wrote in message
ups.com...


[snip]



The late Dick Carrol/W0EX prided himself on being able to send code so
poorly that even a computer code reader couldn't copy him. This was in
order to prevent unworthy No-Code Technicians from eavesdropping on
him.


That was plain stupid. There's no need to try to send deliberately bad
code. Only the finest operators can send code well enough with a hand key
that a computer can copy it anyway. Only exceptionally good operators can
send well enough with a bug that a computer can copy it. Only very good
operators can send well enough with paddles that computers can copy it.
Basically a computer is good at copying computer generated code.

BTW, all the other Pro-Code Extras were good with it, coming up with
cool, old-timey sounding excuses for such bad behavoir. "Banana Boat
Swing" and "unique fist" were heard. A ham needn't try to produce CW
that meets the Morse Code specification for dots, dashes,
inter-dot/dash spacing, inter-character spacing, and inter-word spacing.


The "Banana Boat Swing" and "unique fist" existed long, long before
computers came along. These were simply operators with poor sending skills.
And they are a pain in the ear and brain to copy. I usually move on rather
than respond to them.

Dee, N8UZE