You just answered my question of long ago, Don, when I asked why it was so hard for some to use a single lever key.
In half a century of bug operation, I *never* touch both paddles of the bug as the same time! There is a space between the side of my forefinger that contacts the paddles to make a dash and thumb which makes dots and I roll my hand from side to side to operate the paddles. My fingers never move. My whole hand does, rolling to bring either my thumb or forefinger in contact with the bug paddles. I adjust the space between dits and dahs by changing the distance between my thumb and the side of my forefinger. The farther apart, the greater the time spacing between dits and dahs to match the dit speed I have set with the pendulum weight. When I learned Iambic keying I had to *break* that habit so I could squeeze. And I found Iambic keying very natural, smooth and efficient. When I went back to a bug I had to relearn the "roll the hand" technique. Personally, I doubt if I ever could send text at 15 or 20 WPM for half an hour by moving my fingers, which I had to do a *lot* when sending traffic. I wonder how many CW operators who worked "commercial" circuits (I was Army) use their fingers instead of rolling their fists. I can understand Hams learning to do that. After all, we don't usually send nonstop for more than a few minutes. Indeed, if I was in a long-winded rag chew I'd notice myself getting stiff using an Iambic key, even though the paddle pressure was very light and the contact spacing very small. But I can still sit down and send a whole page from the phone book, names, addresses and phone numbers of perhaps 150 people on the bug rolling my fist as if it were nothing. Ron AC7AC -----Original Message----- Nick, I don't know about any of the others who have trouble with dual lever paddles except myself, but I developed a habit a long time ago that I just can't shake - with dual levers I end up squeezing when I should not, so I get dot insertions in a string of dashes. The habit comes from using a bug - Both the thumb and finger are in contact with the paddles until the character is ended - it works fine with a single lever or an Ultimatic mode keyer, but just will not send correct code from dual paddles with any Iambic keyer - mode A or mode B, but mode B is worse. Despite endless periods of practice I have not been able to change. My taste for CW has diminished a lot because of the non-availability of Ultimatic mode on internal keyers. 73, Don W3FPR _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [email protected] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
