[HCARC] Code Keys

[Kerry Sandstrom]

Hi Gary,

I just got home from work for the week.  Naturally, I have to put my two 
cents in.  My generation invariably started with a straigt key, usually from 
Radio Shack or Lafayette Radio.  I'm an east coaster  so those are the 
places I bought from.  I'm sure Walter Ashe, Allied Radio, etc had the same 
keys.  I think they were about $.99 back then, had a plastic base and the 
only adjustment was for the gap between the two contacts.  They were 
adequate for Novice speeds and that was about it.

A more expensive key, was the J-38 style.  These keys were much more rugged 
and had several additional adjustments and some may have even had jewej 
bearings where the lever connected to the support posts.  They were much 
better keys and some guys used them for a lifetime.

The next step was a bug.  Vibroplex was the big name in bugs and had several 
different models at a range of prices.  Lafayette Radio sold a bug from 
Japan.  There were a couple other manufacturere including Lionel who made 
bugs instead of toy trains during WWII.  All bugs worked about the same.  If 
you pushed the key to one side (with your thumb) you sent a string of dots. 
the dots were generated by a vibrating rod or bar, hence the name Vibroplex! 
You had to push the lever to the other side to generate dots which you did 
with your fingers the same as you would with a straight key.  You decided 
how long to make each dash.  A lot of guys developed a "unique" sound by not 
using the accepted ratio of dot and dash and space lengths!

The next step was the electronic keyer.  Perhaps the most famous early 
electronic keyer was the TO Keyer named after its developer, W9TO.  Some of 
the early electronic keys used free running multivibrators to generate 
strings of dot and dashes depending on which side you pushed the key 
towards. In those days the frequency of free running oscilators wasn't too 
stable and you kind of took a chance on if you would start in the middle of 
a dash or at the beginning.  The TO keyer was the first keyer that I'm aware 
of that used true digital techniques.  There was only one oscillator which 
generated the dots.  It didn't generate any dots until the key was pushed to 
one side or the other.  The dashes were formed by combining 2 dots and the 
intervening space using digital techniques.  Later versions of the TO Keyer 
included dot and dash memories.  The "memory" would just remember if a dot 
or dash had been initiated by the key.  This memory made sending a lot 
easier since the timing wasn't as critical with the dot and dash memory. 
The early TO Keyers were vacuum tube devices.  It had about half a dozen 
dual triodes plus 2 voltage regularor tubes.  A few months ago we ahd a 
Hallicrafters HA-1 TO keyer from the '60s  at a club meeting.

Eventually TO keyers were built using first discrete transistors, then 
digital integrated circuits (RTL, TTL and finally CMOS) and finally the 
entire keyer was integrated on a single IC.  I'm not sure, but the most 
popular single chip keyer used a Curtis Keyer IC.  I suspect the Curtis 
Keyer IC is a descendant of the TO Keyer design.

Most recently I've seen several articles on using microproccessors as 
dedicated keyers.

There are two basic kinds of electronic keyer keys these days.  The first is 
the single lever key.  With this key, you push it one way yo make dots and 
the other to make dashes.  It is very similar to the bugs of bygone days. 
The only difference is it doesn't have the vibrating rod/bar to generate the 
dots.  The second type is the paddles.  These take several different forms. 
Some look quite similar to the single lever keys but are mechanically 
different.  Others are quite distinctive in appearance and obviously have 
two independent levers and sets of contacts.

The "iambic" concept is you can send CW faster if you can easily send a 
dot-dash sequence.  The iambic keyers make it easy to do so.  If you close 
both paddles simultaneously, the result is a string of alternating dots and 
dashes.  If you want to insert a dot in a string of dashes, you just 
momentarily close the dot paddle while holding the dash paddle closed.  Some 
guys find it easy.   Myself, I've never used an iambic key.  You have to use 
paddles if you want to use an iambic keyer in the iambic mode.  Now, an 
imbic keyer is just an electronic keyer with dot and dash memories.  If you 
want to use iambic mode, get a dual lever/paddle key.  If you don't, get a 
single lever key.

I believe most current electronic keys have single dot/single dash memories. 
Some also have real memories where you can compose an entire transmission 
and send it automatically with the push of a button.  These are popoular 
with contesters.  They pre-program "599 STX" and some of the keyers even 
increment the contact number.  I don't believe in it myself!!!!  And, of 
course, there are some out there who are pretend CW operators who use a 
computer and keyboard to send CW and a computer and monitor to receive it. 
Naturally, they are well respected by real CW operators!

Probably more than you wanted to know.

Have fun,

Kerry