Transceivers vs operators
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I read about all of the specs in the rigs
I have been operating for 67 years. I got used to radios from the 1950s. My K3 has every option you can buy. Sub receiver and filters galore. I rarely use the narrow filters. I have a “software” defined brain. It is the best filter you can have. If you practice long enough you can do a lot of filtering in your head (brain). I am primarily a CW operator. I can copy up to 50 wpm too. Solid copy fades above that speed. The brain is what allows you to decode CW at those speeds. Done in various amounts of QRM/QRN. My K3 can’t decode at QRQ with QRN/QRM ! Unfortunately you can tune the bands and not hear a CW signal. Hit the FT 8 QRG and there are stations. I can read a book / Newspaper and listen to a 45 wpm CW signal. I hear CW Contesters but they use keyboards to send CW. They can copy calls but don’t ask them a question at QRQ speed. Some can copy but not many. A transceiver is not the most critical element in a station. It is the brain. You can’t upgrade brains. My brain operates at a very fast speed too. When it becomes a reflex it is like human speech. It is after all just a different sound. That takes years to acquire Just a different perspective. It is almost 70 years of experience too. I own a K2, K3, KX2 and KX3. My DXCC TOTAL is 370. I have not used a beam in the last 30 years. It’s the operator ! ! Jim W9VNE/VA3VNE Sent from my iPhone ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [hidden email] |
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Aside from the bragging, much of what you said there is true ... but not all. I used to do a lot of CW contesting with a TS-940SAT, and later with a 756Pro (first version). No amount of experience, brain power, or riding the RF gain and attenuator could help me copy CW when really loud signals 10 or 15 KHz away were desensing the rig to oblivion. I now have a K3 with narrow filters and I have several times run a frequency for a long time before realizing there was another 59+10 station just a few hundred Hz away ... and the only way I discovered that was when stations calling him did so enough off frequency that they hit my passband. Rigs make a difference, and by the way so do antennas. 73, Dave AB7E On 11/1/2019 9:31 PM, Jim Danehy wrote: > I read about all of the specs in the rigs > I have been operating for 67 years. > I got used to radios from the 1950s. > My K3 has every option you can buy. Sub receiver and filters galore. > > I rarely use the narrow filters. I have a “software” defined brain. It is the best filter you can have. If you practice long enough you can do a lot of filtering in your head (brain). > > I am primarily a CW operator. I can copy up to 50 wpm too. Solid copy fades above that speed. The brain is what allows you to decode CW at those speeds. Done in various amounts of QRM/QRN. My K3 can’t decode at QRQ with QRN/QRM ! > > Unfortunately you can tune the bands and not hear a CW signal. Hit the FT 8 QRG and there are stations. > > I can read a book / Newspaper and listen to a 45 wpm CW signal. I hear CW Contesters but they use keyboards to send CW. They can copy calls but don’t ask them a question at QRQ speed. Some can copy but not many. > > A transceiver is not the most critical element in a station. It is the brain. You can’t upgrade brains. > > My brain operates at a very fast speed too. > When it becomes a reflex it is like human speech. It is after all just a different sound. That takes years to acquire > > Just a different perspective. It is almost 70 years of experience too. > > I own a K2, K3, KX2 and KX3. My DXCC TOTAL is 370. I have not used a beam in the last 30 years. > > It’s the operator ! ! > > Jim > W9VNE/VA3VNE > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [hidden email] |
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In reply to this post by Jim Danehy
Snipping bits. Some good points.
