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Author Topic: Why Do You Like CW?  (Read 11082 times)

AC2EU

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Re: Why Do You Like CW?
« Reply #60 on: October 31, 2021, 08:30:57 AM »

I completed the CW academy advanced class last week and have since been nominated and sponsored into CWops, #3041.
I had to brag just a little.

SNOB!  ;D

I like CW because of the stark simplicity and effectiveness. It's over 100 years old and still nothing tops it in those categories. Not too many things have that kind of timeless "staying power".

WY4J

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Re: Why Do You Like CW?
« Reply #61 on: October 31, 2021, 09:23:50 AM »

Anyone can grab a microphone and communicate. Code places you in a unique brotherhood were intelligent communication takes place by deciphering just two distincts tones in various combinations. Besides, this makes it difficult to arrive at any sort of heated disagreement with just dots and dashes. Forty five years ago I had to master it in order to use a microphone. Once I did, the microphone was not as appealing as I once thought it was. Owing one microphone is sufficient but you can never own enough keys and paddles.
« Last Edit: October 31, 2021, 09:33:11 AM by WY4J »
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K3UIM

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Re: Why Do You Like CW?
« Reply #62 on: October 31, 2021, 09:30:19 AM »

+1
Charlie
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Charlie. K3UIM
Where you are: I was!
Where I am: You will be!
So be nice to us old fogies!!

NI0C

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Re: Why Do You Like CW?
« Reply #63 on: October 31, 2021, 09:57:09 AM »

I completed the CW academy advanced class last week and have since been nominated and sponsored into CWops, #3041.
I had to brag just a little.
Congrats, K4EMF! Nice call sign, BTW.

I hope that my friend Roy, WA4DOU (who started this thread a few years ago), is ok. Haven't heard Roy on the air, or heard from him since before the start of the pandemic. My last email to him bounced back.
73 de Chuck NI0C
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AC7CW

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Re: Why Do You Like CW?
« Reply #64 on: October 31, 2021, 08:57:37 PM »

It was stated that CW is 17db better than SSB. That is the equivalent perhaps of going from a dipole that is not high enough to a 4element yagi up in the air 3/4 wavelength. So the dx is a lot better on CW and it appeals to my inner cheapskate because I just don't want to finance a huge tower.... CW is fun anyhow, I can't wait to get my hexbeam up above the house and start to get on the air during this solar cycle because it might shape up to be a good one...
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K4EMF

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Re: Why Do You Like CW?
« Reply #65 on: November 01, 2021, 06:54:17 AM »

Anyone can grab a microphone and communicate. Code places you in a unique brotherhood were intelligent communication takes place by deciphering just two distinct tones in various combinations. ...Owing one microphone is sufficient but you can never own enough keys and paddles.

A quote suitable for framing.
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K4EMF

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Re: Why Do You Like CW?
« Reply #66 on: November 01, 2021, 06:56:07 AM »

It was stated that CW is 17db better than SSB. That is the equivalent perhaps of going from a dipole that is not high enough to a 4element yagi up in the air 3/4 wavelength. So the dx is a lot better on CW and it appeals to my inner cheapskate because I just don't want to finance a huge tower.... CW is fun anyhow, I can't wait to get my hexbeam up above the house and start to get on the air during this solar cycle because it might shape up to be a good one...

I saw elsewhere on this very site CW had an 8 db advantage over SSB.  Just out of curiosity I'd love to know the actual number.
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K8AXW

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Re: Why Do You Like CW?
« Reply #67 on: November 01, 2021, 11:14:28 AM »

4J:  +2 !

I have 4 amplifiers, a tower and a big Yagi.  During my 65 years of hamming I've worked AM, SSB, CW, digital and satellites.

The greatest enjoyment I got from all of these modes was CW.  I say WAS because after recently developing Parkinson's I've lost the ability to even operate a hand key.  I'm not a happy camper!

I've found that CW operators are a special breed of operator.  They are, as a rule, patient, understanding, builders, technically oriented, innovators......Oh yes, you can still build your own gear an still be amongst the best!

