[CW] Article in 73 Magazine by Bob Shrader, W6BNB (SK) about Keys!

Sun Sep 1 21:55:37 EDT 2019

Before I start resurrecting my cw sending after a very long hiatus, and
causing a muscle issue or just a bad habit I’m wondering about position of
bug or keyed paddle to your body. In my ancient and limited experience, it
seemed the key or bug was on the desk in sort of the “shake hands position”
but a while back someplace I saw s YouTube of youngsters in Belarus(?) with
the paddle in front of their abdomen, and with the paddle arm almost
parallel to the “shake hands” position - their speed was significant. Do
you have any recommendations ?  BTW if I place my left hand on my right
deltoid I notice significant tension; as I rotate to the parallel position
it seems a lot less.

Any input greatly appreciated

73
Bill

On Sun, Sep 1, 2019 at 4:13 PM Chris R. NW6V <chrisrut7 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Richard.
>
> You said: "I know the "vibrating" method and could do it when I was
> younger. It does use the forearm muscles. I found it very fatiguing."
>
> If you found it too fatiguing, we may be speaking of different things. But
> words are tough, so to - hopefully - clarify:
>
> Forearm muscles come in two varieties, flexors and extensors, and they
> are in three primary groups based on the joint: elbow, wrist, and fingers.
>
> My technique depends heavily on the muscles which flex and extend the
> elbow; specifically the various "radialis" muscles counterbalanced by the
> "triceps" muscles on the back of the upper arm.
>
> The flexors and extensors of the wrist and fingers hold the wrist and
> finger joints in relaxed tension as a "springy arm" attached to that upper
> arm lever. They don't do all that much work in the method I'm describing
> and don't tire rapidly. The fingers are never deliberately "flexed" as in
> typing.
>
> [image: image.png]
>
> That forearm, the "springy lever" is almost like the lever arm of a bug.
> The upper arm makes the beat, and the forearm taps out (vibrates) the tune
> - modulated by complex flexing of the wrist and fingers. The muscles are
> more involved in returning the wrist and fingers to their neutral
> positions, than moving them to flexed positions.
>
> As another detail: I use what I call "modified American" technique - my
> elbow is on the arm of an office chair, but only the fingers touch the key.
> No part of the forearm ever rests on the desk; the keys are close to the
> edge, European style, and about level with arm of the chair. The contact
> gap is very small - about .0015" on my Frattini.
>
> As a point of interest regarding technique: after winning that radiosport
> contest in 2016 at 30+, I got to wondering how I might get to 35 - or
> better yet - 36... the notion of a Guinness Book world record was
> appealing. So in the quest for more speed I decided to experiment - and
> tried something described in an old army training film available on-line:
> holding the wrist horizontal, so you can balance a quarter on the back of
> your hand (my technique holds the wrist closer to a 45 degree angle, in
> order to better engage those radialis muscles - similar to holding your arm
> to shake hands). Long story short, I tried doing some high-speed work with
> a flat wrist - and within 15 minutes pulled the radialis muscle where it
> inserts into the humorous! Doh!
>
> That was three years ago, and it still gets sore if I'm not careful - and
> I don't care to go much above 25 wpm on a hand key ever since.
>
> So much for THAT officially sanctioned suggestion.
>
> Ironically, that injury is what got me using bugs more - and I got hooked
> on rag-chewing with a bug :-)
>
> Surprisingly, I see a lot of similarities between my hand key and bug
> techniques. On the bug, it's a combination of wrist-roll and finger
> flexing, sometimes leaning more heavily toward one than the other. But in
> all cases the motion is fairly constrained - my hand and fingers are not
> moving in any exaggerated way, or flying all over the place. The hand-speed
> developed on the SK directly translates hand-speed on the bug, which means
> crisper code and fewer "scratchy dits" or bongy" dahs due to contact
> bounce. But it also means the forces are pretty high: my bugs need to be
> very non-slip or they'll be all over the place.
>
> I really do intend to make videos of this one of these days.
>
> 73 Chris NW6V
>
> On Sun, Sep 1, 2019 at 10:05 AM Richard Knoppow <1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com>
> wrote:
>
>>      This is a very interesting post. I know the "vibrating"
>> method and could do it when I was younger. It does use the
>> forearm muscles. I found it very fatiguing. I also think the
>> adjustment of the key, i.e. gap and tension, can make a huge
>> difference.
>>      I am curious about the difference in muscle use between
>> sending on a straight key, typing (on a mechanical machine) and
>> playing the piano. Typing is done almost entirely with the
>> fingers. The finger muscles are in the forearm but seem to be
>> different from those used to operate the key. Playing the piano
>> seems to use a much greater variety of muscles. My carpal tunnel
>> problems were mostly from typing. On any kind of keyboard but
>> perhaps mostly from the computer. That may be because I use the
>> computer keyboard much more than a mechanical typewriter. Before
>> my surgery my left hand would become so painful I had to stop. My
>> right hand has never been this bad but I am close to getting it
>> done too.
>>     There are at least two techniques for using a bug: one uses
>> mostly the fingers and the other a wrist motion with little
>> finger movement. I mostly use the second.
>>
>> On 9/1/2019 7:34 AM, Chris R. NW6V wrote:
>> > Howdy there DR.
>> >
>> > Thanks a bunch for putting up W6BNB's article. It contains a
>> > wealth of information.
>> >
>> > One thing however: his description of how to send with a straight
>> > key is VERY different from my own technique - and in my opinion,
>> > may be at the root of many of the "glass arm" reports that drive
>> > people away from hand keys, and cause "glass arm."
>> >
>> > Having been clocked at 30+ WPM on a straight key (plain text
>> > equivalent) in a radiosport contest (which I won) I am one of
>> > those ops he speaks of who can "vibrate" their fingers at high
>> > speeds. But fact is, the fingers aren't what's doing the
>> > vibrating! At least the muscles that control the fingers - the
>> > forearm muscles - aren't what's causing the vibrating - they hold
>> > the wrist and fingers in dynamic tension - like the mainspring of
>> > a bug holds the contact spring - the fingers thus "vibrate" when
>> > hit with the impetus of the muscles of the upper arm - the biceps
>> > and triceps!
>> >
>> > There is NO thought whatsoever of "moving the fingers." It's more
>> > like cracking a whip composed of upper arm, forearm, wrist and
>> > hand - with fingers at the end - than shuffling through a stack
>> > of file folders with one's finger tips. And my wrist motion is
>> > the opposite of what he describes - my wrist tends to be moving
>> > down on contact closures - not up.
>> >
>> > I admit the possibility that my technique may be entirely unique
>> > and entirely my own, and "right" only for me. But again, so many
>> > people find the SK a challenge, I have long suspected they are
>> > being taught ergonomically incorrect techniques (I have a
>> > professional background in ergonomics).
>> >
>> > Perhaps I'll have the time and resources to make vides about
>> > technique some day. I'm hoping to do a seminar on SK/Bug use and
>> > adjustment at next year's Seapac conference.
>> >
>> > 73 Chris NW6V
>>
>>
>> --
>> Richard Knoppow
>> 1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com
>> WB6KBL
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