I'm a big fan of single lever paddles as well. I've got Steve W1SFR's Torsion Bar Cootie Paddle, and I adore it. The only issue I had was that it was too light, and skittered around. I guess that's why Steve made another version, the Fat Boy, with a much thicker and heavier base. I'd tried to solve it with a 3d-printed base, weighted with stick-on iron tire weights. It worked, but it wasn't ideal. I didn't want to just buy a Fat Boy, so I asked Steve how to solve it, and he sold me a Fat Boy base and walked me through modifying it to work with the original key. So my TBCP is a hybrid with a Fat Boy base. (I totally recommend just getting the Fat Boy from the beginning, though.)
It's very easy to use, with practically the ideal gap settings from his workbench for use with either an electronic keyer (such as the one in my KX3) or as a Cootie. He supplies a stereo-mono adapter for this, but I solved that my own way. I built a small box that connects to the KX3 through the bottom 2x2 header for the Elecraft screw-on paddle. I even used the original screws to attach it to the bottom of the rig. A short stereo 1/8" cable runs from it to the Key socket on the left side of the rig. I wired it with 4 sockets on the front of the box, two wired to go to the left side socket, and two wired to the bottom socket. Then I set the KX3 for keyer on the left side, and hand key on the bottom. Now if I want to use it as a paddle with the keyer, it gets plugged directly into one of the two left-side jacks, and if I want to use it as a Cootie, I plug it into one of the right-side jacks. This key is amazing in either mode. It's practically silent in operation, no clattering or clip-clopping to disturb others in the room, and the contacts have clean makes and breaks, so the code it sends is excellent in either mode. I don't know how he managed it, but I don't have to change the adjustments when I switch between the modes. On my other keys, I have to radically change the gaps when I switch modes. I usually use Mode B when it's in keyer mode. I believe Mode A adds an extra element to the end, and that messes me up all the time. Even when I used a double lever paddle, I never squeeze keyed it. So I'm not missing anything with a single-lever key. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 73, Gwen, NG3P On Thu, Jul 8, 2021 at 5:57 AM Tommy Mitchell <[email protected]> wrote: > And that's how I ended up being a Mode A operator without realizing it or > even knowing the difference. Sneaky vendor lock-in! ;) Guess I'll just be > stuck with Elecraft forever. > > 73 > Tommy WZ4M > > On Wed, Jul 7, 2021, 15:19 Wayne Burdick <[email protected]> wrote: > > > This has been a great discussion, with many perspectives. Just to > > reiterate, all Elecraft radios going back to the K2 provide both modes, > and > > the default is (and always shall be) mode A. > > > > 73, > > Wayne > > N6KR > > > > > > > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[email protected] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Message delivered to [email protected] > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [email protected]