Al - K8AXW
« Last Edit: November 01, 2021, 11:16:53 AM by K8AXW »
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N5CM

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Re: Why Do You Like CW?
« Reply #68 on: November 01, 2021, 12:00:24 PM »

I have not read the entire thread, so this may be a duplication of an earlier post.

Save for some nuances of the fist, CW has no accent.  My hearing is compromised by loud music and firearms noise in my earlier life.  It is difficult for me to understand those whose native language is not English when they speak English.  Given my pronounced southern drawl, I suspect folks would have a difficult time understanding me when I attempt to use the French or German I had to learn years ago or the few words of Spanish that I know.  My difficulty holds true even if the non-English-speaking operator uses standard phonetics.   

Also, I started the hobby as a Novice class operator, and there was no choice but to learn and use Morse code.  I simply stuck with it.

I do believe that CW has a bit of an advantage for weak signals.  I've found this to be true when I'm chasing DX, especially on 160m.
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W9IQ

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Re: Why Do You Like CW?
« Reply #69 on: November 01, 2021, 12:46:35 PM »

It was stated that CW is 17db better than SSB. That is the equivalent perhaps of going from a dipole that is not high enough to a 4element yagi up in the air 3/4 wavelength. So the dx is a lot better on CW and it appeals to my inner cheapskate because I just don't want to finance a huge tower.... CW is fun anyhow, I can't wait to get my hexbeam up above the house and start to get on the air during this solar cycle because it might shape up to be a good one...

I saw elsewhere on this very site CW had an 8 db advantage over SSB.  Just out of curiosity I'd love to know the actual number.

The most basic analysis can be made simply by looking at the bandwidth required. A properly shaped, 30 WPM CW signal will have sidebands that are about 100 Hz each. A voice SSB transmission will have a sideband of about 2.4 kHz. If the noise in the receiver is Gaussian and you can apply 100 Hz and 2.4 kHz receive filters respectively, then the computed SNR spread is nearly 14 dB in favor of CW. But if you use the same wide receive filter for both, CW doesn't have a noise advantage arising from signal bandwidth. FT-8 requires even less bandwidth than CW and uses digital filtering in the computer to take advantage of the further improved SNR over CW.

You can make further adjustments to the dB advantage based on the operator's ability to "pull out" a CW signal from the noise. There have been some tests to establish this level but it is operator dependent so it is not a reliable metric.

It is also important to consider that the average speech rate for an English speaker is 120 to 150 WPM. Since the English speaker could repeat a message up to 5 times before the CW message completes (on a letter for letter basis), some of the additional CW advantage is simply due to its slow speed of transmission. CW makes up for some of its relative slowness by virtue of well practiced abbreviations, etc. Similarly, FT-8 makes extensive use of message compression (akin to abbreviations in CW) to communicate more information using a small bandwidth.

- Glenn W9IQ
« Last Edit: November 01, 2021, 12:53:53 PM by W9IQ »
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- Glenn W9IQ

God runs electromagnetics on Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the wave theory and the devil runs it on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by the Quantum theory.

AC7CW

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Re: Why Do You Like CW?
« Reply #70 on: November 01, 2021, 02:19:12 PM »

https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/cw-vs-ssb-signal-to-noise-ratio-advantage.683998/ discussion starts off saying that cw is 16db better than ssb... I'd think that with the amazing rx equipment available today with the narrow DSP filters that it could be few dB better than that. I loved CW when I was a kid because I could get on the air with a $5 regen pre-WW2 rx and 75 watts and make some QSO's... I called CQ one morning and a South African station came back to me and eventually sent me a card!! My antenna was beyond lousy, a cf dipole tossed on the roof essentially....
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KF0QS

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Re: Why Do You Like CW?
« Reply #71 on: November 01, 2021, 11:29:44 PM »

I have many reasons for preferring CW to all of the other modes (and yes, I will occasionally work digital, and I work SSB and FM on the satellites). 

