Subj : New Adventures in Old Tech
To   : All
From : n2qfd
Date : Sun Jul 07 2024 17:36:17

I can't be the only CW person in here. 

   It was a good time this past week with the Special Event and making it a Ham Radio focused vacation for once. Something I did find though was that while I was stalking my prey station for the event I came across loads of other operators calling CQ. By this time I had swapped by cootie (double speed) key over to the keyer so that I might stand a chance with K2E who refused for most of the week to operate at less than 35WPM and wasn't making much in the way of replies to slower stations. 
   I can copy at 35-40, anyone who practices can, but it's work, and this is my hobby. 
   That being said I dialed in my keyer and kept hunting but I was sort of put off not being able to answer several SKCC calls for the change in set up. Now combine that with a long smoldering desire for a crack at this I've decided I'm getting a bug. 
   There are loads of contrivances to slow the roll of a semi-automatic keyer such as the Vibroplex so I can work in that sweet spot of 15-20 WPM where I like to hang out, but I can also answer the SKCC calls of my fellow looking for numbers and chasing that next appended letter. So, back to school for me I think, I'll have to relearn my key! 
  Currently I'm using a Vibrokeyer that I've got wired as double speed key and it's been really great. I'm comfortable with the hardware but I hope I'm able to convince my brain after a decade of this that I have to pick a direction now! 

  Any other Vibroplex operators out there? I'm thinking I'll use my set up to practice sending to something like my FLDigi of PK-232 to make sure I'm sending quality code. I've read one should vary the speed regularly too to keep sharp. 

  Any pointers for a new bug operator? 

 best 73

N2QFD{Queen City BBS}:// "Does this need to be said? Does this need to be said
by me? Does this need to be said by me right now?" - Craig Ferguson 

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Raspberry Pi/32)
 * Origin: Queen City BBS (21:1/154)

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