# CW # how can do it !

3/ I tried this :
image

The next will be a mail

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Hi Eric,
You forgot to add after “his robot”: always 2 times callsign sending :exclamation:
Same situation is with GM4ZMK … sometime during my S2S QSO is double call
73, Jarek

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Hi Jarek,

Thank you for your testimonial

No, I haven’t forgotten him, but he’s less virulent than Ray and ZMK seems to read the song a little better. :joy:
What more needs to be done ???

73, Éric
F5JKK

to add the dance to song :smile:

73, Jarek

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Well shall we say attempting an 80km path on 20m groundwave is optimistic. Various sources suggest the attenuation on groundwave 20m for 80km is ~160dB. I don’t know if we also had a polarisation loss to consider which is typically another 30dB. So path loss -160dB to -190dB. I didn’t hear him or even think there was something in the noise either.

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Andy tks QSO,

Anyway you couldn’t hear him he was calling while you were answering me, that’s what’s annoying…

Gentlemen,

There are so many chasers actions that could be annoying …
R.I.P Guru also written about it many times.
I thing it is not easy to make it better but if we show here sometimes some callsigns may be their owners will take a white to thing about …
Of course, they must be here and read it …

In the meantime we will hit the wall by our head as always.

But we love to activate, that is why :beers:

73, Jarek

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The reason why it sounds elitist when you complain about MGM is that people think you feel superior because you can do CW in your head. That’s far from the truth. The reason is they have more latencies and the flow between QSO partners gets disrupted. So if they get used when there’s a big pileup, they tend to send at the wrong times and that slows down the pileup.

Now I’ll work anyone whether it’s straight key, paddle, MGM etc. (But not them Vibroplex monstrosities! Not fair, I go slower than most are setup for so they are hard to use and decode. OK if you’re not a CW sloth like me.). If you want to call using some kind of decoder/keyer, just wait till the mania subsides.I normally QSY after about 5mins of calling and getting no replies. So wait till nearer the end before using them. That way the pileup goes smoother, then MGM users still have plenty of time to get their QSO and there’s less disruption and everyone is happier.

Admission: I use a robot to call CQ SOTA. It sends much better than I do :blush:

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The matter is:

  1. can you copy ?
  2. if yest I always try to send one time for the first, if trouble to receive I repeat more times.
    Example below:
    SP/BI - 2022-05-02 - SP/BI-023 S2S with Bruno HB9CBR - YouTube

73, Jarek

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I’m not elitist on this subject, though I’m not bothered if someone mistakenly thinks I am – perhaps that makes me elitist. We’re all elitist on something (e.g. taste in music, clothes, …).

Just to be clear, like you [and probably the vast majority of CW operators] I don’t feel superior to anyone who hasn’t learned or is having difficulty learning Morse Code. I have always gently encouraged folk interested in learning Morse for the benefits we enjoy. As previously mentioned, I don’t object to MGM in principle, only when it’s used inappropriately or by someone who hasn’t taken the time to learn the protocols, etiquette, etc associated with CW mode.

Hah! Now, I’m quite happy to work ops using cooties and bugs and switch to my straight key if I can – it’s only like someone speaking with a strong accent – and it helps sharpen my ‘CW ear’.

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Got me thinking that comment Andy… How about having a SOTA straight key day or weekend? Now that would be and would sound different, quite hard and not so slick for me! If I took part it would only be as a Chaser.

73 Phil

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I’m all for that any time, Phil. I find straight keying challenging when portable. My Palm PPK on top of the FT817 causes the rig to wobble back and forth on whatever uneven rock it’s on.

Although, for a SOTA special event like a Straight Key (cootie, bug) Day, I would take my homemade clipboard [two hardback covers from last year’s ‘Next’ catalogue taped together with a metal plate glued in one corner for the magnetic base key].

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Another whinge.

Ops who run non QSK rigs in semi-break-in where the first character is poorly formed. This sounds horrible and can also be attributed to RF switched or non-QSK linears.
It is time we moved on and formed all our characters properly!

Just listen to the transmission on a monitoring RX and reject the non QSK kit!
Regards
David
G0EVV

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The newer rigs have digital delay circuits that allow T/R switching to be complete before the first character is transmitted.

Solid state rigs I’ve owned since hte mid 80s have had sufficiently fast switching that the first character was not chopped at all, even without true QSK features (TS430, TS440).

Spare a thought for the relay contacts in those older hot-switching rigs. They won’t last long with that treatment.

73 Andrew VK1DA/VK2DA

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I would like to send special greetings to @GM7NZI who disturbed very seriously with our today’s QSO with Declan @EI6FR
@GM7NZI did now hear neither Declan nor me … and sent his double robot CQ a few times during our S2S QSO.
Shame :rage:

73, Jarek

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Far too modest Phil !

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Jarek - the same caller kept sending his callsign to me (CW) at two different times during an activation. He clearly could not hear me or my replies both times.

The last time he sent his callsign again I again replied but with no answer. Then I heard someone I know (I recognise their cw/fist) send “…switch your radio on…” Made me smile. :wink:

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Hi Friends,

I am happy to say that chasing made by Ray @GM7NZI is now much more effective .
There is no “blind” calling and as David @M6GYU said above his radio is for sure switched on :wink:

I cannot say so about @IK2ECC who is absolute master of disaster of making QRM.
Sorry chasers but I must QRT my activation of DM/TH-001 today (yesterday) because he did not stop to send his callsign (2 times of course - robot) during my QSOs with another chasers.
When he called one time not covering nobody and I send him report I heard silence as answer …

Maybe Italian Friends can send him some tips …
Andrea @IW0HK could you please consider the above ?

Many thanks in advance an Happy New Year for everybody :champagne:

73, Jarek

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I highly appreciate this discussion.
I’m teaching cw for three years now and I’m thinking of recommending this thread to my students. First thing I tell my students is that half part of learning cw is to learn the operating procedure. I demonstrate standard QSO situations right from the first lesson.
It does not make much difference if you can perfectly decode and send with your brain or with a computer, when you don’t know the procedure.
At my last activation I had a newbee with me who just listened. She could decode most but afterwards we had 1/2 hour discussion analyzing what was going on. Why did I call/ask/reply just like I did? So sorry, I did not do a recording - this would have been a nearly complete tutorial…
There is so much truth in the FOC rules. https://g4foc.org/conduct
It’s a question of attitude. I’m far from perfect but, I always try to get better, according to the code of conduct. Some of my students develope bad habits. It’s a real challenge for me to convince them to do better. I just can try to set a good example but I understand there will always be some specialists who will know better…
73 Martin

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The important point about CW as a chaser is that you can do it before you are able to “small talk” on CW. During CW training, start early with chasing SOTA on CW.
You must be able to recognize the callsign from SotaWatch with “CQ sota de x1xxx” You should also be able to read the report 559, 5nn, 559, 529 etc. The rest is 73 TU … My report is almost always 5nn, but I will be trying to read the S meter to give a better report. I still always use a straight key, and am grateful when the activator reduces the CW speed. They must scratch their head wondering what a newcomer this is.
I normally wait till the pileup is over and the activator send CQ. Sometimes I loose the contact because he changes frequecy and go QRT before sending the second CQ.
It is great fun beeing able to chase both SSB and CW activators. I hope the activators are happy for my CW chasing in spite of my insufficient CW routine.
To all who are learning CW: Start early with SOTA chasing.
Happy new year and good SOTA to everybody.
DE VK3/LA6FTA, Gudleik, from next week LA6FTA

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