On Jul 11, 6:56 pm, "Howard Lester" wrote:
"KC4UAI" wrote

I just had my first introduction to CW contesting during field day.
I

sat and watched a CW operator rack up QSO after QSO at 25 wpm and I
was very impressed. Man, I wanted to do that! I left field day
with a renewed interest in CW thinking that I might try and brush off
the dust and cobwebs from my CW skills and give it a try next year.

-----------------------------

I suggest you stay with your
original plan and stay inspired. As far as I can imagine, there's no real
operating skill required for automation.

I actually see value in both approaches. It takes a mixture of what I
call "classic radio operation" (where the radio knobs are turned,
signals received by ear, and keying done by hand) and the use of
automating technology (electronic logs, automatic keyers, and an
increasingly more capable forms of automation) to stay up with the
state of the art. Both involve hard work and dedication to do the job
well and both are valuable skills to develop.

I would hope that the rules that govern contesting will take both into
account and encourage the development and integration of new tools
while maintaining the need for the classic radio skills.

-= KC4UAI =-