Never used a Hexkey here. Tried the Bencher paddles and disliked them very
much. I have two paddles I use with automatic keyers: Old Vibroplex
"vibrokeyer" which is nothing more than a shortened and reworked "bug", and
the German "Palm Key". The Palmkey is very small, but has a great feel to
it. I don't use the iambic key "imbically". I'm from the very old school
of the Vibroplex bug and Johnson/Mac keys. Wish I still had a Mac Key! My
avorite Vibroplex "pattern" is the Champion/Lightning Bug "flat lever" key.
I had an Original and even a Presentation once. Didn't like them near as
much as the cheaper "flat pattern" ones. I also have a very beat up "Blue
Racer" which does a nice job, but always had to add weight to them to make
them go slower than 30 WPM dits!
73,
Sandy W5TVW
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron D'Eau Claire" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <elecraft@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2007 1:09 PM
Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Re: Hexkey
Why would you reverse the normal "thumb for dits, index finger for dashes"
setup? That's been standard since the first bugs and carried over
unchanged
into the paddle/keyers.
It sounds like you are running into an essential difference in sending
that
has shown up since keyers became common. Although both bugs and keyers
typically use side-by-side paddles, there are substantial differences in
how
they are operated. A bug requires significant mechanical force and
movement
to operate the dit pendulum to make dits and then stop them at the right
moment. Several designs have attempted to reduce the demands of a
mechanical
bug, but it's still a huge amount of movement and energy compared to
simply
accomplishing the contact closure a keyer needs.
Many newer CW ops who never used a bug developed a preference for very
close-spaced contacts that can be operated with a feather touch on the
paddles. That's completely at odds with the action needed for a bug.
Many paddles designed for use with keyers - particularly the earlier
paddles
- featured movement and springs much like a mechanical bug: lots of throw
and relatively stiff springs. They were operated like a bug - usually
rolling the whole arm side to side with the fingers held steady to contact
the paddles with sufficient force without wearing out one's finger
muscles!
The original Vibroplex paddles were one of those designs, like my Scotia
and
HamKey paddles.
Then came the "light touch" designs designed to work with an absolute
minimum of movement and force. The Bencher was an early one. People used
to
a mechanical bug tended to knock them apart just sending a CQ! Newer
operators learned to hold their arm still and lightly caress the paddles
with their fingertips. Used that way, they work fine.
I can't speak for the HexKey. I use my Speed-X or Vibroplex Bugs at home
and
my KXPD1 paddles in the field where it's not practical to haul a bug. The
KXPD1 paddles, by the way, are able to deal with my fist without
complaint.
The bottom line is that it all comes down to how you want to operate the
key: strong rolling fist like a bug operator or the feather touch of a
keyer
operator? If the former, you need to find someone who has really pounded
on
the HexKey to be sure it will survive long.
There was a secondary problem with the first Bencher that deserves
checking
on any modern paddles. The Bencher uses a single spring that is stretched
around a chrome-plated post in the back. Bumping the key in just the wrong
way would dislodge that spring, causing it and the paddles to fly off of
the
base! I suspect the designer assumed they'd be treated like a bug - NOT
bumped! The sensitive springs and pendulum of a bug can be damaged by
careless handling, but operators not used to bugs tended to assume the
paddles were as structurally sound as any straight key. Not so,
unfortunately, and dropping or banging a Bencher was inviting time spent
looking for the spring and paddle mechanisms behind the operating desk or
on
the floor somewhere.
Ron AC7AC
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Gil Gibbs
Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2007 10:27 AM
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Elecraft] Re: Hexkey
Gents;
I'm in the process of relearning how to use a paddle, having only
gotten the feel of a Vibroplex keyer three decades back from an old pal.
I'm now stumbling around with a Bencher paddle, the first of the line
that's of the "fall apart" design, and thus I have to be careful about
how I handle it, which distracts me from training myself to use "thumb
for dashes, finger for dits", and my brain isn't as young as it used to
be to do multitasking. Thus the question - does the Elecraft/Bencher
Hexkey actually perform better than "the original", and thus make the
price worth adding to my gear? I'd really like to have more versatility
in sending, not worrying about knocking the contact points off their
mounts, which are conical points for hinges, and the darn things are an
annoyance to have to remount.
Any input will be appreciated, many hours to go before I can become
fluent with my old favorite CW again, having been too lazy to get away
from voice until now!
Tnx, 73's
Gil WA5YKK
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