[Elecraft] K2 - auto spacing keyer

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

I learned Iambic mode in the 70's when I built an Accu-Keyer. It's =
great,
but I eventually went back to a bug for the challenge and the sheer
enjoyment of it.

Even though I squeezed paddles for 20 years, I left the automatic =
character
spacing (ACS) off almost all the time. The reason was that it required =
that
I "lead"  the keyer, jumping on each character before the current one =
was
completed in a word. The ACS knows to add the word space if both paddles =
are
open when a dit or a dah is completed. Since I hated "leading" the =
keyer, a
word like "completed" was likely to come out "comp" "l" "et" "ed".=20

ACS doesn't require you use Iambic mode, but I found it much easier to =
send
in Iambic mode. Indeed, that's why I finally "retired" my keyer. I'm a
creature of habit and when I switched back to my bug, not only was my
spacing terrible (I lost the ability to do it myself after letting the =
keyer
do it for me), but I'd try to squeeze the bug paddles automatically!=20

One evening on the air I ran into an op who I knew loved using his bug. =
He
apologized for using a keyboard that night. Seems he had a stroke and no
longer had the fine motor control of his hands needed to use his bug (or
even a keyer). I was glad he was still on the air, but it made me more
interested in enjoying the ability to wiggle a bug as long as I am able. =


Ron AC7AC
K2 1289
KX1 0004=20

-----Original Message-----
Good grief, that would force me to finally learn iambic squeeze keying. =
I
may be getting too old for that!

73,
Bob, N7XY
K2 #3273