[CW] Iambics vs. others (was "High Speed Sending")

[Mike Hyder -N4NT-]

Congratulations, Pedro.  With all the subscribers on this reflector, you
have the distinction of being the 3rd who claims to operate over 30 wpm with
an iambic keyer.  I didn't say it was impossible to do that, just that I
didn't know anyone who did.  I'm sure there are other fine operators here
who do operate over 30 wpm and just didn't miss the point and misconstrue
what I said so they could discount it.

Once again, the whole point of the "High Speed Sending" thread that you have
renamed was that there is more than one way to skin a cat and that someone
having trouble skinning it one way might want to try another way.  MANY
people have trouble trying to send with iambic keyers and I commend you for
being able to do something I cannot, but because you can is no reason to
foist it off as the only way, or even best way, to send code.

I have received a barrage of email stating how superior the iambic method
is.  I have explained empirically why it is not more efficient and some
folks have said I was stupid (or bizarre) to count motions, but I know of no
other way to show the relative efficiencies.  One fellow said that because I
counted them for the comparison that I was thinking about every motion when
operating, which is very far from the truth.  About once every two years,
this subject comes back up -- someone starts it by saying they are having
trouble sending over _____ wpm and I suggest they try the single-lever key.
That opens the floodgate for countless people to tell me how very wrong I
am.  Some even tell me how stupid I am for making such a suggestion.

Iambic keying and the dual-lever keys are great for some people, but many of
us have great difficulty with them.  Those of you out there in radio land
who do have trouble and send too many errors with one of those keyers might
want to at least give the single-lever key a try before you give up on
yourself altogether.  The iambic keying method has serious shortcomings for
some of us and it is important to know that there are others similarly situa
ted.  If you're having trouble sending with your iambic keyer at speeds over
"X" wpm, it ain't just you who has the trouble.  You're in good company and
may benefit from a switch to an old timey, single-lever key.  Heck, what
will it hurt to try.

And if you are one who does in fact try switching to a single-lever key for
several months, please be so kind as to report back to us and let us know
your experiences.  But if you report a successful switch, be prepared for a
barrage of people telling you that you were foolish to switch and that you
are not only foolish but also stupid if you find the single-lever key easier
for you to use.

73, Mike N4NT

----- Original Message -----
From: "Pedro J. Santa" <pjs123@attglobal.net>
To: <cw@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tuesday, August 06, 2002 10:56 PM
Subject: [CW] Iambics vs. others


I just can't believe some of the bizarre comments I see here.I can't believe
comments to the effect that iambic paddles and a keyer are not suitable for
CW at speeds of 30 plus. There was a fellow here who even enunciated that
iambics were not suitable for those speeds.

Well, fast and comfortable CW at 30-50 WPM is not unusual with my Mercury,
and I still don't know why anybody can say that speeds over 30 WPM require
"single levers"; that Iambics are not up to the job in those speeds, nor
that type of sheer nonsense. I've even read some fellows here who are now
counting strokes for regular letters and signs and comparing them
numerically with strokes and touches used with other keys--iambic paddles
with keyers included. How nonsensical all that is! Sometimes I wonder if
some of the guys here get on the air at all using Morse Code as I know it,
with the tools that are presently available, or if they are instead typists
of a sort of verbosity that relates very little, if at all, with day-to-day
Morse Code operation on the air.

Pedro KP3X