New Key on the block! M1EYP

In reply to :
Yes, very well done Tom on your FB efforts on the key - did spot you asking for stations calling to QRS and psed most of them did!
Hope this has encouraged you to be more active on CW - good stuff!
73 de CRIS
GM4FAM

In reply to GM4FAM:

A really magnificent first-time HF CW activation effort Tom. Jumping into the Lion’s Den of 7.032 MHz is not for the faint-hearted.

No copy here, but I listened to the pile-up and you made a lot of EU stations happy, across many countries.

You will be quite exhausted, but glowing with the sense of achievement that only your own skill at CW can give.

There will never be another first time, but hopefully it will be the first of many more.

73
Roy G4SSH

1 Like

Sorry I missed your debut Tom, but it sounds as if you handled it like a good un. Well done mate, I hope you enjoyed it.

73 Mike

Wow. Thanks for the kind words chaps. Yes, I was a little bit “glowing”, but nothing like as much as returning to the shack and reading this. When somebody as steeped in CW as Roy uses the word “magnificent” - well I think I will glow for ever now!

It was a most pleasurable experience, and I hope that the EU CW regulars didn’t mind me bedding down on 7.032MHz. I did actually look for alternatives, but couldn’t find anywhere, until a QRL call on 7.032 was unanswered and I tried my luck there.

The pile-up seemed huge at times, and it was hard to read the calls. Often, it was the one who called last, or called for that little bit longer that I went back to, as that was the only bit I heard in the clear. Perhaps when I get a bit more experienced I will be able to recognise more calls and handle the pile-ups more fairly.

By the end of the activation, I got down to two stations calling, then one station calling, and then none. I do hope this was the pile-up all worked, but apologies to anyone that had to go rather than wait for all the QRS. Thanks to all the stations for working me at my speed, which I will endeavour to continue to increase.

54 minutes operating, 18 contacts, 7 DXCCs - GM, LX, DL, F, G, PA, HB9.

I then went onto 2m FM and only made one contact… CW - it’s the future!

In reply to M1EYP:
'I then went onto 2m FM and only made one contact… CW - it’s the future! ’

One more who has seen the light!!!

Sorry couldnt work you Tom but propagation not good to Stirling today and I dont have the advantage of the huge aerials of Cris (FAM). Enjoyed evesdropping on your pile-up though - well done.

73 Glyn…GM4CFS

In reply to M1EYP:
Hey Tom

That’s fantastic - I didn’t hear you but I’ll listen out next time, what an achievment for a newcomer to CW, amazing.

Phil G4OBK

In reply to M1EYP:

Well done Tom, especially handling the pile up… presumably just with an SSB filter in the rig as well. If that’s the case, you’ll be wanting to break the piggy bank open to buy a CW filter. It can certainly help - it only took me 20 years to find that out! I must get one for the 817.

73 es more of the same… Gerald G4OIG

No Gerald, I fitted a Collins filter in the 817 a few weeks ago. It certainly makes a difference!

In reply to M1EYP:
Well done Tom, I couldn’t hear you but I enjoyed listening to the QRS pile up. Must have been quite daunting at times.

FB OM!

73
Roger MW0IDX

In reply to M1EYP:

Hi Tom,

Congrats. The first few times are always a bit … euh… embarrassing for oneself (my experience) but keep in mind that nobody started with 30+ wpm when he/she got going.

Question to suit your needs: What’s a comfortable copying speed for you? I went down to 10wpm tyring to adapt your keying speed.

73 Norby

At present, 10wpm is the speed that I can reasonably copy at, and indeed what I send at.

Tom

In reply to M1EYP:

Well Tom, your 10wpm was doing a fine job this evening with stations in the UK and across Europe replying to your calls. I had to join the queue but it was a pleasure to have a CW QSO with you for the first time. 40m is usually no good between your QTH and Scarborough, but it gave good sigs into Cornwall.

I have just a FT897 and an indoor 6’ vertical here, but it is enough to copy most CW SOTA activations and it did the job tonight.

73
Roy G4SSH/A

In reply to G4SSH:
Tom and Marc on 3548.5 nw 73

In reply to G3CWI:I will have to set up the RigBlaster and give a call