In reply to G8ADD:
And at least very few people can speak faster than you can comprehend, and the vast majority of activators and chasers speak quite slowly. Also, there are the multitude of prosigns and abbreviations to remember, which makes learning numbers 1 - 9 in a few languages (which to my shame I havn’t done yet) less of a chore.
Regards, Dave, G6DTN
In reply to M0DFA:
A-Z, 0-9, ?, BK, K, KN, CQ, QRZ? QRX, UP1, QSY, NIL, 73, TU, QSB, RST, CALL, REF
37 characters, 15 abbreviations and prosigns.
That does it for me. Works for people who don’t use Roman alphabets as well.
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to G8ADD:
In reply to M1EYP:
But it is still “good to talk”!
To be fair, I had forgotten about the silly robot network that
services the brass pounders! It strikes me as ironic that the devotees
of a mode that make so much of its simplicity and efficiency should be
serviced by a hi-tech robot that eliminates the thrill of the hunt,
but so be it!
You of course, do realise, what you have just typed is akin to high treason on the Reflector, Brian (even if it’s true). I fear your fate rests with the CW Taliban 
73 Mike
2E0YY
In reply to 2E0YYY:
I don’t fear them, Mike, I am protected by the nuclear deterrent…a little button labeled “Edit” controls it! 
73
Brian G8ADD
In reply to G8ADD:
“to be spotted you have to be worked first, unless you self spot. ;-)”
Not entirely true Brian, you just have to be heard first, I am currently Rx only on 60m but I am happy to spot people I hear that haven’t already been spotted. Although to be fair that isn’t a great problem on 60m, it sounds like you can pretty much guarantee at least 4 contacts fairly quickly during Daylight hours (or is that just my perception with my preference for VHF/UHF Ops).
I won’t get drawn into the ‘Brass-pounder’ arguement:)
73,
Colin
M0XSD.
In reply to MM0FMF:
Andy,
Don’t you need / and - too?
73,
Rod
In reply to MM0FMF:
Hi, Andy. Do you never have to use QRS and never go QRT?
Back to the original subject, I will always spot (prefered) or use SMSbot, but then my climbing skills and location (Shrewsbury) preclude really remote summits where mobile phone access is impossible. Alerting is a problem at the moment, as a knee problem (possibly the meniscus) means that I am having to re-assess what I can do and how long it takes.
Regards, Dave, G6DTN
In reply to M0DFA:
I don’t bother with QRT, people stop calling so I stop sending But you’re correct with QRS. Used it once or twice, but most callers do match their speed to mine. I’m hardly a speed demon ( ~18wpm) so most are sending not too much faster anyway. I think I used QRS more when I was starting out.
Still not much to learn to enable QSOs with anyone worlwide reqgardless of their native tongue.
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to MM0FMF:
I don’t bother with QRT, people stop calling so I stop sending
Ah, so you miss out on one of the nicities of CW SOTA operation then Andy. When you announce you are going QRT, there is usually someone you’ve worked still listening on the frequency who will sign you off with an extra “mni tnx es 73” or something similar. I always get pleasure from that as it makes me feel that the effort that I have put in has been appreciated. 
Mni tnx es 73, Gerald G4OIG
P.S. At 18wpm you have a good chance of getting all the information right first time without the need to ask for a repeat which takes up more time.
In reply to G4OIG:
Ah, so you miss out on one of the nicities of CW SOTA operation then
Andy.
I rather like that too. I normally sign off with a G3CWI/P QRT 73 and often there is a reply. It’s nice to know that someone is still listening. It warms me up and means that I pack up with a smile on my face.
Only a person who does not know could say that CW lacks a human element…
73
Richard
G3CWI
In reply to MM0FMF:
No, that’s what makes it sooooooooo cool! The overt over use of huge
amounts of technology to enhance the most basic of radio communication
methods. There are so many CPU cycles devoted to getting a spot out
you have to stop and admire the madness of it. Especially as the CW
bit would work without it. It is a fine example of lily-gilding.
How long before someone writes code that reads the spot, tunes up the home station rig, and sends QRZ ? ? ? blindly on the frequency. No, wait, there are already things that do that ;o)
In reply to G4OIG:
I operate at about 18wpm because I can’t send faster with gloves etc. I’d like to get that up to 20wpm simply because it’s a nice round number. For short periods I can (just about) copy random calls from lcwo.net at 27-28wpm. But it’s too much like hard work. I’m sure most are sending to me around 18-22wpm.