First, it is mentally stimulating to decode the dits and dashes and have a message take shape.  Indeed, I saw an article a while back that said that learning morse code builds up gray matter in the brain (I need all the gray matter I can get since I was repeatedly told in my youth that I lacked it).

Second, it is obviously more efficient in terms of weak signal work.  It was FT8 before there was an FT8 mode.

Third, it is easier to build your own equipment for CW as opposed to most of the other modes.

Fourth, a good CW QSO is a joint operation between the two operators.  For the conversational part, both operators have to have decent fists, have to be able to copy well, and have to synchronize their skills to each other.  It's a delicate dance that we do with each other when we have a QSO that goes beyond "5NN, name and QTH".  And it feels professional and wonderful.

And, finally, when I've had a good long ragchew with someone, I invariably feel enriched with the sense of sharing and accomplishment with my fellow ham. 

I will never forget a CW QSO I had over 20 years ago with an 80+ year old ham who had lost his XYL the year before.  He told me that, without his hobby of ham radio, he wouldn't have much to live for, since he missed her so much.  I know he was in tears when he sent that, and I was in tears copying it.  Somehow, I don't think that intensity would have occurred if the QSO was on a voice mode.

Someone earlier mentioned you can't hear accents on CW.  Doesn't that make CW the great equalizer?  There have certainly been QSOs between Oxford scholars and "good ole boys", between people of different races that may not ordinarily mix (not that I condone antagonism between races - I'm just saying CW has probably dropped a few barriers for people). 

This list is not meant to be exclusive.   :)
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K3TN

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Re: Why Do You Like CW?
« Reply #72 on: November 02, 2021, 03:01:39 AM »

I operate all modes - my HF QSO distributions is something like 75% CW, 10% RTTY, 10% Digital (now pretty much FT8) and 5% SSB. On 2M, I'm pretty much 100% FM voice.

So, I obviously like CW more than the other modes, but I like all the modes! I much prefer SSB/voice for roundtable type QSOs with multiple hams, for example - thus all voice on 2M.

I started out liking CW because for the first 5 years or so I was licensed CW and AM were my only choices and AM was pretty limited to a few nets that weren't my cup of tea!

Once I had the choice to go SSB, I made more voice contacts but realized with my wimpy stations CW was much more effective in the DXing and contesting I enjoyed. Especially, once I upgraded to HF rigs with sharp and narrow CW filters!

But, I've always enjoyed improving my skills and CW gave you a chance to measure how fast/accurate you were. And it also seemed like many of the other CW ops I met also enjoyed increasing their skills in CW and everything else - many enjoyable QSOs and F2F conversations.

So, a lot to like - but I continue to have lots of fun on the other modes, too. Always nice work a long time CW friend on SSB - and put a voice to the call!

73 John K3TN
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John K3TN

K1FBI

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Re: RE: Why Do You Like CW?
« Reply #73 on: November 02, 2021, 04:57:52 AM »

KE6EE:
I loved everything you said-- except for your dig at "simpleminded obsession with high speed."
There is nothing simpleminded about high speed CW! 

One day, I read an article on high speed telegraphy in an ARRL publication by Katashi Nose, KH6IJ.  He said something which stuck with me: "Any DX'er worth his salt is good for at least 60 wpm."  Many hams, even some high achieving DX'ers, scoff at this kind of wisdom today.  But I took it seriously, and still do. 

73 de Chuck  NI0C   

Well Chuck now that you're the fastest in the World you better go claim your reward..


The fastest Morse code operator was Theodore Roosevelt McElroy copying at 75.6 wpm using a typewriter at the 1939 world championship. :o

I wonder what a flashlight from a boat looks like sending SOS at that speed.. hopefully you are in the area to save the day!
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KD1JT

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Re: Why Do You Like CW?
« Reply #74 on: November 02, 2021, 03:13:42 PM »

 Because most of the most offensive LIDs operate elsewhere. 
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