I found the paddles helped me because instead of falling into the trap of counting dots and dahs I really just learned the sound of the characters. I learned directly at 20 wpm.
Learning at 20-30 wpm. Is the way to go. Even if you are receiving 20wpm at 7 wpm spacing you will learn the sound of the individual characters as you will hear them on the air. An MFJ morse code tutor is terrific for this.
@Tabourba Its hard for me to break the habit of counting dits (S,H,5). Old habits die hard so I am pushing myself to decode faster code that I dont have time to count. Its taking a while!
Richard, thanks for demonstrating the proper use for both of these keying operations. I am an old school straight key operator who entered the world of morse code in the military, circa 1956 and amateur radio some years later. In the military radio school we learned the "wrist pump" method for using the straight key and, ever since, I have cringed when I see an operator pounding on it rather than using the prescribed method I learned. Watching you use the straight key as you have in this video has brought a smile of satisfaction to my old face and a sense that the correct use of the straight key has not been lost to history.
I could add, paddles are great for the musically inclined. You can focus on the sound of each character like a note on a page. And for those with experience with musical rests, releasing the paddle is much like preparing on the upbeat.
Outstanding. I don't see any way you could have possibly done this better. I'm taking my tech test in 5 days and from someone who is the target audience for your video, I can say that you perfectly broke down the differences and drawbacks so that anyone new gets the differences. I completely agree that for someone just learning, it would probably be easier to learn on the straight key because all you have to concentrate on is directly translating your thoughts to the key.
Is there a period of time you have to wait between taking the next level of test? I've taken a 3 pronged approach to studying for the tech test that seems to be working really well for me. First I watched the King's 6.5hr ARRL Tech video on youtube in chunks, then I got the ARRL Ham Radio License Manual which also has all the pool questions in it, and lastly by repeatedly taking practice tests. I could *probably* pass the test already after just 3 days so the next 5 are just gravy. What state are you in? I'm in West Virginia.
Oh wow...I had no idea you could do that! You have been VERY helpful! Maybe once I pass I'll look you up again and pick your brain about some things. I appreciate your time. Thank you!
I went to several sites, trying to learn what the paddles were all about, and all assumed I had some prior knowledge of paddles so I was still confused. Your video was great, and answered all my questions, along with providing additional advice. Thanks for your video, it was really helpful.
I ran into your video in my suggestions box. Very nicely done. I hadn't considered the angle that using a straight key reinforces the learning of the code just by using it. That makes perfect sense.
Just getting started, thank you for the knowledge. From your brain to the straight key, makes so much sense it hurts. Was getting ready to buy a paddle because I thought it was better for learning. I wait till I can pass the first exam. Kepp broadcasting!
I hadn't thought of it that way. Methinks that could be a stumbling block. I passed the intermediate speed test years ago, and nearly always used a paddle. Now that I want to get back into CW, I've found that I don't recall as much as I should. I may start over on a straight until I'm solid. Tnx es 73 de W1ADE
A little background. I am 74, my dad was a Ham SK WB9EBY. I grew up in his shack, it's my earliest memory. He had a wall full of old tube radios left over from WW2. They warmed the whole room up. He used a straight key, so I was around them from the early 50's on. But I personally never owned one. I have 9 keys and they are all paddles. Ha, hows that? :o)
Thank you! I searched for about an hour to find out the difference between the two, especially the difference in how they are operated. This video was the first one that answered all my questions.
One thing you failed to mention is that using a straight key is a lot harder on the hand and wrist. Landline telegraphers use to develop what they called "glass arm." Today, we call it carpal tunnel syndrome. Personally, I can't operate with a straight key for much more than 30 minutes before my hand and wrist tire out. Also, not everyone, and especially beginners, have as good straight key fist as you do. It's difficult to send consistent dits and dahs. Beginners don't have that problem when they learn to send with a paddle and keyer. These are the two main reasons that I always advise beginners to start out with a paddle, not a straight key.
Excellent! I am in the process of relearning. The hand key is a good reinforcement but you have to have a valid reference such as a computer program to hear how the characters sound or even an iambic keyer to generate perfect code to mimic. I use both. "Just Learn Morse Code" program and an Idiom Press Cmos-4 keyer(for a CPO and keyer). The keyer has a straight key mode, and I have both a key and paddle connected with a Y connector so I can use either one and just send a code to the keyer to switch modes. It has been very helpful to me. I saw a TH-cam video GHD-KEY? that used some Japanese software that graphically showed key closures and would display the character if you sent it by hand correctly. I would love an English version of that! You musicians must make excellent CW ops.