On 02/11/2019 11:31, Jim Danehy wrote: > Unfortunately you can tune the bands and not hear a CW signal. Hit the FT 8 QRG and there are stations. I've pretty much come to detest FT-whatever for the apparent demise of, other what I consider more real modes :( I have to have a certain amount of faith though that sunspots will help. Even so ZD7 last night on 15 for a new one so it's not all bad prop, unfortunately a phoney (SSB) contact. > I can read a book / Newspaper and listen to a 45 wpm CW signal. I hear CW Contesters but they use keyboards to send CW. They can copy calls but don’t ask them a question at QRQ speed. Some can copy but not many. Some personal shame here. I can pretty much contest and work dx, but proper cw contacts still scare the bejesus out of me. I refuse to give in though, I'm working up to calling CQ more as well, got to be active. > A transceiver is not the most critical element in a station. It is the brain. You can’t upgrade brains. I disagree, time, training, commitment and focus do help. That said I lack all of these it seems ;) > My brain operates at a very fast speed too. > When it becomes a reflex it is like human speech. It is after all just a different sound. That takes years to acquire At almost 60 I doubt I'll achieve those lofty heights but giving up is not an option either. > Just a different perspective. It is almost 70 years of experience too. > > I own a K2, K3, KX2 and KX3. My DXCC TOTAL is 370. I have not used a beam in the last 30 years. > > It’s the operator ! ! > > Jim > W9VNE/VA3VNE > > > Sent from my iPhone > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[hidden email] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Message delivered to [hidden email] ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [hidden email] |
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In reply to this post by Jim Danehy
"Your mileage may vary" and in my case it does and I respectfully
disagree. A number of years ago, I had inherited a completely stock Hallicrafters SX-28 [with the big bass reflex speaker] from an SK estate and decided to do a CW NAQP a la mid 50's when I was a teenager and new ham. It was to be an SOSB entry, I had one ARC-5 left in the basement on 40. Caps were a little dry in the power supply but took the reforming moderately well. It was ungodly hard, my rate was maybe 5/hr and I packed it in after a couple of hours. Skill matters, but so does the rig ... a lot! [:-) 73, Fred ["Skip"] K6DGW Sparks NV DM09dn Washoe County KN6DGW 1953, K6DGW 5 months later, Extra in 56 after I had the required 2 yr on-air service. On 11/1/2019 9:31 PM, Jim Danehy wrote: > I read about all of the specs in the rigs > I have been operating for 67 years. > I got used to radios from the 1950s. > My K3 has every option you can buy. Sub receiver and filters galore. > > I rarely use the narrow filters. I have a “software” defined brain. It is the best filter you can have. If you practice long enough you can do a lot of filtering in your head (brain). > > I am primarily a CW operator. I can copy up to 50 wpm too. Solid copy fades above that speed. The brain is what allows you to decode CW at those speeds. Done in various amounts of QRM/QRN. My K3 can’t decode at QRQ with QRN/QRM ! > > Unfortunately you can tune the bands and not hear a CW signal. Hit the FT 8 QRG and there are stations. > > I can read a book / Newspaper and listen to a 45 wpm CW signal. I hear CW Contesters but they use keyboards to send CW. They can copy calls but don’t ask them a question at QRQ speed. Some can copy but not many. > > A transceiver is not the most critical element in a station. It is the brain. You can’t upgrade brains. > > My brain operates at a very fast speed too. > When it becomes a reflex it is like human speech. It is after all just a different sound. That takes years to acquire > > Just a different perspective. It is almost 70 years of experience too. > > I own a K2, K3, KX2 and KX3. My DXCC TOTAL is 370. I have not used a beam in the last 30 years. > > It’s the operator ! ! > > Jim > W9VNE/VA3VNE > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [hidden email] |
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Jim, W9VNE/VA3VNE
Certainly the brain is heavily involved in CW "translation". But also the sound transducer (the ear) and the RF converter (the antenna/radio). High speed CW receiving requires skill in language translation. Those with true multi-linguistic ability "think" in all languages vs mere translating. Long use and immersion are helpful for realizing such skills. If you want to learn Spanish, go to Spain for a few years. Schools are using immersion techniques for learning languages. Also I have noted skill in multitasking helps with speed. I'm an engineer. Engineers are well known for extreme focus to the exclusion of outside disturbances/distraction (also called "tunnel vision"). Typically poor multi-taskers. Thus I am terrible using CW, but good at design or troubleshooting. Not good managing multiple tasks. Plus having extreme hearing issues so digital modes are easier for me to work weak signals. I do have fine antennas/radios! 73, Ed - KL7UW http://www.kl7uw.com Dubus-NA Business mail: [hidden email] ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [hidden email] |
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