[Elecraft] High End Paddles

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

I had an regular on-air friend, a life-long bug user, who, after a long
absence, suddenly reappeared using a keyboard. It turned out a stroke cost
him most of the motor control of his hands, but he could hunt-and-peck with
one finger to send using a keyboard. 

You're both examples of the great range inventive operators who overcame
what many of us might consider insurmountable difficulties to have fun and
share your lives and interests with the rest of us. 

You're a great inspiration!

Ron AC7AC

-----Original Message-----

Hi Ron,

Not exactly.  What I have is a couple of small pneumatic switches (mounted
in the large wooden box seen in the photo) which I operate by sipping and
puffing on a tube attached between the two.  Each switch activates one of
the two relays you see mounted at the lever end of the bug.  A light puff or
blow through the tube activates one relay (the bottom actuator) which
presses the bug lever to the right (from the operator's perspective) sending
dits.  A sip on the tube activates the other relay (on top) which presses
the bug's lever to the left and closes the dah contact.

I'm not very good with the bug, but I use it to ragchew with my elmer WB4CSG
one or two times a week.  When not using the bug, I send CW using a
sip-n-puff device and either a radio's built-in keyer or an external keyer.
The March 2004 edition of QST featured an article describing a sip-n-puff
device similar to the one I use.

http://w4dit.wilsonarc.org/images/fd05/sip-n-puff06.jpg

http://w4dit.wilsonarc.org/images/fd05/sip-n-puff07.jpg

I also have a sip-n-puff creation which "emulates" a cootie key or
side-swiper, but I am absolutely terrible with it.  Awful.  Unreadable. I'm
lucky if I get two characters sent before I screw up.  My mind just refuses
to work that way.  Sam, my elmer, can send near-perfect code with it.

72 Greg  K4KO

   Tennessee QSO Party - September 10 
   http://www.k4ro.net/tcg/tqp/rules/tqp06_rules.html