@Moth’s Mummy I installed the IZ2UUF on my phone a while back. It uses the Koch character sequence with Farnsworth spacing just like G4FON PC software.
Old video, but current issue. I learned on a $5.99 Radio Shack straight key. Years later I picked up a side paddle keyer and got used to it. Then came the shocker... after using the side key for a long time I found that I was completely unable to use a straight key again! Strange... no matter how accustomed I am to a straight key I can switch right over to a side paddle key without the slightest re-training of the mind and hand. But, the process will not work in reverse.
Though Morse Code is no longer required for a license in the USA, it is still good to learn and the number of CW operators have been rising over the years. CW has come back. WK0Y
I think it was a nice and simple demonstration how the two different keys work. I personally have learned with the straight key and i have got the feeling of the sound within my brain and my feeling. Of corse the paddle is a very practical way and easier method and also quicker way of getting into the practice. It is almost like driving a conventional car or an automatic one, see the comparison.. thanks for the nice video.
My Dad had his Extra Class Ham license and he could send and receive 20-25 words a minute. For fun he would sit and listen to cassette tapes of code at various speeds. You had to use a paddle to send at faster speeds and he called it a "Bug".
Excellent demo. I guess you have to be like a drummer to ace the bug. I think it'd be less stressful once learned. Also the key speed on the bug should have adjustment to slow it down. Maybe you creep up onto that high speed keying
Thanks , finish learning the last CW "Symbols" today and will start "send" my First CQ net time :-) - Start watching many Videos in Web for get some Tips :-)
Cleaner code is the reason my first key will be a paddle, I think that learning CW is frustrating enough I dont want to add the layer of thinking I'm doing right and having people confused with what I'm sending :D
Use what works best for you. Record yourself practicing sending new articles or some such then try to copy yourself a day or two later. It will be an eye opener, whether you use a straight key or a paddle.
Trying to learn Morse on my "smart" phone, seems to me the straight key would be easier to me (straight from brain to hand). Now to FIND one at a reasonable price that's not a kit (I burn holes in circuit boards!!) or "parts or repair" (same reason)
Was that a Starfleet Standard Issue Communicator I heard at the end of the video? If so, I'd like to see a video of you working some subspace DX contacts! Thanks for the info Richard. I'm a relatively new ham looking to get into CW in the near future. Your video helped me out choose which kind of key to go with! 73.
Thanks! I'm using an app to help train me. I have to say, it's really satisfying getting a new letter down lol! I know enough to make a basic CQ call now I think...
Are all paddles set up like this, where if you hold down the paddle is sends a stream of dits or dahs? I am tempted to build one that simply has one button for dits and one button for dahs, and that does not repeat. So you would press the dit button three times to get an S, or the dah button three times for an O, rather than holding it down. Thanks for the videos.
I have a question. I have an old morse code straight key. What do you need to plug it into/with what do you plug it into, to send messages to people? I have just the key with no cords/cables with it.
+Richard Carpenter Thanks for the fast reply and thanks for clearing that up. I understand now. I have been looking it up and there is a club nearby. Being a ham operator sounds like fun.
Hello! My daughter is interested in learning code. I have a paddle key that was my grandfather's - it's the same on as the one you've got on the right here. I have no radios anymore (I got my license when I was a kid - KA2OGQ - but never got beyond novice). was wondering if it's possible to connect the paddle key to a speaker or maybe run it through a laptop. It's got no wires anymore so I have no idea what I'd need. Any suggestions?
I know this is a necropost, and it probably isn't any use to you, Liz, but I'll answer it in case someone else comes along with the same question. I bought a little electronic keyer module from Ebay for about $12.00, preassembled. It's tiny, runs on a 2032 coin cell battery (I don't know its lifespan yet), and it has a small piezo buzzer on it that you can disable with a jumper block on the board. It defaults to on, so all you need to do is plug in the key or paddle and start using it. If you have a radio that doesn't have a built in keyer, you can just run a patch cable from the board to your radio, but standalone it makes a dandy code practice oscillator for a set of paddles OR a straight key. Here's what I bought: www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-Keyer-Practice-Iambic-Keyer-Multi-modes-Small-in-size-Big-on-features/162399927432?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649 I know it won't help you, Liz, or maybe you might want to get back into radio, and use it yourself, who knows? But I saw your question hadn't been answered and I got this little board just a week or so ago to use with a radio that doesn't have a built-in keyer.
