Iambic keying is a relic of tube keyers where flip flops were used to generate
alternating dots/dashes. Ultimatic keying where the last paddle closed takes
command is much more user friendly. Looks like I shall have to drive the K3
with my external keyer pity.
John G3JAG
Well, this topic has migrated from requests for my kind of keyer to
a comparision of the various types (including words such as relic).
For the life of me, I can't see the practical difference. I
understand the difference, but comparing iambic to utlimatic, I see
essentially the same number of
Doug,
I agree. Perhaps it's as simple as we all think the
format we've learned is the best. In the end it makes
little difference.
There would be little reason for me to learn a new
method only to save a few slight finger movements.
And I'm a serious contester where time spent counts.
KR2Q:
Am I missing something? Please enlighten me...I am always anxious to learn!
Take a clue from the High Speed Telegraphy contests.
Most use single paddle keys (i.e. non-iambic of any form).
The supposed advantages of iambic keying are a complete
myth based on sending performance
Iambic Keying - Debunking the Myth
by
Marshall G. Emm, N1FN
Iambic or squeeze keying is one of the Great Expectations in CW operation.
Operators will agonize over a huge variety of
features in electronic keyers, but
support for iambic keying itself is a given. But
Iambic keying is really of
I read this article a couple of months ago. It seems to me that the
author protests way too much. He admits that iambic keying gives
at least a 5% advantage, but then claims that it's not worth the pain
of learning how to do it.
Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but it wasn't
It's not the reduction in finger movement that is at stake here,
rather what the keying mode does when you let up on a
closure.
de Joe, aa4nn
For the life of me, I can't see the practical difference. I
understand the difference, but comparing iambic to utlimatic, I see
essentially the same
That article is flawed. It has errors and makes claims that cannot be
backed up. The bottom line is that Iambic keying is more efficient,
period. Where it falls down is in two areas:
1. Learning - Apparently, bug users have a hard time learning to
squeeze rather than rock.
2. Timing - The
I was looking at the K3 pix and have a few questions
while I wait the 7 daysmaybe a field tester can clue me in...
What displays do you get when you press and/or hold the disp/meter
button? What does that button do?
What is the cvp control?
What happens with the NB and NR buttons?
I assume
This is a no-win argument because you'll never convince anyone who
thinks strongly one way or the other that he/she might not posses a
universal truth. But, the issue is really a matter of personal
experience and not someone else's opinion. My personal experience is
entirely opposite
N1AS:
2. Timing - The timing needed to insert elements can be very tight.
This is only an issue at high speed though. At normal speeds, the
timing is very workable and the user can benefit from the greater
efficiency.
Which is why QRQ (60+ WPM) folks who win HST Championships
don't
Thank you Bill and David for your excellent comments. This makes great
reading. I broke my wrist falling off a ladder in 2005. Ever since the
accident I have had debilitating timing problems with my paddles. I
switched to a single lever (custom built by Joe K8LKC) and my speed
immediately
Never having a bug, or a paddle, or any sort of keyer,
only a straight key (about 500 contacts with it), can
someone explain what does what?
I thought a bug did dits one way and dahs the other, and
would do so as long as it was held, using a bouncing weight
against a spring.
I thought an
Thank you for putting the other side of the case, I'm one of those 'who are
still trying to figure out how the wind blows'.
I have a K3 on order and purchased a HexKey at the same time, thinking it
would be rather nice to have a key from Elecraft to go with the K3.
However, as yet I can't send
If you are a beginner, learning iambic is easy and it is the most
efficient. If you're a seasoned bug user, it is tougher since you have
relearn your sending technique. Iambic is also easy to use at slow (20
wpm) speeds. So I'd whole heartedly say stick with the HexKey and learn
squeeze keying.
I love this discussion. Being a beginner CW person (practical fast CW
anyway) I was pondering what key to get: Single vs. Double paddles.
The single lever would pay more homage to my OM who did 40+ WPM in WW2
using what he called a bug. I am not sure what bug meant then, but I
sure wanted
Forgive my ignorance, but how many other commercial rigs have ultimatic
keying?
JACrux wrote:
Iambic keying is a relic of tube keyers where flip flops were used to generate
alternating dots/dashes. Ultimatic keying where the last paddle closed takes
command is much more user friendly. Looks
I said:
2. Timing - The timing needed to insert elements can be very tight.
Bill replied:
Which is why QRQ (60+ WPM) folks who win HST Championships don't use
it. It is also why anyone
with less than perfect hand coordination, due to age, palsy or
whatever will have difficulty using it.
