[CW] bugs on SKN ??

[David J. Ring, Jr.]

Hello Ed,

I too love the sound of bugs and cootie keys - they sound wonderful 
especially in the hands of an expert operator.

Navy and other military operators remember that they weren't allowed to use 
a "speed key" until they qualified for a "Speed Key Certificate" - and some 
of the members of this reflector are proud owners of that certificate. 
Bravo!

However, nothing will underscore the need for brevity in Morse work except 
using a hand key.  Why?  Because it is much more difficult to send with.

Sometimes this leads to the false belief that faster is better. 
Surprisingly, that is not always the case!

I wasn't always an admirer of hand key sending - far from it.  I was a bit 
of a "keyer snob" and thought that fast keyer (and keyboard) operators were 
better and could do much more that a pokey hand key.

But I had my head turned around when I talked to Norman Richardson, who was 
manager of TRT Communications Radio Station - Slidell (Louisiana) WNU 
(Tropical Radio).  I found out that the fellow who sent and received more 
words - far more than any other operator - was Frank Estrada, a Cuban 
operator who worked at WNU and used nothing but a Nye-Viking hand key. 
Frank probably sent at 18 wpm, the other "fast" operators could send at 40 
wpm and faster.  Who had almost double the traffic of the keyer and keyboard 
operators?  Frank.

Simply by economy of action, Frank generated more income for the station 
than any other operator.

I was simply amazed.

American operators on ships most often used bugs or keyers.  The British 
almost always used keys like the Marconi 365 - a beautiful long lever with 
ball bearings.

I started listening to the Brits on the Marine CW frequencies - slow and 
consistant, they had few errors and few requests for repeats.  I also heard 
some very beautiful code.  It is true that some of the fists would be much 
better with the use of an explosive device attached to the key to destroy it 
forcing the operator to use an electronic key - but the beautiful fists did 
outnumber the poor ones by a significant margin.

In none of this do you notice that I say that "bugs or sideswipers" are 
"bad".  I use them myself, but I decided to start using a hand key, 
something which I really hadn't done for many years.

When using the hand key, it was a lot of WORK.  But it forced me to realize 
the benefits of:  Sending accurately so that I didn't have to correct 
errors; to use Q signals to minimize sending; to be brief and not wordy.

I do understand that some operators just can't send on a hand key anymore 
because of age or other problems.  They aren't the target of these words. 
It is far better to use a keyboard and enjoy morse code or any type of key, 
then to do without.  Even the legendary KH6IJ who was a high speed operator 
on bug and keyer resorted to a keyboard after his stroke.  But he still 
enjoyed CW until his death.

The other thing that I find irritating is the modern redefining of words: 
"Straight Key" becomes "Mechanical Key", keys in general become "keyers".  I 
find this trend uncomfortable.

A straight key is an "up and down key", a keyer is a circuit which keys a 
transmitter.  A sideswiper is a "sideways mechanical key", a bug is a key 
with a mechanical vibrator - either a pendulum or clock works device.

Someone wrote me and suggested that Straight Key Night be renamed to 
"Mechanical Key Night" - I'm all for that.  At least, what it is called is 
what it is.

Straight Key Night when it allows other keys is no longer "Straight Key" 
Night - it is something else.

That isn't necessarily bad, but it isn't the same thing - it's different.

There is a value to the operator in feeling the operation of a straight 
key - if only to appreciate the distinct advantage to sideswipers, bugs, 
keyers and keyboards.

It also puts us all on the same level - which is what I think SKN is all 
about.  They guy with fancy software is doing the same thing that I am - 
pumping the pump handle key.

73

David J. Ring, Jr., N1EA



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ed Tanton" <n4xy at earthlink.net>
To: "Gregory W. Moore" <gwmoore at moorefelines.com>; "CW Reflector" 
<cw at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Saturday, December 31, 2005 9:30 AM
Subject: Re: [CW] bugs on SKN ??


Thanks for the story Greg-I LOVE to hear these things!!! As I've
already said, I agree: "manually operated" is enough for me. I DO see
the other side's point-but do not think there would be a way to add a
BUG night and get the interest that SKN has. Also, I hadn't thought
about it, but you're close to right: a Cootie-key is a straight key
on its side... except you can only key a straight key in one
direction-whereas a Cootie key works in both directions as I
understand it. You know, if you simply arranged the contacts on a BUG
such that there was no bouncing possible, you'd have a Cootie-key (or
you could parallel the outputs on a Paddle) .

Happy New Year all!!!



Ed Tanton

website: http://www.n4xy.com