I personally believe a electronic keyer is a modern Marvel ! But whatever you send and whatever you send it with please try to send the best most accurate code you can ! It's your obligation as a operator !
I find sending with paddles much easier. I started with paddles and a keyer (Iambic B) then picked up a straight key. It is much harder for me with the straight key to keep the rhythm. One con with paddles is that I send way faster than I can read. I actually have trouble dialing back the keyer speed, it is very hard for me to send slower on paddles, speeding up is incrementally harder. For a straight key, I can’t send that fast, in fact, because of how I work the key, having to form each character, I cannot outsend my copy speed. This has helped on the air as other ops slow down to match my sending speed (or they are already at it with the number of SKCC folks out there) which gives me a much better overall experience with CW. I’m looking at getting a better (bigger) Straight Key now. - N1XF
You'll get it very soon. The plus side is that you are always going to be faster from the get go versus a straightkey. Also the plus side is that you don't have to think much about the timing between the dots and dashes which helps a lot of beginners.
If I want to build a continuous DAH tone and a continuous DIT tone circuits with IC 555, what should the ON time and the OFF time be? These two parameters are actually the value of wpm.
A DAH is 3 times longer than a DIT. The length of a DIT in milliseconds is: T = 1200 / W Where: W is the desired speed in words-per-minute, and T is one dit-time in milliseconds. I'll leave it to you to determine the resistor values to achieve the desired timer configuration on the 555.
+張傑舜 I purchase most amateur radio equipment from auction sites, classified ads on eham or from local hams. What equipment are you referring to in your question?
To practice with a straight key you only need a "code practice oscillator". You can find those inexpensively, just search for the term. To practice using "paddles" you'll need an "electronic keyer" with a built-in speaker or a ham radio with a built-in keyer. You cannot legally transmit using amateur radio equipment without a license, so if you're still working on your license I'd suggest starting with a straight key and code practice oscillator. MFJ makes an inexpensive combination straight key and practice oscillator.
I was referring to an electronic keyer required using paddles. Most modern amateur HF transceivers will have one built-in. Older HF transceivers like my Heathkit HW-101 and Ten-Tec Century/21 do not have an electronic keyer built in.
True. But that's no fun. Also, if you're using a very simple home-built, or old radio (like I do on occassion) it relies on the operation of the key to transmit, as they have no electronics to generate the code.
Thank you. I made that video when I was just figuring this stuff out and now enjoy using both straight keys and paddles and even switching between them during a QSO.
International Morse code is the style is commonly used. American Morse was mostly limited to use by the Railroads As to speed, there's not an International Morse code speed. Until 2000, proficiency at the 20 wpm level was required to receive the highest level of amateur license (Amateur Extra Class). Now, there is no license requirement for the code at any speed.
5 years into it now, I generally use a bug or paddle more than the straight key but I stand by my early experiences that starting with the straight key was best for me.
Hi. Johnny. It looks like a straight 'Kent' key. I have one in my collection. I bought it from the guy in northwest England/UK who manufactured them in his small workshop in a village about 5 miles from where I live. He also did a lot of mechanical engineering on local farmer's machinery. It came as a surprise to me to find that he was no longer around, either, dead, retired or moved on. However the Kent key is now being manufactured by someone else based in Germany, I believe. It is still to be found for sale in amateur radio magazines. I spent 23 years in the British Merchant Marine as a Marconi Radio Officer. The company's policy, their radio officers were to use only a straight key and none of those 'yankee' bug key creations. As a consequence, I never did master the paddle. I want to turn it on its side and use it as a straight. There were two grades in the British Merchant Marine radio service in my time at sea. The 2nd Class PMG Certificate (Postmaster General's Certificate) with an examination speed of 20 words per minute for three minutes in plain language and the 1st Class PMG 25wpm for three minutes in plain language all on straight key. Later certification it was 20wpm across the board. The commercial speed for maritime radio traffic was around 16wpm. A lot depended upon the sea conditions and stability of things. Sending radio traffic from a ship in a North Atlantic storm was pretty hairy at times. Boy, did we envy the American operators with their paddles! Hope I've been some help, Johnny, Kind regards, Bill 2E0WAR
I found the paddles helped me because instead of falling into the trap of counting dots and dahs I really just learned the sound of the characters. I learned directly at 20 wpm.
