Sam, I think there are more than a few who feel the way you do. Generally, if some one comes back to me slow when I'm running, I'll drop my speed some, probably above what they were sending at, but slow enough where I think they can get the exchange right the first time.
Lately, I've noticed a lot of folks who send quite slow and I speculate these are first time contesters. I figure they want to learn the game, but may get frustrated if blown out of the water. In my mind it's better to slow down, make a solid contact and let the other guy feel good about it as well. The last few big contests I picked up some nice multipliers from guys who were sending slow with pileups on them, not because I was the loudest, but because I sent at a rate they could copy... > > My cw qso speed is a comfy 13-15wpm. > I can sorta copy (75%) at about 20-22wpm. > > Above that I have to listen to the guy as many times > as it takes, > sometime 10 or more, just to get his call and the > exchange info, > so when/if I answer him he won't have to deal with > my requests for repeats. This is a good way to pick up your speed. Much easier if the signal is solid, generally one of the superstations. I'd say the vast majority of contesters run in the mid 20 WPM to the low 30s... Some of the Eastern and Southern EU will crank 40+. Some exchanges are a lot easier to recognize than others at those rates. > > Is that a fun way to contest? no. If it's not fun, pass 'em by... Of course, not everything in a contest is "fun". How you want to play makes it fun. It's a rush to get a run going and working smoothly, it's a lot of fun to find a rare one all by his lonesome. The vast majority of the folks who play great. Like everything else in life, there are those who you wish weren't involved. > I just wonder how many q's they miss out on in doing > so? It's an interesting question and would make for an interesting study. Assuming you could get unbiased reporting from both sides, it might change the perspective of some. Hope to catch you in one of the contests. Don't be afraid to send QRS if ya need to. Julius n2wn _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [email protected] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
