[CW] The Dual-Lever Begali Stradivarius Paddle -- A New Paradigm

[Bruce Prior via CW]

I arrived at Bob's Burgers and Brew in
Everett WA for the monthly Northwest QRP Group Pie & Coffee session way
early last night, so I had finished my supper before others arrived, including
Doug Phillips W7RDP carrying his heavy brand-new Begali Stradivarius
paddle in a protected case. I brought my HamGadgets Ultra PicoKeyer <http://www.hamgadgets.com/ULTRA-PICOKEYER> and a headset, so I was able to spend some quality
time with the Stradivarius <http://www.i2rtf.com/html/stradivarius.html> while others were eating.

 

The name is telling. Wikipedia has a nice article on
Stradivarius: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stradivarius>.
Stradivarius refers to a stringed musical instrument made by Antonio Stradivari
(1644-1737)< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Stradivari> or
other members of the Stradivari family of Cremona, Lombardy in northern
Italy, only about 50 km from Cellatica (also in Lombardy) where the Begali
factory is located. Stradivarius instruments represent the summit of
stringed-instrument craftsmanship. Any Stradivarius musical instrument is a
treasure. The National Museum American History (NMAH) at the Smithsonian
Institution owns the superb-sounding Servais Stradivari cello as well as two
decorated Stradivari violins and one decorated Stradivari viola. Those four
instruments are occasionally played together by world-class musicians: <http://www.si.edu/Exhibitions/Details/Musical-Instruments-Gallery-161>.

 

The striking
decor of the Begali Stradivarius paddle is similar to the hybrid Begali Leonessa
paddle, with a black base and brass keyer housing, but with a fun difference.
The Leonessa base is rectangular. The Stradivarius base is curved
like a violin soundbox and filigree decorations simulate the curved opening of
a violin. The heavy paddle didn't budge on the restaurant table while
I paddled. The Stradivarius is not a backpack-class key.

 

Doug's Stradivarius, s/n 147, has W7RDP engraved
on its base. The Stradivarius does not use common the pin and ball
bearing structure to support its two short light-weight aluminum levers. It
sports two longitudinal vertical torsion blades instead. The result is an
action which is uncannily smooth. Doug had his Stradivarius
adjusted for moderate return force and very close contact spacing. I'd been
reading an article in The Atlantic over supper, so I continued
reading it by sending the text with the Stradivarius paddle. What a true
pleasure! With close spacing, I could barely hear the silver contacts touch
each other. I suppose customers could order gold contacts as an option. I've
done that in the past with a Begali order.

 

As an
experiment, I opened the contact spacing much wider to get a better feel for
the nuances of the action. I was able to detect a slight increase in the return
force through each paddle stroke. I didn't have a pressure gauge to document
it, however. Then I tried decreasing the return force adjustment. Again, the
action was even more seamless. Closing the contact spacing to a tiny gap, I
continued to enjoy paddling.

 

After
awhile I passed the paddle around the room for others to enjoy. Elecraft
engineer Rich Heineck AC7MA was especially interested. (The new Elecraft KSYN3A
Synthesizer Upgrade Kit for the K3 is Rich's project. He has other irons in the
fire which he's not yet free to talk about.) Rich's eagle eyes located the
torsion blades on the Stradivarius paddle. We wondered how the return
force is adjusted, but we decided not to remove an adjustment screw on Doug's paddle
to find out. I made an inquiry and received the following reply from Ulrich
Steinberg N2DE, the developer and manufacturer of the Begali CW Machine
who is closely associated with Begali as webmaster. Ulrich replied:


Yes, like with most of the Begali keys, the return force
on the

Stradivarius is created by adjustable magnets. The
torsion spring

itself creates a miniscule force, but it is negligible
compared to the

magnetic return force (and not adjustable).


The
Begali Stradivarius paddle is a game-changer. Using torsion blades for mounting
the paddle levers makes a big difference.

Truly
exceptional products of craftsmanship like Stradivari musical instruments and
Begali Morse keys not only retain their value over time. Their value increases,
sometimes stratospherically. Don't bequeath your Begali keys to your children.
Designate them for your great grandchildren in your will! 

73,
Bruce Prior N7RR

 		 	   		  
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