Rick,
Those are good questions and I'm sure you'll get a variety of answers.
Here's mine...
In most CW contests I find fellows operate around 27 ~ 29 wpm, a few faster
in the 31 ~ 33 wpm range. On the other hand there are many fellows that
operate in the 21 ~ 25 wpm range. I slow down or speed up to match their
speed when I am in S&P mode. I will drop below 20 wpm if that's the speed I
hear.
The ARRL Sweepstakes CW contest tends to run at a slightly higher rate,
especially after the fellows get "warmed up on Saturday evening". So it's a
mad house of pileups at the beginning and then speed demons if you show up
on Sunday!
If you're contesting, you are (should be) using a keyboard for logging. So I
wouldn't waste time trying to write with pen and paper. If you insist
though, most people can write in cursive faster than printing, so writing
will give a speed advantage. I switched styles in the early days when I hit
the 20 wpm mark because I couldn't print any faster.
I believe the Farnsworth method allows characters to be sent at one speed
(say 27 wpm) and the element spacing set at a slower speed (say 22 wpm).
This is the option I would use if it was a choice. You will learn the sound
of the higher speed elements.
In a contest, sometimes I will listen to a QSO and "load" my logging program
with the information even before I attempt a contact (in S&P mode). If you
are in run mode, you can set your speed to your comfort level. Most
operators will slow down for you.
73 de Bob - KØRC in MN
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rick Kiessig" <kiessig@gmail.com>
To: <cq-contest@contesting.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 09, 2008 5:02 PM
Subject: [CQ-Contest] Learning Morse
> I've decided to learn Morse, mainly with an eye toward contesting. I
> tried
> and failed many times years ago, using the approach recommended to me at
> the
> time - cassette tapes. I recently discovered the Koch method, and have
> been
> using the G4FON software, but I have some questions:
>
> -- Since the Koch technique has you learning at full-speed from the
> beginning, what's a reasonable speed to aim for? What's the range that
> you
> might see in a typical contest?
> -- I've started at 22 wpm, and find that the speed of my handwriting is
> often not fast enough to keep up, and keyboarding is even worse. The only
> way I could imagine going faster is to copy entirely in my head. How did
> do
> you get past that hurdle?
> -- Are there any other approaches to learning that I should consider, or
> perhaps better implementations of the Koch technique?
>
> Thanks,
> 73, Rick ZL2HAM
>
>
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