Why thirteen and twenty?
 

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I can understand why Novice and Technician Plus required five words
per minute -- the treaty and all -- but why did General require
thirteen words per minute and Amateur Extra twenty words per minute?

Is there a real reason?

Jack.
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Jack Twilley
jmt at twilley dot org
http colon slash slash www dot twilley dot org slash tilde jmt slash
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In article , Jack Twilley
writes:

I can understand why Novice and Technician Plus required five words
per minute -- the treaty and all -- but why did General require
thirteen words per minute and Amateur Extra twenty words per minute?

Is there a real reason?

12 to 13 wpm is generally agreed to be above the speed where things such as
"counting dits" work for most people. It's the beginning of the skills which
take one to higher speeds

20 wpm derives from the old 1923-24 "Amateur Extra First Class" which chose 20
as double the old 10 wpm standard. It was reintroduced in 1951 when the current
Amateur Extra class was created.

Both speeds are far below those required of experienced professional Morse
operators.

73 de Jim, N2EY

"N2EY" wrote in message
...
In article , Jack Twilley
writes:

I can understand why Novice and Technician Plus required five words
per minute -- the treaty and all -- but why did General require
thirteen words per minute and Amateur Extra twenty words per minute?

Is there a real reason?

12 to 13 wpm is generally agreed to be above the speed where things such
as
"counting dits" work for most people. It's the beginning of the skills
which
take one to higher speeds

20 wpm derives from the old 1923-24 "Amateur Extra First Class" which
chose 20
as double the old 10 wpm standard. It was reintroduced in 1951 when the
current
Amateur Extra class was created.

Both speeds are far below those required of experienced professional Morse
operators.

73 de Jim, N2EY

One more thing Jim. 20 wpm is above another 'threshold', which is at about
18wpm for most folks. So you gotta know it to do it.

Dan/W4NTI

Jim, N2EY, wrote:

20 wpm derives from the old 1923-24 "Amateur Extra
First Class" which chose 20 as double the old 10 wpm
standard. It was reintroduced in 1951 when the current
Amateur Extra class was created.

Both speeds are far below those required of experienced
professional Morse operators.

Are there any 'professional' Morse operators left who
earn their living by sending by hand and receiving by
ear? I am under the impression it is now strictly an
amateur endeavor.

Jim, K7JEB

Jim,

I had a 2nd class radiotelegraph license back in 1967. One needed to be 21
(I was still a teenager) plus have sufficient service time to qualify for
the 1st (I forget, but it seems it was one year at sea running
communications under the supervision of a 1st telegraph). The second was 20
words per minute and the 1st was 25 words per minute. From what I have
heard, the 25 was sufficient to get you a not too good paying job on the
slow side circuits whilst you had to be 100% copy and reliable at 30 to get
the good jobs on the main circuits. Of course, this would pre-date 1967 by
quite a few years :)

From what I recall, back in the 60s you tended to hear the newcomers at 5 to
10 words per minute, a minor number in the 13 to 20 range, a number in the
30 word per minute range, and a surprising number in the 40 plus word per
minute range. I did run into one guy that I had a problem with until he
realized I wasn't the guy he was used to hearing at KG6NAC and finally
slowed down to about 50 (which was really pushing limits for me at that
time). I originally called cq at about 40 to 45 and he responded at around
60. Fortunately, I got most of his call but that was a bit much.

73 from Rochester, NY
Jim AA2QA


"N2EY" wrote in message
...
In article , Jack Twilley
writes:

I can understand why Novice and Technician Plus required five words
per minute -- the treaty and all -- but why did General require
thirteen words per minute and Amateur Extra twenty words per minute?

Is there a real reason?

12 to 13 wpm is generally agreed to be above the speed where things such
as
"counting dits" work for most people. It's the beginning of the skills
which
take one to higher speeds

20 wpm derives from the old 1923-24 "Amateur Extra First Class" which
chose 20
as double the old 10 wpm standard. It was reintroduced in 1951 when the
current
Amateur Extra class was created.

Both speeds are far below those required of experienced professional Morse
operators.

73 de Jim, N2EY


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"Dan/W4NTI" w4nti@get rid of this mindspring.com wrote in message thlink.net...
"N2EY" wrote in message
...
In article , Jack Twilley
writes:

I can understand why Novice and Technician Plus required five words
per minute -- the treaty and all -- but why did General require
thirteen words per minute and Amateur Extra twenty words per minute?

Is there a real reason?

12 to 13 wpm is generally agreed to be above the speed where things such
as
"counting dits" work for most people. It's the beginning of the skills
which
take one to higher speeds

20 wpm derives from the old 1923-24 "Amateur Extra First Class" which
chose 20
as double the old 10 wpm standard. It was reintroduced in 1951 when the
current
Amateur Extra class was created.