Steyrshrek1 A lot less Carpal Tunnel issues with the iambic keyer
Learning at 20-30 wpm. Is the way to go. Even if you are receiving 20wpm at 7 wpm spacing you will learn the sound of the individual characters as you will hear them on the air. An MFJ morse code tutor is terrific for this.
He's right. I think it's called a 418. If they had been available in 1974, I would have passed general faster. (failed code 1st time)
@Tabourba Its hard for me to break the habit of counting dits (S,H,5). Old habits die hard so I am pushing myself to decode faster code that I dont have time to count. Its taking a while!
The easiest morse code is SOS
Richard, thanks for demonstrating the proper use for both of these keying operations. I am an old school straight key operator who entered the world of morse code in the military, circa 1956 and amateur radio some years later. In the military radio school we learned the "wrist pump" method for using the straight key and, ever since, I have cringed when I see an operator pounding on it rather than using the prescribed method I learned. Watching you use the straight key as you have in this video has brought a smile of satisfaction to my old face and a sense that the correct use of the straight key has not been lost to history.
I could add, paddles are great for the musically inclined. You can focus on the sound of each character like a note on a page. And for those with experience with musical rests, releasing the paddle is much like preparing on the upbeat.
Outstanding. I don't see any way you could have possibly done this better. I'm taking my tech test in 5 days and from someone who is the target audience for your video, I can say that you perfectly broke down the differences and drawbacks so that anyone new gets the differences. I completely agree that for someone just learning, it would probably be easier to learn on the straight key because all you have to concentrate on is directly translating your thoughts to the key.
Is there a period of time you have to wait between taking the next level of test? I've taken a 3 pronged approach to studying for the tech test that seems to be working really well for me. First I watched the King's 6.5hr ARRL Tech video on youtube in chunks, then I got the ARRL Ham Radio License Manual which also has all the pool questions in it, and lastly by repeatedly taking practice tests. I could *probably* pass the test already after just 3 days so the next 5 are just gravy. What state are you in? I'm in West Virginia.
Oh wow...I had no idea you could do that! You have been VERY helpful! Maybe once I pass I'll look you up again and pick your brain about some things. I appreciate your time. Thank you!
I went to several sites, trying to learn what the paddles were all about, and all assumed I had some prior knowledge of paddles so I was still confused. Your video was great, and answered all my questions, along with providing additional advice. Thanks for your video, it was really helpful.
I remember you can adjust the older key to very sensitive for better letter speed. Just an old CB member.
I ran into your video in my suggestions box. Very nicely done. I hadn't considered the angle that using a straight key reinforces the learning of the code just by using it. That makes perfect sense.
Just getting started, thank you for the knowledge. From your brain to the straight key, makes so much sense it hurts. Was getting ready to buy a paddle because I thought it was better for learning. I wait till I can pass the first exam. Kepp broadcasting!
I feel more connected using the straight key, i feel more "into it" but the paddle ends up being more efficient and with less movement though.
I hadn't thought of it that way. Methinks that could be a stumbling block. I passed the intermediate speed test years ago, and nearly always used a paddle. Now that I want to get back into CW, I've found that I don't recall as much as I should. I may start over on a straight until I'm solid. Tnx es 73 de W1ADE
A little background. I am 74, my dad was a Ham SK WB9EBY. I grew up in his shack, it's my earliest memory. He had a wall full of old tube radios left over from WW2. They warmed the whole room up. He used a straight key, so I was around them from the early 50's on. But I personally never owned one. I have 9 keys and they are all paddles. Ha, hows that? :o)
I always use a straight key. You never know about those other “fruity” ones
As a one-time Royal Air Force telegraphist, we called what you term, "paddle keys" as "sideswipers". I always preferred the 'up-and-down' key, btw.
Thank you! I searched for about an hour to find out the difference between the two, especially the difference in how they are operated. This video was the first one that answered all my questions.
One thing you failed to mention is that using a straight key is a lot harder on the hand and wrist. Landline telegraphers use to develop what they called "glass arm." Today, we call it carpal tunnel syndrome. Personally, I can't operate with a straight key for much more than 30 minutes before my hand and wrist tire out.
