[Elecraft] Squeeze Keyer for K2, K3 ?

[Alan D. Wilcox]

Don,

Maybe a gate implementation might work ... you set me on a search that
led me to http://fermi.la.asu.edu/w9cf/articles/ultimatic/ultimatic.html
... and that's probably the info you recalled. A quick glance won't do
for this one: I'll need to study it a bit and see if it'll do the trick.

It appears that the K12 keyer could solve the problem, if the above
won't. $17 for http://k1el.tripod.com/K12.html is fairly modest.

I'll get back to you all shortly with the conclusion!

Many thanks,
Alan

Alan D. Wilcox, W3DVX (K2-5373, K3-40)
570-321-1516
http://WilcoxEngineering.com
Williamsport, PA 17701


Don Wilhelm wrote:
> Alan,
>
> That places you in my chronological age range - yes, I have my 50 year 
> pin from ARRL too!
>
> I believe you are referring to "Ultimatic" keying - the paddle that 
> was last operated is the one that takes precedence - none of the 
> "idiotic" alternating dots and dashes (which to me is confusing).
> Yes, I have tried to use Iambic, and have never been successful - I 
> resort to
> 'slap keying' and/or a single lever paddle.  Ultimatic was the first 
> keying method introduced with the Ultimatic Keyer (a vacuum tube 
> design), and it is a puzzle to me why it has not been continued - 
> perhaps the Curtis chip popularization of Iambic ruined the best 
> keying method available - not to mention the adoption of the Iambic B 
> mode which adds an opposite element at the end of a character - 
> initially that was a mistake by the Curtic designers. but they 
> successfully sold it as an "enhancement".
>
> There is a cure.  Take a look at the K12 keyer by K1EL which supports 
> Ultimatic mode.  Alternately, there was a fellow on the Elecaft 
> reflector (about 6 months ago - maybe longer, my memory gets 
> compressed with age) who developed both a logic gate and a pic 
> implementation of an Ultimastic to Iambic converter.  I have the parts 
> on a perfboard for that, but have not yet finished it.  Look in the 
> archives because I have forgotten who it was that produced the design.
>
> BTW - I have lobbied Elecraft for inclusion of Ultimatic keying 
> support for the K2 and the K3, but all I have gotten so far is a 
> "maybe" - I guess Wayne is occupied with more important things to do 
> than support us few "old farts" who remember and liked the Ultimatic 
> keyer".
>
> 73,
> Don W3FPR
>
> Alan D. Wilcox wrote:
>> Hello,
>>
>> Fifty years ago I designed and built a tube keyer to replace my 
>> Vibroplex. Then a transistor keyer. All this before the iambic keyers 
>> came along ...
>>
>> Left paddle = dots
>> Right = dashes
>> Squeeze both paddles = dashes only.
>>
>> The technique I developed was to
>> 1. Always squeeze _both_ keys for dashes; if I was a bit late getting 
>> the dash paddle closed, the logic turned the dot into a dash (as long 
>> as the dot hadn't finished, of course.)
>> 2. If dots followed dashes, just simply let loose of the right paddle.
>> 3. A string of dots would turn into dashes simply by squeezing both 
>> paddles together.
>>
>> I could send good CW at fairly-respectable speeds, and was happy. For 
>> decades ... until I got the K2 and the K3.
>>
>> Then I tried to get the hang of iambic keying, and the best I can do 
>> is slap-keying or stagger along at 10 wpm or slower iambic.
>>
>> Questions:
>> 1. Is there a way to kludge the K2 or K3 keying logic for squeeze 
>> keying?
>> 2. Does anyone make a keyer with my logic? WHO? All I've ever seen 
>> are iambic.
>> 3. If neither, and I wind up building my new keyer myself, is this 
>> something anybody else would want?
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Alan
>>
>> Alan D. Wilcox, W3DVX (K2-5373, K3-40)
>> 570-321-1516
>> http://WilcoxEngineering.com
>> Williamsport, PA 17701
>>   
>