Ron wrote:
>I kept my hand in on a straight key and passed my 20 wpm >Extra Class Amateur and my Commercial RadioTelegraph >license tests using a straight key. When I took my Extra exam 25 years ago, they had already eliminated the Morse sending test. Too bad, I thought. When I took my commercial telegraph exam the same year, Morse sending tests were still required (one minute without error at 20 wpm plain language, and16 wpm code groups). I still remember having qualms about using a ratty old FCC office straight key for the 20 wpm test. That's always been about my limit for straight key operation. >I built a keyer in the 1970's that I kept and used whenever I >used a keyer until I got my K2. It's a "Mode A Iambic" keyer Thank goodness for iambic mode A. I never understood how mode B, the result of a logic design error in an early (1960s) electronic keyer design, caught on. Its timing is trickier than mode A, but it still requires exactly the same number of hand motions to send a particular character. But mode B seems to have become a default mode on many of today's rigs with internal keyers, such as the Yaesu FT-817 and SWL's DSW series. I bought DSW rigs before knowing they were mode B only, but fortunately Jackson Harbor came out with an aftermarket PIC that allowed mode A. I resolved to never by a rig that did not allow mode A. I love my K1, yet if it were mode B only, I'd never buy one. >I use a straight key and bug at all times. I believe the use of a straight key should be a fundamental tool in a skilled Morse operator's tool bag. But I never got comfortable with the Vibroplex I've owned for decades. I too would discourage spending money, if it is limited, on a Morse decoder. There's never been a machine that can match the decoding skill of even a modestly skilled Morse operator. OTOH, the MFJ-418 code practice generator is the best portable CW learning tool ever made, IMHO. It's compact and can be taken anywhere, and it can send practice text or code groups at speeds seldom encountered on the air anymore. I'd have loved to have had one when I was getting ready for the random code group test for the commercial telegraph license. It's just fun to use, even if you've long since taken your last Morse exam. 73, Mike / KK5F _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