On Mon, 10 Sep 2007, Bob Nielsen wrote:
I used a bug for many years before trying an electronic keyer. I never have
tried to master iambic but typically use the paddles sequentially, which I am
sure limits my speed, but 30-35 wpm is fast enough for me in any case. I
suppose a single-lever
Brett gazdzinski wrote:
I was looking at the K3 pix and have a few questions
while I wait the 7 daysmaybe a field tester can clue me in...
What displays do you get when you press and/or hold the disp/meter
button? What does that button do?
Tapping the DISP button switches between displays
Bill Tippett wrote:
Iambic Keying - Debunking the Myth
Bill,
Whether or not Iambic mode allows faster keying, the fact is that many
operators learned using keyers that function this way. So we would be
remiss in not supporting it. (The first time I designed a keyer -- the
Wilderness
N1AS:
So what we've established is that Iambic:
- Doesn't work for high speed ( 50 wpm?).
- May be tough for people with coordination limitations.
- May be tough for some people to learn.
- Is noticeably more efficient than any method excluding computers.
I'm still wondering where the
N7XY:
I used a bug for many years before trying an electronic keyer. I
never have tried to master iambic but typically use the paddles
sequentially, which I am sure limits my speed, but 30-35 wpm is fast
enough for me in any case. I suppose a single-lever paddle would be
better for this, but
If I had a doublet I would seriously consider feeding it like the W5DXP which
uses switched ladder line for matching . Looks cheap, low loss and easy to do:
any residual mismatch should be compensated by the K2/K3 auto-matching system.
http://www.w5dxp.com/notuner.htm
David
G3UNA
From:
For anyone who uses a paddle but not iambic keying, and wonders
whether iambic might be better, I'd suggest learning just a couple
letters as a trial starter: the letters C and Q. You'll get
good practice sending CQ. If you don't find it helpful, you
haven't lost anything: just return
Dan KB6NU wrote:
If you're not patient enough to learn iambic keying, or you are having
trouble learning it, sell your dual-lever paddle and go out and buy a
single-lever one.
No need to sell your dual-paddle thingy, single-lever action is a
built-in *feature* of all dual-paddle keys.
David:
I would keep the Hex Key on order. It is an excellent iambic
key. I would keep it and try. If you never have a true iambic key,
you'll never be able to find out if you really want one, so it is a
good educational investment. I have a Hex Key, which I like a good
deal. I
Do we get K3 Assembling Manual within today, as promised?
73, Ruchan Ozatay, TA2AH
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The Ultimatic keyer dates back to at least 1953, and was done with a
12AU7 according to a bibliography of QST articles. Jackson Harbor
offers it in their keyer chips, and K1EL's K12 keyer chip does as well,
so any rig that uses either of thses (OHR for example) offers it as an
option.
Looking, looking, looking and wondering when?
George, N4YM
K2 sn 4758
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Doug and all,
For me, the number of finger movements is not relevant, it is the timing
and coordination that I have the most trouble with. Iambic A with a
single lever paddle helps a lot, but good ones are either difficult to
find or more expensive than suits my taste. I can handle
USB to serial adapters are a dime a dozen and not all chipsets in them
are the same. Is anyone using one successfully for rig control via
the KIO2 interface? If so, which brand and model are you using?
My single serial port is currently being used for PTT keying for data
modes and it's not
Ah . my first keyer came from Bell Labs! Funny round things in
it. Had 3 leads and a tab on the funny case. Used a mercury wetted relay in
a great big tube like a shot gun shell. Gee, I wish now I had that
schematic! It worked great and was all scavenged from boards at work. I
Thanks everyone for the replies (on and off list).
I should try this stuff, and I would think the
system where you push the thing one way and get dits,
the other way you get dahs would be best for me, I might
be able to pick it up that way.
I used to be able to send nice code at 25 wpm with the
Hi Don,
You are absolutely right about it being C31 that required the
change, and that indeed was the one that I did change
. I made the mistake in my note by looking at the circuit I have all the
mods shown on and picked the wrong one to mention.DUH.
Thanks for picking that one
I also find the Begali Simplex Mono preferable
to the 14 other paddles in my arsenal.
de Joe, aa4nn
If you like the Begali Simplex, you should try
Begali's Simplex Mono. I've used Vibroplex, Bencher, Kent
and several others and now have only a Simplex Mono. Best
single-paddle key I've
I used a Keyspan USB 4 Serial port adapter and it works fine. I have also
used a single no-name adapter based on the ProLific drivers that I bought on
ePay .
You must use the K2 serial cable to attach to the adapter.