As for the extra thanks, well that’s reason to make me start QRT-ing
I bought a keyer the other day. I was going to mod my beacon keyer I designed and programmed a while back so it would act as a memory keyer. But with SOTA database work and my youngest having moved out of the house and business trips abroad I’ve been too busy to play with that and paly SOTA. So I bought a Hamgadgets Pico Keyer kit. 10mins to build and away you go. It’s got a real speed knob on the front so I can slowly keep nudging the speed up now to get to the magic 20wpm. Assuming my fingers keep synced with my brain. A memory with a CQ SOTA message is great too, gives me time for a drink etc. whilst it’s bleating away.
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to MM0FMF:
So I bought a Hamgadgets Pico Keyer kit. 10mins to
build and away you go. It’s got a real speed knob on the front so I
can slowly keep nudging the speed up now to get to the magic 20wpm.
Nice one. I have one of those around somewhere - it’s excellent. The clunky speed control on the FT817 is a real disadvantage. My homebrew radios have proper speed contol knobs - of course. But then again they don’t have mike sockets.
73
Richard
G3CWI
In reply to G3CWI:
It was El Presidente (John G3WGV) who said “get a keyer with a proper speed control knob and don’t use the built in keyer”. I guessed with all the Morse he does he may be talking from a position of experience here. So I did what he said.
I like the fact you turn the speed control fully to one end and you get the programmed default speed (~18wpm in my case) and then turning the speed from there gets you the range of speeds offered from slow to silly fast.
I feel guilty buying one when I have may thousands of hours of PIC programming under my fingers. But I’m sure people would rather have a SOTA S2S award than have me satisfy my own intellectual ego by programming my own keyer “just so”. Anyway, it was $26 with box, too cheap to worry.
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to G3CWI:
In reply to 2E0YYY:
Without spots, HF activations would be virtually impossible.
Mike
I think that you have missed out “SSB” from this sentence. The use of
more effective modes makes HF activations quite possible without
spots.
I don’t do more effective modes Richard, however, I would suggest my “SSB” SOTA logs will stand up to the scrutiny of any of the SOTA “more effective modes” operators. I also get to have a nice rag chew using real words and not dahs and dits when I feel like it …albeit at the slight inconvenience of a bigger battery.
73 Mike
2E0YYY
Abbreviations and codes are just as prevalent on SSB as they are in CW. CW uses real words, almost always in English, just like SSB. I find the comments of some CW ops much easier to hear and understand than those of certain SSB ops!
Anyway Mickey, don’t worry about a bigger battery. Get an 817 - you can do hours and hours of SSB and FM on these from just a single 7Ah SLAB - no CW required. Made some beautiful DX fone contacts from this set-up recently with 5 watts and a lightweight GP vertical antenna.
WARC bands if you’re HF activating this weekend Mickey - the main bands will no doubt be busting with CW stations well beyond the frequencies where they normally hang out! If you can’t beat 'em, join 'em - so I’ll be spending time operating as part of the G5D team rather than any SOTAing.
Tom M1EYP
In reply to MM0FMF:
I operate at about 18wpm because I can’t send faster with gloves etc.
Well, when I took my 12wpm morse test, the examiner at the coastal radio station at Mablethorpe said that all their traffic was at 14wpm because it was easy to read without having to write it down. I send at 18wpm because it is the pace that I can get a nice rhythm going from my straight key. No knobs to twiddle so no issue on whether the 817 has a clunky keyer.
A memory with a CQ SOTA message is great too, gives me time for a drink etc. whilst it’s bleating away.
Well I often do that while I am on receive. One advantage of morse is that I know when the transmission is being passed back to me… unless of course I’m working Reg G3WPF on 2m CW - he tends to slip in a bit of chat to catch me out!
As to the original subject posed by Stewart, I certainly prefer to be spotted unless I have a genuine reason for not being spotted. Not everyone has the time to sit in the shack listening on frequency and a spot allows those that are doing other things and only taking an occasional check on SOTAwatch to see when I’m QRV.
73, Gerald G4OIG
I definitely prefer to be spotted. I’ve found from experience that if you aren’t spotted, you generally won’t work chasers and it makes it a bit harder to eke out 4 QSOs. I’m also one of those kids who activates exclusively in SSB since I haven’t fully learned the Morse alphabet. I also don’t feel obligated to stay if conditions aren’t favorable, either.
73, Nick/K1MAZ
In reply to K1MAZ:
I also don’t feel obligated to stay if conditions aren’t
favorable, either.
…and neither should you feel obligated Nick. There are any number of reasons that cut short activations and your safety and comfort are high up the list (actually at the top!). I get cold quickly due to being shaped more like a mouse than an elephant so my activations are always short!
73
Richard G3CWI
In reply to MM0FMF:
I operate at about 18wpm because I can’t send faster with gloves etc.
Solve your problem with a pair of these:
73 Jim G0CQK