[Elecraft] proper use of straight keys

[Jessie Oberreuter]

On Fri, 23 Dec 2005, Bill Coleman wrote:

> About 30 years ago, 73 magazine had an excellent article about "glass arm" -- 
> how telegraph operators would get it and it would put them out of a job. It 
> also spoke of how to avoid it -- to use a rather wide spacing, loose 
> trunnions, pivot on your elbow and have your whole arm move when you key. If 
> you key just with the muscles of your wrist, you'll tire out in no time.

     I've never understood either of these approaches.  I set the spacing 
just wide enough to get good acoustic and kinesthetic feedback on contact, 
and set the weight just enough to provide clean keying at about 18wpm. 
Then I rest my middle and index fingers on the key and do everything 
through the finger muscles (which may be seen operating under the skin). 
My arm and wrist are static and rest flat on the table, and the only 
confession I have to make is that I have a bad habit of putting tension in 
the shoulder.
     I'm a software engineer by trade and liken this to the way I type -- 
wrists in contact with desk or laptop.  No trouble after nearly 20 years 
of typing for 8 hours a day, but I'm also a light touch, and VERY picky 
when it comes to keyboards.

     The above, however, may also solve a mystery for me.  I've cut down or 
replaced the springs on every single key I've ever owned (a dozen plus) 
b/c I found the stock tention too high.  I've never understood why the 
stock tension on all of these keys was so high and figured that either 
every serious operator was doing something similar, or that I was in the 
minority on strength, dexterity, or preference.  It may, however, simply 
be a matter of technique, and just as I can't understand why anyone would 
wantonly type with their wrists in the air, I can't understand why anyone 
would want to use their wrist or arm muscles to operate a key.  I can, 
however, appreciate the fact that if you are keying with your whole arm, 
you're going to need the kind of tension most keys ship with.