Craig Buck
k4ia
Fredericksburg, Virginia USA
JT,
You may want to consider changing the PTT keying to the USB adapter even
though your current setup 'is not broke'. The reason is that the PTT
keying is a rather simplistic task requiring that the adapter correctly
implement only RTS and DTR signals, and the timing is not really
critical
I'll second the Keyspan devices. I'm a Mac guy, but I've used them on Windoze
machines. I've used Keyspan for years and have had no problems.
-David W4SMT
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
I used a Keyspan USB 4 Serial port adapter and it works fine. I have also
used a single no-name adapter
First keyers... remember the Mon-Key?
A pair of dual triode 12AU7s. One triode
of one tube produced dits while the other
produced dahs using a multivibrator circuit.
The other tube, one triode drove a speaker
while the other drove a keying relay.
Dits and dahs were not self-completing, so
it
Ah . my first keyer came from Bell Labs! Funny round things in
it. Had 3 leads and a tab on the funny case. Used a mercury wetted relay in
a great big tube like a shot gun shell
I built an Accukeyer out of TTL chips around 1974. You guys are making
me feel like a youngster...
Amen to that and it is a beautiful work of art too.
Bob WØLK
I also find the Begali Simplex Mono preferable
to the 14 other paddles in my arsenal.
de Joe, aa4nn
If you like the Begali Simplex, you should try
Begali's Simplex Mono. I've used Vibroplex, Bencher, Kent
and several
In a message dated 9/10/07 1:10:42 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
If I had a doublet I would seriously consider feeding it like the W5DXP
which uses switched ladder line for matching . Looks cheap, low loss and
easy
to do: any residual mismatch should be compensated
Mark:
I, too, built the WB4VVF Accukeyer and it was 1973, I believe. The memory
boards were added a year later. I remember as I was a Junior in high school
!! I also remember the output transistors were easy to blow ! Probably due
to my nascent soldering skills ! HI I still have it in my storage.
OK folks - no one has chastised me for it yet, but I obviously do not
know morse code!!
P is not .._ _ .., but ._ _ . I don't know where that particular code
thought came from, but the principle remains the same, so I hope my
example is more accurate than the code translation.
73,
Don W3FPR
Well, the good news is that everything is working fine. I actually had
two of the RF cables reversed - tried to make the connections from
memory - not smart.
This turned out to be a very easy exercise, and I like the result. Now
I keep the K2 in barefoot configuration, and the KPA100 and tuner
On 9/10/07, [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Does anyone have a secret link to it?
Don't tell me it is going to be delayed again!
Michael
N2ZDB
Yep, I'm anxious to see it, too. But I'm glad it's not me having to
finish up a jillion page pdf document with one hand while putting out
Guy's..
Been lookin' for the long out-of-print publication Pascoe's Penny
Pincher's book for literally AGES (years)...
Anyone got a copy they would either like to sell or possibly want to
loan..??
REALLY..! Want to see what's inside this one and add it to my collection..
Replies to the e-mail
It'll be posted very soon.
73,
Wayne
N6KR
---
http://www.elecraft.com
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Was that the one in the ARRL Handbook around 1958 - 1961? I built one and
used it for years. I had to make my own key for it, took two J-38 paddles and
mated them back to back and re configured the contacts etc. A key came on the
market called (get this) an ElKey, and I bought one. Used it
I still have my WB4VVF Accukeyer, too. (:-))
And a couple of spare octal-based mercury
wetted relays for the Hallicrafters TO keyer.
FWIW, the HexKey is wonderful, and the Elecraft
logo makes it work even better.
73! Ken Kopp - K0PP
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
or
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Didn't Campbells have a commercial is it Soup yet?.
Orson Wells Paul Masson will serve no wine before
it's time
Zenith The quality goes in before the name goes on
My favorite
Bart Simpson
are we there yet?
are we there yet?
are we there yet?
are we there yet?
are we there yet?
;-)
On Mon, 2007-09-10 at 22:22 -0400, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Was that the one in the ARRL Handbook around 1958 - 1961?
The keyer described earlier sounded different than the one in the
handbook in that it had a monitor and didn't self complete..
I built the one in the handbook and used if for
On Tue, 2007-09-11 at 02:51 +, Ken Kopp wrote:
And a couple of spare octal-based mercury
wetted relays for the Hallicrafters TO keyer.
Hey, I *still* have my W9TO keyer!! Love that thing although the old
keyers don't have dot or dash memory so I can hardly send on those
things anymore.
while we're in the wait mode
... we all remember
Zenith The quality goes in before the name goes on
selling stereo ( retail) in 68; we only carried one line of TV sets...
