Interesting speed test

[Covey41]

All the Ham Radio Operators on Chief Delphi will find this interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc5j4Bia9nI

If you're going to Atlanta check out www.w4doc.org

73
WA1MOW

[Molten]

That was an interesting idea. I'm really not that surprised though. The question is, what do you attribute it to? I personally think it is user interface. He didn't have to search for the keys. He had one button. He just had to push it wisely.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Without really knowing for sure, I would guess that the Ham was sending at something like 20 words per minute by the sound of the code. It took about 18 seconds to send the message via Morse Code. It looked like they were using one of my favorite rigs, a Yaesu FT-817 as well. Code operators, by the way, have been using short hand (abreviations) in sending messages for a long time. One of the nicest things about using code in ham radio is that it can still transmit a message even when signal conditions are so bad that the noise is louder than the signal. This is impossible for analog voice communications.

[ScottOliveira]

Of course, the two Morse code guys were very experienced. 38 and 43 years, competing against a pair of guys in their teens/twenties. Something to be said for practice.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Scott,
Even out of practice I can do between 5 and 10 WPM. Give me a few minutes and I can get back up higher. Prior to April 2007 (I think) all ham license classes except Technician, required a code test. Novice was 5 WPM, General and above was 13 WPM both for send and receive. Many years ago, the upper classes also required higher code proficiency. Extra as I remember may have 20 WPM. Radio operators in WWII were required to copy 5 letter nonsense groups at 35WPM or above, some while typing. The traffic was coded so nonsense was intentional.

[Team2339]

They weren't sending that fast, just smart. Good fist.
I wonder if there is an I-phone morse code app?
KQ6Y

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Originally Posted by Team2339

I wonder if there is an I-phone morse code app?
KQ6Y

Is that a new oxymoron?

[Jeff Pahl]

Here are some background details on the video clip:
http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/05/16/3/?nc=1

What really drives me nuts is I have friends who can sit there and work CW at 30+ wpm in a contest, while talking to whoever is sitting next to them. I struggle at 5 wpm

73 de K0JSP

[boomergeek]

The cellphone users do not seem to have been FIRST material.

I would have clicked a picture of the message card and had the pic message on the other cellphone in less than 5 seconds (trouncing the speed of the Morse Code guys).

Or even better, I could have had a pair of eight year olds do it.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Jeff,
Remember contesting uses a limited vocab.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by boomergeek

I would have clicked a picture of the message card and had the pic message on the other cellphone in less than 5 seconds (trouncing the speed of the Morse Code guys).

Or even better, I could have had a pair of eight year olds do it.

Which is outside the box, like a 150 lb robot without the batteries or bumpers, I'm sure. Does it do the job? Yeah. Is it legal? Nah. Why? It's sending TEXT, not pictures.

If you're going to use a pic message, then I'll just use voice and have it there faster. I can read that message into the phone in less than 5 seconds, and it'll be understandable. And yes, that is still using "old" technology.

[ScottOliveira]

Originally Posted by EricH

Which is outside the box, like a 150 lb robot without the batteries or bumpers, I'm sure. Does it do the job? Yeah. Is it legal? Nah. Why? It's sending TEXT, not pictures.

If you're going to use a pic message, then I'll just use voice and have it there faster. I can read that message into the phone in less than 5 seconds, and it'll be understandable. And yes, that is still using "old" technology.

If you're going to use the voice on the phone, I'll just run over and give him the message. (I could just shout it out, but then the other guy would hear it too!)

[Jeff Pahl]

Originally Posted by Al Skierkiewicz

Jeff,
Remember contesting uses a limited vocab.

I know, but it's still annoying to those of us who struggle to be able to do it at all

People with musical inclination take to CW much better than those of us who struggle to play "Mary Had A Little Lamb". The military actually came on campus and recruited some of my wife's college classmates who were music or music therapy majors as high speed CW intercept operators. They were taught to be able to receive nonsense character groups at 50+ WPM (since anything they would be copying off the air would be encoded). That was "a few" years ago, I don't know if they still do that.

[Aren_Hill]

Must say i'd prefer texting, because I'm completely familiar with my qwerty keyboard and can use that familiarity for other things, morse code on the other hand would still be nifty


KDOHFT (very recently became licensed for the solar car team)

[gorrilla]

wow,

seems like alot of people have their liscence........

my dad and his dad used to do this. we still have all the equipment...

I should probobly go get my liscence.......