Also, not everyone, and especially beginners, have as good straight key fist as you do. It's difficult to send consistent dits and dahs. Beginners don't have that problem when they learn to send with a paddle and keyer. These are the two main reasons that I always advise beginners to start out with a paddle, not a straight key.
Excellent! I am in the process of relearning. The hand key is a good reinforcement but you have to have a valid reference such as a computer program to hear how the characters sound or even an iambic keyer to generate perfect code to mimic.
I use both. "Just Learn Morse Code" program and an Idiom Press Cmos-4 keyer(for a CPO and keyer). The keyer has a straight key mode, and I have both a key and paddle connected with a Y connector so I can use either one and just send a code to the keyer to switch modes. It has been very helpful to me.
I saw a TH-cam video GHD-KEY? that used some Japanese software that graphically showed key closures and would display the character if you sent it by hand correctly. I would love an English version of that!
You musicians must make excellent CW ops.
@Moth’s Mummy I installed the IZ2UUF on my phone a while back. It uses the Koch character sequence with Farnsworth spacing just like G4FON PC software.
i literally taught myself morse code so i could send my friend "hey bitch"
•••• • ㅡ•ㅡㅡ ㅡ••• •• ㅡ ㅡ•ㅡ• ••••
Excellent demonstration on Straight Vs Paddle. I couldn't agree more with your opinion.
Excellent video. I'm just learning code now and was wondering about the different types of keys. You answered my questions nicely!
Old video, but current issue. I learned on a $5.99 Radio Shack straight key. Years later I picked up a side paddle keyer and got used to it. Then came the shocker... after using the side key for a long time I found that I was completely unable to use a straight key again! Strange... no matter how accustomed I am to a straight key I can switch right over to a side paddle key without the slightest re-training of the mind and hand. But, the process will not work in reverse.
This perfectly illustrates the use of both and lets us make the choice. Thanks. 78
Glad it was helpful!
Though Morse Code is no longer required for a license in the USA, it is still good to learn and the number of CW operators have been rising over the years. CW has come back. WK0Y
I think it was a nice and simple demonstration how the two different keys work. I personally have learned with the straight key and i have got the feeling of the sound within my brain and my feeling. Of corse the paddle is a very practical way and easier method and also quicker way of getting into the practice. It is almost like driving a conventional car or an automatic one, see the comparison.. thanks for the nice video.
I'm studying to become a ham purely for CW use. As I understand, a tech license allows some bits of the HF band for CW use.
I'm just a Tech (for now) but trying to learn Morse so I can get on (some) of the HF bands!
Thank you for this. I just completed Morse Code Lesson 2 from HAM Whisperer. KM6UQP here!
Useful video - great to see the straight key and paddle compared.
Excellent description of the differences. This helped me significantly. Thanks
glad it helped
My Dad had his Extra Class Ham license and he could send and receive 20-25 words a minute. For fun he would sit and listen to cassette tapes of code at various speeds. You had to use a paddle to send at faster speeds and he called it a "Bug".
Excellent demo. I guess you have to be like a drummer to ace the bug. I think it'd be less stressful once learned. Also the key speed on the bug should have adjustment to slow it down. Maybe you creep up onto that high speed keying
The automatic was my favorite.. I used to be radio officer on the ship from 1991 to 1998..
Thanks , finish learning the last CW "Symbols" today and will start "send" my First CQ net time :-)
- Start watching many Videos in Web for get some Tips :-)
Cleaner code is the reason my first key will be a paddle, I think that learning CW is frustrating enough I dont want to add the layer of thinking I'm doing right and having people confused with what I'm sending :D
Use what works best for you. Record yourself practicing sending new articles or some such then try to copy yourself a day or two later. It will be an eye opener, whether you use a straight key or a paddle.
Such a great advice, I will totally do that! Thanks!!!
Trying to learn Morse on my "smart" phone, seems to me the straight key would be easier to me (straight from brain to hand). Now to FIND one at a reasonable price that's not a kit (I burn holes in circuit boards!!) or "parts or repair" (same reason)
I learned on paddle ive tried a straight key wpm slowed down its all in the rithem
Was that a Starfleet Standard Issue Communicator I heard at the end of the video? If so, I'd like to see a video of you working some subspace DX contacts!
Thanks for the info Richard. I'm a relatively new ham looking to get into CW in the near future. Your video helped me out choose which kind of key to go with! 73.
