Your missive is more timely than you could imagine.
I can call CQ on FT8 or SSB, not on CW. Sure, my K3 will send a perfect
CQ via macro, indistinguishable from any other K3 sending a programmed
CQ except the callsign. Problem is when someone comes back to me, if the
decoder isn't working perfectly then I can't understand what's being
said. That's definitely on me, and I acknowledge that.
I'm at 177 DX entities on CW, all through the K3 and either in contests
or Dxpeditions. In both cases I know who I'm calling, I know when they
come back with my call and signal report, and I know which KPod or N1MM
buttons to push to complete the exchange. Conversation? Not if my life
depended on it.
I'm over 120 countries on FT8/FT4 since Jan 1st and the pickings are
getting slim. One JA or PY station is just like the other after a few
thousand. With few Dxpeditions on the horizon and CW contests really not
my cup of tea, yesterday I reached for the CW materials and plugged the
key back in. It's time to do this on my own.
Whoever runs across me calling CQ on CW will have heard a rare bird indeed.
73, Dennis NJ6G
On 1/28/2021 10:11, Wayne Burdick wrote:
If randomly occurring CW signals on our bands are creatures of the wild,
then...are FT8 stations the occupants of an urban zoo? Don't get me wrong: It's
a pleasant place, with free tram rides, open 24 hours a day. The diversity of
species is unprecedented.
But imagine, on a given day, that you've sampled the zoo's exotic offerings,
memorized the brochure, bought the t-shirt, and partaken of the sumptuous snack
bar. What next?
Take a walk on the wild side.
Yank the cord and jump off the tram at an unmarked stop. Hop the fence. Work
your way down the unpaved trail from the upper mesa to the open savannah, then
sit on the ten-foot wall and dangle your feet over the edge.
Welcome to the ecosystem of beings who are free to roam. They may be
camouflaged, blending into the background. And if you listen carefully, you'll
hear a hundred variations on their timeless song...CQ.
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