On Instant Recognition,  Head Copy, and Ragchewing

Starting in mid January, I’ve made a concerted effort to be on the radio more.  Concerted effort makes it sound as if there’s some struggle involved where there isn’t any. As it turns out, all I needed was an amenable setup, a consistent time that I’d be available to get on the air, and a change in mindset.

The mobile station has been key to opening up time for radio. My commute to and from the house is twenty minutes or so and this is enough time to scan the bands for CQs, call CQ yourself, and have a shorter ragchew QSO if you’re lucky enough to catch someone early in the drive. 

In the morning (12z), the few ops who are awake prefer to ragchew. Over lunch and in the afternoon, I enjoy hunting for the brave souls who choose to activate parks on 30m. More days than not, I make a handful of contacts.

One of my most memorable conversations was short. One morning,  I fired up the FT-818 and someone was calling CQ on the frequency I happened to already be on. He was running faster than I normally operate, but I copied his call quickly. After signal reports with Jim, WB8SIW, I got a bit lost in the speed and he graciously matched mine. The conversation was short but we exchanged cities, something I’ve grown out of the habit of doing.  What made it memorable was the cordially of the conversation.  I explained that my ragchew was rusty and he broke down his exchange into smaller pieces for me and sent at about 20wpm Farnsworth, around where I was sending.  Moreover,  I didn’t feel rushed or nervous which made the receiving all the better. 

A few years ago when I was a rank beginner CW op, I put myself on a month long challenge to operate every day.  At the end of the four weeks, my ability to copy and send grew greatly.  I was no longer lost in QSO protocols, and my requests for repeats and QRSs reduced. In short, that month was transformative. Also of note, my time on the air dropped off dramatically after the month was over.

Though I did well, I set myself up for failure.  The lofty goals, the thrill of the challenge, then the struggle of making my own arbitrary deadlines, and frustration with myself all contributed to this burnout. While I had progressed, it was hard for me to see because my skills weren’t where I wanted them to be. Impatience and intolerance of my own perceived weaknesses got in the way.

This time around, I’m taking a more relaxed approach. This is partially out of necessity since family, work, and school obligations are greater now than they were then. This approach is also out of greater self-awareness. I have the tendency to get over eager, then over committed. Eventually the pendulum must swing the other way and I stay off the air, losing the modicum of progress I’d hoped to attain.

So if I’ve learned anything, it’s to enjoy myself and the connection with the other person above all.

I’ve learned to be curious about the people I’m in conversation with. This shift from getting them in the log to learning about the person behind the other radio has helped me to be more receptive, relaxed, and therefore  able to relate. Code doesn’t have to be stressful and very, very few if any operators will be unkind. They want to have a QSO as well, after all.

Somedays, I’ve been awestruck and humbled by the clean, speedy, seemingly effortless sending of the other operator and on others, I was the experienced old hand in the conversation, reciprocating the kindness and patience I received in QSOs past.

The shift in mindset from goal-based achievement to reason/emotion-based connection to hobbies, work, and school has been responsible for this shift in outcomes, not only in radio but also in playing guitar, reading great books, and my electrician coursework, for example.

Not to get too touchy feely, but I believe this change will not only be beneficial for me but my children as well. I spent a long time being a harsh taskmaster to myself. With this new knowledge, hopefully I can help my son and daughter avoid this pitfall.