If my CW is bad while I’m out on an activation…
…it’s because my radio is precariously placed upon a log. 
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Or I’m being eaten alive by sandflies / mosquitos / midges (delete as appropriate).
Or my fingers are too numb to feel.
And that wasn’t a 555 signal report. That was me shivering.
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Yes! Good golly, the wind was blowing so hard, and my batteries were getting so low I couldn’t even hear my code, much less the other op’s code!
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Most likey its cause my Fingers are numb or something has grabbed my attention from sending busy summit people asking questions.
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All too often it’s because my CW skills are not refined enough, even yet. The bugs, wind, physical discomfort, etc., affect it too, but not as much.
73,
Andy, N4LAG
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Luxury
I dream of operating off a log.
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K country Grizzlies haha, these will screw my sending up as well. just saying
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Crikey! Serious distractions.
If my CW is good, someone has pirated my call.
73
Ron
VK3AFW.
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Yes, as the others have pointed out, operating CW (and other modes to a lesser extent) is a totally different ball game in the comfort of the table in your shack, compared with SOTA activating when you are usually sitting, often hunched up, with your body and equipment on what can be a filthy, wet and uneven patch of ground and operating from there.
73 Phil G4OBK
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If my CW is bad… in summer it is due to the Scottish midges, in winter it is due to the Scottish weather. Which means if you are using a computer to decode my signals, only look for me in Spring and Autumn. 
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That big boy can have my sandwich, kx2, actually everything just give me three steps……
Dale AA7OY
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Oh yeah he gets all my gear if he walks out.
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So if your CW is bad its the bear sending!
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probably lol
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Fire ants. Seriously. This has happened several times.
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That does not look like it felt pleasant at all wow.
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That must be one of those P-100mm associations. How long did it take you to summit?
I’m intrigued by the label ‘ROCK’.
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Ha! We were on vacation on the Big Island of Hawaii. I have yet to do a SOTA there due to timing and logistics and wanting to stay married.
The “ROCK” label is to remind me to pick up a small rock at the summit of an activation. I write the summit designation on it and my wife puts it into a small bowl. This was her idea, actually.
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