Thanks! I'm using an app to help train me. I have to say, it's really satisfying getting a new letter down lol! I know enough to make a basic CQ call now I think...
NX1A used two straight keys mounted back to back horizontally, like a paddle. I thought it was neat.
Thank you. 73 DE N1TKE, general class appliance operator.
Are all paddles set up like this, where if you hold down the paddle is sends a stream of dits or dahs? I am tempted to build one that simply has one button for dits and one button for dahs, and that does not repeat. So you would press the dit button three times to get an S, or the dah button three times for an O, rather than holding it down.
Thanks for the videos.
Richard Carpenter Thanks for the reply. I see your point. I will have to try both.
I have a question. I have an old morse code straight key. What do you need to plug it into/with what do you plug it into, to send messages to people? I have just the key with no cords/cables with it.
+Richard Carpenter Thanks for the fast reply and thanks for clearing that up. I understand now. I have been looking it up and there is a club nearby. Being a ham operator sounds like fun.
And the groove is on 😊
Hello! My daughter is interested in learning code. I have a paddle key that was my grandfather's - it's the same on as the one you've got on the right here. I have no radios anymore (I got my license when I was a kid - KA2OGQ - but never got beyond novice). was wondering if it's possible to connect the paddle key to a speaker or maybe run it through a laptop. It's got no wires anymore so I have no idea what I'd need. Any suggestions?
I know this is a necropost, and it probably isn't any use to you, Liz, but I'll answer it in case someone else comes along with the same question.
I bought a little electronic keyer module from Ebay for about $12.00, preassembled. It's tiny, runs on a 2032 coin cell battery (I don't know its lifespan yet), and it has a small piezo buzzer on it that you can disable with a jumper block on the board. It defaults to on, so all you need to do is plug in the key or paddle and start using it. If you have a radio that doesn't have a built in keyer, you can just run a patch cable from the board to your radio, but standalone it makes a dandy code practice oscillator for a set of paddles OR a straight key.
Here's what I bought: www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-Keyer-Practice-Iambic-Keyer-Multi-modes-Small-in-size-Big-on-features/162399927432?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649
I know it won't help you, Liz, or maybe you might want to get back into radio, and use it yourself, who knows? But I saw your question hadn't been answered and I got this little board just a week or so ago to use with a radio that doesn't have a built-in keyer.
Great video Richard. Now that you have some cw experience, which key are you using more often?
I personally believe a electronic keyer is a modern Marvel ! But whatever you send and whatever you send it with please try to send the best most accurate code you can ! It's your obligation as a operator !
I find sending with paddles much easier. I started with paddles and a keyer (Iambic B) then picked up a straight key. It is much harder for me with the straight key to keep the rhythm. One con with paddles is that I send way faster than I can read. I actually have trouble dialing back the keyer speed, it is very hard for me to send slower on paddles, speeding up is incrementally harder. For a straight key, I can’t send that fast, in fact, because of how I work the key, having to form each character, I cannot outsend my copy speed. This has helped on the air as other ops slow down to match my sending speed (or they are already at it with the number of SKCC folks out there) which gives me a much better overall experience with CW.
I’m looking at getting a better (bigger) Straight Key now. - N1XF
This one is very beautiful！would you like to tell me where can Ibuy it？I want to buy two keys、
Thank you so much！
What type of straight key is that
A Kent Hand Key from when they were actually manufactured in England
What do I need beside the key to make that dit dah sound for some one to study and do not have the ham license yet?
Wondering what type of keyer you would recommend for a budgeted ham?Also, what is your call sign?
I never practiced this in my life (I’m 20), but the paddle seems a lot harder to master.
You'll get it very soon.
The plus side is that you are always going to be faster from the get go versus a straightkey.
Also the plus side is that you don't have to think much about the timing between the dots and dashes which helps a lot of beginners.
Interesting and informative. Thank you.
We only learned to receive in Navy A school.
Useful thank-you.
Glad to help
If I want to build a continuous DAH tone and a continuous DIT tone circuits with IC 555, what should the ON time and the OFF time be? These two parameters are actually the value of wpm.
A DAH is 3 times longer than a DIT. The length of a DIT in milliseconds is: T = 1200 / W
Where: W is the desired speed in words-per-minute, and T is one dit-time in milliseconds. I'll leave it to you to determine the resistor values to achieve the desired timer configuration on the 555.
