CW OPERATING TIPS
- Use your RIT control after you finish a CQ call. You may be using a narrow filter and a station calling (possibly DX) may be slightly off frequency.
- Switch out your cw narrow filter button after a CQ call. If another station is slightly off frequency, you'll pick him up. Then, zero-beat your receiver using your RIT control and switch back in your narrow filter to get rid of any QRM.
- Learn to zero-beat with the station you are calling. That way he should not have to use his RIT button and your chances of working him will increase. This will also mean efficient use of the frequency spectrum.
- Practice split frequency operation. Learn how to operate your radio so you can switch in and out of split frequency mode quickly.
- Learn to copy morse fluently in your head and by hand - it has got to be second nature for you. When a weak rare station appears on a frequency, you only have a few seconds to get his call and work him before hoards of other stations pick up his rare call and a pile-up ensues. The better you are at getting his call first time, the more likely you are of working him before the pile-up increases to a level where your signals are drowned out by the competition.
- Master the art of copying in your head - this will let you respond quickly to what's happening on the frequency. In a simplex pile-up, if the rare station suddenly says 'NW UP 2' you can leave the crowds talking to themselves, and be the first to work him because you were the quickest to recognise that he was now working split.
- At an advanced stage, don't throw away your pencil completely - practice receiving code groups by hand. This is good for copying callsigns first time round when called only once and receiving important info like addresses.
- At the start of a simplex pile-up, have your equipment set up to be able to go quickly into split mode (with Tx freq 1 - 2 KHz). As the pile-up gets bigger, managing the hoards of hams calling him will get difficult. He may start working split and you want to be first on his listening frequency!
- When the dx station is working split, try and zero beat your tx vfo with the station he is currently contacting. As soon as he finishes the contact, and only then, send your call. Hopefully you'll be exactly on his receiving frequency and he will answer you.
- If you can operate in QSK-mode, do so!
- If you're choosing a rig, bear in mind that to comfortably operate QSK you need a transceiver which can give fast and smooth Tx-Rx switching. Radios by Ten-Tec have a good reputation for this. Some of the ubiquitous 'rice-boxes' can also give surprising qsk-performance, for example - the underated Kenwood TS-570 is a joy to operate in qsk-mode and has other cw features.
- Wear comfortable headphones to cut out extraneous noise and help you focus on what you're receiving.
- LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN...Always ask if the frequency is clear before you transmit... send a few '?' or 'QRL?'.
- LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN...Follow the rare station's instructions. If he's only calling for specific stations, example: ' QRZ JA ONLY' - don't call him back (unless, of course, you are a JA). If you do, you may find you are blacklisted.
- LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN...If he is working split, example: ' ... UP 1 ' don't work him on his frequency - follow his instructions and call him 1 KHz up. If you do call him on his frequency you'll cause QRM to dozens of hams who are listening and get branded a LID.
LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN... In a split-mode pile-up. if you hear a LID calling the rare station on its frequency, thereby causing QRM - don't tell him 'UP UP' or call him 'LID LID'. Every additional transmission on the rare station's frequency is QRM and will cost someone a contact.
