I’d like to bend the conversation a bit to general CW sending regardless of which mode or key you use. I don’t think we’ll ever settle the arguments about A vs B,except B is more ubiquitous and most students start on B. But what really matters is the quality of the code you send. And it doesn’t have to be machine perfect. Some individuality is a nice touch as long as it’s still good copy. I had one student who simply couldn’t make a go of any dual paddles,but he had excellent results with a single lever,and his fist is very nice. On further questioning,he had a strong musical background,which leads me to the point I want to make, which a previous poster mentioned. My career was a bit unusual in that I was a professional jazz musician (bassist) and had the rare fortune to travel the world as a performer,and recording artist,and in later years as an instructor at college and professional levels. I still play occasionally-not much in the past year,but that’s changing finally! As an instructor the one constant with every student was the misperception of their rhythmic abilities,regardless of how good their’chops’ (musical facility) were . Almost universally they’d say’I have a good sense of time/rhythm’ and if was usually their weakest area. For the most part I think that’s true with a lot of the newer cw ops as well. And there’s also a myth that nothing can be done about your rhythmic abilities-‘you’re born with it,or not’ is the common wisdom. True you may never get good enough to hang with Steve Gad,or the late Ginger Baker or Gene Krupa, but you can certainly work on improving your rhythmic cw skills. A couple of tips-think of little phrases like CQ as a musical phrase. What’s that? Well-any little bit of a melody that you might have in your head,or a bird song. Even ‘happy birthday to you ’ is a musical phrase. If you have a metronome set it to a really slow tempo like 40-50 and send simple characters between each click. Then gradually increase your tempo. Then try two letter groups like CQ,73,etc. Eventually larger groups and words,and then phrases like’name hr Dan’ This works for any mode or key-paddle,straight,single lever, bug. This will even out your fist and make for much more enjoyable sending. And-your copying will improve too.
Dan Presley 503-701-3871 danpresley@me. com n7...@arrl.net > On Jul 6, 2021, at 23:44, Guido Tedeschi <guido...@gmail.com> wrote: > > 99% of non Elecraft radio have Iambic B keyer only, so I suggest to learn > Iambic B. > I learned Iambic A in the eighties and now I have to use a single lever key > with radios that have Iambic B only, otherwise I send C instead of K... > 73 de Guido, ik2bcp / k2bcp > > >> Il giorno mer 7 lug 2021 alle ore 06:18 Mike Morrow <k...@earthlink.net> ha >> scritto: >> >> Several have stated they use "squeeze keying" and therefore use mode B. >> >> >> >> >> That is a total non sequitur. ALL iambic keying requires simultaneous >> closure of both paddles...i.e. squeeze keying. Mode A is just as much a >> squeeze keying process that closes both paddles to generate an iambic >> stream as is mode B. The only difference is TIMING OF PADDLE RELEASE. >> Mode B requires paddle release critically earlier to generate a particular >> iambic stream because it automatically generates the final element in the >> stream depending on a dot or dash being sent when paddles are released. >> Mode A does not automatically generate the final element in any iambic >> stream. It simply requires holding both paddles closed until the desired >> final element has been sent. >> >> >> >> >> There is absolutely no speed advantage of one mode over another, although >> many mode B users seem to believe that there is. Some mode B users even >> believe that they can generate some characters with fewer paddle >> manipulations than a mode A user. They can not. Some mode B users believe >> only mode B is a squeeze keying process. Mode A is also. Regardless of >> the basis upon which a person selects and learns mode A or mode B, there is >> no factual basis to claim one mode superior for ANY purpose over the other. >> >> >> >> >> Mike / KK5F >> >> >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Louandzip <louand...@yahoo.com> >> Sent: Jul 6, 2021 11:05 AM >> Cc: <elecraft@mailman.qth.net> >> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] A or B? >> >> I'm a squeezer and use B. It's physically the easiest, particularly at >> higher speeds, and I believe B is really most common. Of course you don't >> have to squeeze using B. On Tue, Jul 6, 2021 at 9:11 AM, Tom Doligalski >> via Elecraft wrote: I’ve always preferred B, and I do use squeeze keying. >> If I were starting off I would probably recommend B. I doubt there is much >> difference in the learning curve between either! Tom W4KX > On Jul 6, 2021, >> at 10:58 AM, Wayne Burdick wrote: > > I’ve always used mode A. Mode B may >> be preferable for those doing squeeze-keying, especially at higher speeds. >>>> Wayne > N6KR > > ---- > elecraft.com > >> On Jul 6, 2021, at 7:36 AM, >> Gary Peterson wrote: >> >> An old friend, who has been inactive for several >> years, recently purchased a used K3. This is the first transceiver that >> he’s owned that includes a built in keyer. He has always operated CW with >> a straight key. He has acquired Vibroplex paddles and wants to know >> whether to set the radio’s keyer for mode A or mode B iambic. He has never >> used an iambic keyer or a bug, before. >> >> I learned iambic keying with a >> WB4VVF circuit board, back in the early 1970s, so mode B is what I prefer. >> I know there are a lot of died-in-the-wool CW people who frequent this list >> and I would like any opinions as to whether it is easier for a newbie to >> learn iambic mode A or mode B. I have no clue. >> >> Thanks in advance for >> any advice or opinions that I can pass along. >> >> Gary >> KzeroCX >> >> ______________________________________________________________ >> Elecraft >> mailing list >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft >> >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >> Post: mailto: >> Elecraft@mailman.qth.net >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >> >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >> >> Message delivered to n...@elecraft.com > >> ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft >> mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto: >> Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > >> Message delivered to w...@mac.com >> ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft >> mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: >> http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email >> list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to >> louand...@yahoo.com >> ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft >> mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: >> http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email >> list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to >> k...@earthlink.net >> >> >> ______________________________________________________________ >> Elecraft mailing list >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >> Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >> Message delivered to guido...@gmail.com > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Message delivered to n7...@arrl.net ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