Zenith ... 25 CRT style Handcrafted ...none of that unreliable
printed circuit stuff.
I remember getting
Just to close off the issue (if anyone else has this problem and wonders
what happened ...)
It turned out to be a shorted overdrive protection LED (D10, D11).
Apparently it was overdriven at some point and the LED sacrificed itself.
Replaced the LED and everything is working well again. The
I seem to remember in days of old that the May Activity was just that.
The objective was to encourage qsos between RSARS members. If you worked
more than a certain number of members you received a Rosette. When did it
turn into a contest?
I certainly took part in the early 90's at our sunrise
I have my CMOS Accu-keyer built in the 1970's from the QST article. It
includes a set of Ham Key paddles built into the enclosure.
Some day they'll be worth a fortune as collectable e-debries... (don't hold
your breath G)
Ron AC7AC
-Original Message-
Hey, I *still* have my W9TO keyer!!
Our console Zenith was one of the first ever to have a
4 channel remote. The remote was a small box with
four small tuning forks of differing length inside.
On, Off Channel UP, Channel DOWN, all from your
recliner!
It was one of the most sophisticated consumer devices
ever, the iPhone of our
Standing in front of a Zenith like that, you could shake
the change in your pants pocket to make it execute
one of those four functions.
de Joe, aa4nn
Our console Zenith was one of the first ever to have a
4 channel remote. The remote was a small box with
four small tuning forks of differing
Yeah, I know that little bird, he works for the other
side, a fantastic liar, don't believe a word he says.
And remember, to a bird, talk is cheep.
A birdie said it'd be along about 9-ish PDT. The slow,
lazy
Take a look at the ORION 2 manuel. Perhaps the best I have ever seen.
Makes the JA books really look sick.
This is the one to aspire to. 73
Charles Harpole
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
_
Discover sweet stuff waiting for you at the
Got it!
Craig
NZ0R
-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Don Rasmussen
Sent: Monday, September 10, 2007 11:05 PM
To: Elecraft
Subject: [Elecraft] K3 Manualwhere is it???
Yeah, I know that little bird, he works for the other
side, a
It's there!
2.9 Mb of PDF!
Don Rasmussen wrote:
Yeah, I know that little bird, he works for the other
side, a fantastic liar, don't believe a word he says.
And remember, to a bird, talk is cheep.
A birdie
It's there!
Just picked it up.
Smart bird after all...
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We've just uploaded the K3 basic assembly manual (pre-release version)
to the K3 web page. You can directly access it at:
http://www.elecraft.com/K3/K3%20Assembly%20Manual%20Prelimnary_s.pdf
(It's 3 MB)
If that link wraps in your email viewer, try:
http://snipurl.com/1qjwe
73, Eric WA6HHQ
For some reason he is telling the truth now ;)
http://www.elecraft.com/K3/K3%20Assembly%20Manual%20Prelimnary_s.pdf
Cheers,
Lee
WW2DX
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Darn, you guys are fast! Were you repeatedly hitting refresh until the
link was added to the K3 page? ;-)
Eric
Craig Rairdin wrote:
Got it!
Craig
NZ0R
-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Don Rasmussen
Sent: Monday, September 10, 2007
Are you kidding! We all have scripts that check every 60 seconds for
a html change and then the pagers go off!
Cheers!
Lee
WW2DX
On Sep 11, 2007, at 12:17 AM, Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft wrote:
Darn, you guys are fast! Were you repeatedly hitting refresh until
the link was added to
To some that will sit in front of (your) radio for
18-24 hours at a stretch k5xy 59Cal, k3xy 59Cal
etc...,
you think hitting F5 a couple times after the birdy
alert is excessive? ;-)
Thanks for making the push for the people, lots of
hard work and good faith in Aptos.
[Elecraft] K3
Darn, you guys are fast! Were you repeatedly hitting refresh until
the link was added to the K3 page? ;-)
Eric
Check your logs... I was guessing at file names and trying to log into the
site using FTP with various guest accounts/passwords so I could view the
K3 directory when I noticed that
Boy, the chatter sure got quiet all of a sudden! (:-))
Long down-load @ 42K ... (;-(
73! Ken Kopp - K0PP
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
or
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Sorry, but the value of yours will be diluted by the fact that I still
have mine, built in the seventies, I think, from a Dick Smith kit. Mine
has the incomparable Galbraith paddles (from ZL) in the front panel. It
will key both transistorised rigs and glowbugs. It also has a Tone IN
73 matches
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