Caveat Lector wrote:
Ah interesting on the single paddle ops at the big contest station.
Quite
the opposite in several contest stations here.

Some of it might involve the demographics of that particular crew, it's
a bunch of geezers.

Some comments on Iambic keying.

Iambic ops claim "Overall, single lever paddles take more mechanical
motion
to send characters than an iambic paddle."

But only if the user actually using iambic keying with a twin-paddle
key. Which I don't think I'm doing. It's all deeply buried unconcoius
reflexes, it just "happens". Looney!


"Expert ops can send continuously without leaving their fingers off
the
paddles, so perhaps it is best described as a touch-squeeze keying
technique."

OK . .


Be aware there are two different modes of Iambic operation - type A
and type
B. When a squeeze is released during an element (dot or dash), type
"B" adds
the opposite element. Type "A" just finishes the element in progress
and
does not produce a following alternate element. For example, in Type
"A"
Iambic, a squeeze release during the "dah" in the letter A will
produce "dit
dah" (A). In Type "B" Iambic, a squeeze release during the "dah" in
the
letter A will produce "dit dah dit" (R). That is if the left paddle
is still
depressed at the half-way point of the dah.

I was aware of all of all this four decades ago. Problem is that
there's a huge difference between "being aware of" and actually digging
into it and learning how to do it. Which I never much bothered with
then and haven't even thought about until very recently.

Ball = Dropped. Thanks for the details on Modes A & B, they'll help.


My buddy - a top contester sez "So Iambic takes delicate practice,
but after
a while the finger-brain activity becomes second nature and it will
be as
easy as single paddle or straight key sending, but a lot less tiring
and it
is probably the fastest keying method."

Manual keying during contests is rapidly becoming an anachronism given
the current crop of computer logging programs. Virtually all of the CW
transmitted by the serious contesters during the contests is coming out
of their programmed keyboard function keys. Even worse, depending on
yer perspective, the current thrust is toward getting away from having
to remember what function key transmits what and just mousing &
clicking on the required line of text on the tube. No J-38s, no bugs,
no paddles, no nuttin', just the mouse . . how tiring is THAT?? Maybe
paddles are another piece which have seen their day and are on their
way onto the collector's shelves as far as CW contesting goes.


I am a single paddle guy, so can't attest to the Iambic preference.
but I am
not a top contester (;-)

This bunch of paddle slappers is a collection of world-class DX
contesters. Puzzlement.


For those interested in where Iambic came from, here is the best
opinions.

Iamb dates back to ancient Greek poetry. Iamb is a term from
literature
meaning a two-syllable rhythm. An "iamb" consists of two syllables.
It may
be two separate words, one word with two syllables, or even a portion
of a
multi-syllable word. But the important thing is that each of the two
syllables has a different "accent." Sometimes the accent is called a
SHORT/
LONG. That means, the first word comes quickly off the mouth when
spoken;
the second word actually sounds for a longer time. So somewhere along
the
line someone dubbed the squeeze key method of sending Morse
characters as
Iambic, perhaps because of the short/long (dit/dah) aspect.

Right outta ninth grade poerty class, iambic pentameter and all that .
.. Di DAH, di DAH, di DAH . .

.. . humpf . . ! Heh . . .

At this late date I'm compelled to go back and review the way my
fingers are creating the dots n' dashes which crawl up the coax and out
to into the ether. Give modes A & B a fair, hard look forty years late,
try a single lever paddle on the air where it really matters, etc.
Worthwile winter project.


Caveat Lector

w3rv