[Elecraft] Kent Single Lever Paddles

[WILLIS COOKE]

I agree 100% Keith.

Willis 'Cookie' Cooke 
K5EWJ, K3 1025, SKCC 4077T


--- On Tue, 9/2/08, Darwin, Keith <Keith.Darwin at goodrich.com> wrote:

> From: Darwin, Keith <Keith.Darwin at goodrich.com>
> Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Kent Single Lever Paddles
> To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
> Date: Tuesday, September 2, 2008, 8:47 AM
> Ya know, I don't by the "movement counting"
> that I sometimes see posted
> regarding single lever vs. iambic keying.  Do we count
> muscle movement
> or joint movement?  Is it one motion to squeeze or two?  Do
> we count
> close and open motions or only closing motions?  There is a
> lot of gray
> and subjectivity.  I've even seen the counting applied
> unevenly (e.g.
> releasing is counted as a motion for iambic but not for
> single lever).
> 
> I think the only sane way to look at is by looking at
> switch closures.
> How many motions and how many muscles are involved in
> closing the
> switches is a far more complex and subjective subject. 
> Switch closures
> are very concrete and countable.
> 
> Looking at it from a switch closure perspective, we have
> the letter A
> requiring 2 for iambic and 2 for single lever.  I say that
> is one
> squeeze or grasp motion on iambic, others say it is 2 or 3
> separate
> finger motions.  Doesn't matter, we can both agree that
> it is 2 distinct
> switch closers.  K requires 2 on Iambic but 3 on single
> lever.  C
> requires 2 on Iambic and 4 on single lever.  Regardless of
> the amount of
> joint / muscle movement, the iambic keyer requires less
> switch closures.
> The thing that makes Iambic tougher is that those switch
> closures must
> be precisely timed.  That timing is easy at slow speeds and
> doable at
> moderate to fast speeds.  At competition speeds,  suspect
> the
> competitors use to single lever paddles because of the
> nearly impossible
> timing requirements of iambic, not because of any savings
> in motion.
> 
> Having said all that, I do CW for fun, not efficiency.  I
> know that
> Iambic requires less switch closures but I hardly every use
> the paddles.
> I use a bug or straight key most of the time simply because
> they're more
> fun.  After all, this is a hobby
> 
> - Keith N1AS -

> number of movements with either paddle. Now let's do A.
> With single
> lever we swing left, swing right, release. 3 moves. With
> duals, we push
> left and hold, push right, release left, release right. 4
> moves! It all
> happens so fast that you don't realize you are doing
> it.
> Steve Ellington
> N4LQ at insightbb.com
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