I discovered CW contesting as a means to building up my 40 and
80m totals. Intimidating as hell at 35-40 WPM, but with packet spots,
in S&P mode, I could see who I was working; I could audibly confirm
their calls even if it took 3 or 4 tries (or 5 or 6 if they were
really fast). I can pick my own call out of noise easily, I know what
report I was being given back (even serial numbers if I listened
carefully), and all of a sudden I was a lot more comfortable with
code. N1MM generates my replies with good clean CW which helps, too!

I now DX in CW just as happily as in phone (though my TS-570's AGC
makes is painful at times), but I still can't hold a long QSO in that
mode. I just bought a Vibroplex iambic and with luck, my QSO speed
will start back to 17-20 WPM by year's end.

In all of that, I never attempted to throw my call in even once if I
wasn't sure what to expect back. As I listen to the zoo that is FT5XO
on 40, I have to stop and wonder just what level some of these bozos
are at. I'm betting there are some extra-heavies in there (along with
extra-lites). Few seem to understand the concept of split, some fists
are so bad it's agonizing to listen to and the litany of lids who
continue to throw their calls ad-infinitum-ad-nauseum, even as the
MicroLites are transmitting, is enough to drive me batty.

I just have to wonder if CW decoding software is taking a lot of
inDUHviduals from the SSB parts of the bands and making them
pretend-CW ops, fouling it for those who actually know how to listen
and have a clue on how to operate.

73 de Peter, W2IRT
(ex-AB2NZ, VE3THX)

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