[Elecraft] OT: Scratchy Dot reducer for Bug type keys

[Don Wilhelm]

Hello all,

I have heard that in some cases, my response to Jim's post was 
interpreted as being negative about his bug improvement offering - let 
me assure you it was not intended that way.
Yes, Jim's offering can help with mechanically induced "scratchy dits" 
problems.
One should still maintain clean contacts on bugs and straight keys - and 
also paddles.  Regular maintenance will take care of the dirty contacts, 
but it will not help with the mechanical aspects.  I believe Jim is 
offering a helpful product.

73,
Don W3FPR

------------------------------------------------------
Scratchy dits are usually caused by dirty dit contacts or improper 
adjustment on bugs.
A piece of paper pulled through the closed DIt contact can clean those 
contacts - repeat until no further color appears on the paper. 
Adjustment of the damper to properly time the length of the dits with 
your dash sending speed is also important - the normal ratio is 3:1. 
Many (most) bug users I have heard make the dits too short in comparison 
to the dashes.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 6/3/2014 8:48 PM, Jim's Desktop wrote:
> This is kind of a feeler email to see if there's any interest for a
> product I've sort of resurrected.  I don't know how many list
> subscribers use a Semi-Automatic "Bug" key for CW when most rigs have
> built in keyers now, but I have been hearing more bugs on the air
> lately, mainly amongst the QRO operators and I've heard some really
> excellent sounding ones and some really horrible sounding ones.  Not
> talking about the operator's "fists", but the really scratchy dots
> inherent in the mechanical contact on the vibrating "Dit" generator.
> This contact is usually a bent, flat spring and the cause of the
> "scratchies" is extra contact bounce on contact break as the spring
> becomes free to vibrate on it's own as the contacts separate.
>
> Ted McElroy, who held the CW receiving record for many years and some
> say that record hasn't been officially broken yet, came up with a
> mechanical device that he incorporated into the contacts on the bugs
> he marketed back in the 1920's and 30's.  I've come up with a hand
> made version of this "dot contact stabilizer" that eliminates the need
> for a capacitor across the terminals of most bugs and almost
> completely eliminates the scratchy dot syndrome when it's properly
> adjusted.
>