Both speeds are far below those required of experienced professional Morse
operators.

73 de Jim, N2EY

One more thing Jim. 20 wpm is above another 'threshold', which is at about
18wpm for most folks. So you gotta know it to do it.

Dan/W4NTI


Welp Dan, as I strap on my dragon armor and jousting butt-plug, please
orient me toward the 1951 anachronism of the 1923 AEFC standard.

didididididit.

"Jim Hampton" wrote in message ...
Jim,

I had a 2nd class radiotelegraph license back in 1967. One needed to be 21
(I was still a teenager) plus have sufficient service time to qualify for
the 1st (I forget, but it seems it was one year at sea running
communications under the supervision of a 1st telegraph). The second was 20
words per minute and the 1st was 25 words per minute. From what I have
heard, the 25 was sufficient to get you a not too good paying job on the
slow side circuits whilst you had to be 100% copy and reliable at 30 to get
the good jobs on the main circuits. Of course, this would pre-date 1967 by
quite a few years :)

Phil Kane has posted that there was a *shortage* of licensed
radiotelegraph ops for the maritime services during the Vietnam
conflict. Supplies going to VN went mostly by ship, all of which were
US flag vessels....

Any connection to incentive licensing is pure speculation.

From what I recall, back in the 60s you tended to hear the newcomers at 5 to
10 words per minute, a minor number in the 13 to 20 range, a number in the
30 word per minute range, and a surprising number in the 40 plus word per
minute range. I did run into one guy that I had a problem with until he
realized I wasn't the guy he was used to hearing at KG6NAC and finally
slowed down to about 50 (which was really pushing limits for me at that
time). I originally called cq at about 40 to 45 and he responded at around
60. Fortunately, I got most of his call but that was a bit much.

It's still that way today. 'tother night I had a nice QRQ ragchew with
a French amateur on the low end of 80. Had the bug weight waay back!

I recall a post sometime back where a veteran described a code test
for US Navy "A" school, circa 1958. The test was to receive, on a
standard Navy mill, 5 letter groups at 24 wpm. For a solid hour.
Maximum of 3 errors in the entire hour.

73 de Jim, N2EY

"Brian" wrote in message
om...
"Dan/W4NTI" w4nti@get rid of this mindspring.com wrote in message
thlink.net...
"N2EY" wrote in message
...
In article , Jack Twilley
writes:

I can understand why Novice and Technician Plus required five words
per minute -- the treaty and all -- but why did General require
thirteen words per minute and Amateur Extra twenty words per minute?

Is there a real reason?

12 to 13 wpm is generally agreed to be above the speed where things
such
as
"counting dits" work for most people. It's the beginning of the skills
which
take one to higher speeds

20 wpm derives from the old 1923-24 "Amateur Extra First Class" which
chose 20
as double the old 10 wpm standard. It was reintroduced in 1951 when
the
current
Amateur Extra class was created.

Both speeds are far below those required of experienced professional
Morse
operators.

73 de Jim, N2EY

One more thing Jim. 20 wpm is above another 'threshold', which is at
about
18wpm for most folks. So you gotta know it to do it.

Dan/W4NTI


Welp Dan, as I strap on my dragon armor and jousting butt-plug, please
orient me toward the 1951 anachronism of the 1923 AEFC standard.

didididididit.

Lets see if you can understand this then;

If I want any crap out of you, I will squeeze your head.

Have a lousy day.

Dan/W4NTI

In article AJejb.26585$Rd4.4023@fed1read07, "K7JEB"
writes:

Jim, N2EY, wrote:

20 wpm derives from the old 1923-24 "Amateur Extra
First Class" which chose 20 as double the old 10 wpm
standard. It was reintroduced in 1951 when the current
Amateur Extra class was created.

Both speeds are far below those required of experienced
professional Morse operators.

Are there any 'professional' Morse operators left who
earn their living by sending by hand and receiving by
ear? I am under the impression it is now strictly an
amateur endeavor.

There are still a few ships using Morse and a few shore stations, but you have
to look for them really hard. I don't think there are any left in the USA.

The maritime services got away from using Morse for the same reasons railroads
got away from steam locomotives: Cost to operate.

Back when the transition was being made, diesel electric locomotives cost more
to build or buy than the equivalent horsepower in steam, and coal cost less
than its diesel fuel equivalent.

But diesels did not require turntables, tenders, large amounts of water and
distribution thereof, or disposal of ashes. The volume and weight of fuel for a
given number of horsepower-hours was less for a diesel, and the fuel was a
clean, easy to handle liquid. Diesel maintenance was less and in warm weather
diesels could be shut down and started up on a few minutes' notice. Multiple
diesel units could be coupled together for more horespower without requiring
another engine crew to operate.

73 de Jim, N2EY