@@HamRadioQRP THANKS!!! I was WONDERING if there was a certain ratio between the two!!!
Thanks for the advice
glad it was helpful Chris
vintage morse mon préférence
Is your paddle an MFJ? What kind of keyer would you recommend for someone with a budget?
QSL, I will look into N3ZN but I know I want to go with a paddle. 73's
Where did you get those equipments? All I can find are the keys and paddles.
+張傑舜 I purchase most amateur radio equipment from auction sites, classified ads on eham or from local hams. What equipment are you referring to in your question?
The equipments are the radio and the buzzer. So that I can practice and send messages.
To practice with a straight key you only need a "code practice oscillator". You can find those inexpensively, just search for the term. To practice using "paddles" you'll need an "electronic keyer" with a built-in speaker or a ham radio with a built-in keyer.
You cannot legally transmit using amateur radio equipment without a license, so if you're still working on your license I'd suggest starting with a straight key and code practice oscillator.
MFJ makes an inexpensive combination straight key and practice oscillator.
HamRadioQRP Thank you very much!
It is MUCH easier to learn the sound of a letter with a paddle than with a straight key.
i’ve seen a guy at a special event run code by touching the ends of two wires together
Hopefully, it is a low voltage switch circuit
@@HamRadioQRP he did it before it occurred to me that i had brought a straight key with me which he ended up using for a while
they called me spark... and I'm still using my wire sign...spark n2y
5:25 internal keyer?? What is that?
I was referring to an electronic keyer required using paddles. Most modern amateur HF transceivers will have one built-in. Older HF transceivers like my Heathkit HW-101 and Ten-Tec Century/21 do not have an electronic keyer built in.
surely you have machines that translate typing into morse, so you don't need to bother keying
True. But that's no fun.
Also, if you're using a very simple home-built, or old radio (like I do on occassion) it relies on the operation of the key to transmit, as they have no electronics to generate the code.
Such a great explanation! Thank you very much! PU2PYB , 73
Thank you. I made that video when I was just figuring this stuff out and now enjoy using both straight keys and paddles and even switching between them during a QSO.
What's the international speed for morse?
International Morse code is the style is commonly used. American Morse was mostly limited to use by the Railroads As to speed, there's not an International Morse code speed. Until 2000, proficiency at the 20 wpm level was required to receive the highest level of amateur license (Amateur Extra Class). Now, there is no license requirement for the code at any speed.
Great video.
Where did you get your key
From a famous auction site that starts with an 'E'
I use my phone as a key, but I just realized that I can use both hands. I could be ambidextrous.
спасибо!
fantastic vid
Straight key it is for me!
5 years into it now, I generally use a bug or paddle more than the straight key but I stand by my early experiences that starting with the straight key was best for me.
What kind of straight key is that? de WD5KCG
Hi. Johnny. It looks like a straight 'Kent' key. I have one in my collection. I bought it from the guy in northwest England/UK who manufactured them in his small workshop in a village about 5 miles from where I live. He also did a lot of mechanical engineering on local farmer's machinery. It came as a surprise to me to find that he was no longer around, either, dead, retired or moved on. However the Kent key is now being manufactured by someone else based in Germany, I believe. It is still to be found for sale in amateur radio magazines. I spent 23 years in the British Merchant Marine as a Marconi Radio Officer. The company's policy, their radio officers were to use only a straight key and none of those 'yankee' bug key creations. As a consequence, I never did master the paddle. I want to turn it on its side and use it as a straight. There were two grades in the British Merchant Marine radio service in my time at sea. The 2nd Class PMG Certificate (Postmaster General's Certificate) with an examination speed of 20 words per minute for three minutes in plain language and the 1st Class PMG 25wpm for three minutes in plain language all on straight key. Later certification it was 20wpm across the board. The commercial speed for maritime radio traffic was around 16wpm. A lot depended upon the sea conditions and stability of things. Sending radio traffic from a ship in a North Atlantic storm was pretty hairy at times. Boy, did we envy the American operators with their paddles! Hope I've been some help, Johnny, Kind regards, Bill 2E0WAR
Thank you!
tnx fr video 73!
I need hand tel key
Learning in straight key.
Do da ditty ditty dum ditty do 🤓❗❤
My grandfather says straight key is better.
ga dr om de us3qaa