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Iambic mode - A or B?

 

As a long-term straight key operator trying to get to grips with iambic keying I would like to know whether the 817's internal keyer is mode A or mode B. Whichever it is, there isn't a choice, and I'm convinced that I would find the other mode easier!?

Any advice, please?

73,

John G4EDX
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John Fletcher
 

Hi John

It’s a matter of preference, i would risk saying that Iambic B is the only mode on the FT817 and also risk saying that it is the most common mode to be using a paddle. The main difference is how it handles “squeeze” that is maintaining the dash paddle held down and insert a dit on the right timing.?
?
Also if you are new to paddle use, i would also recommend dash on the right dit on the left. You can learn either way and there is no right way but it’s what most people use.
?
hope that helped.
?73 de CT7AXA/PA7AXA
 

Thank you for the quick reply, Bruno. I've used a Vibroplex semi-automatic key and a Lionel (I still have that) so I'm used to dits with the thumb and dahs with the index finger. In this case, though, I'm using the left hand and still have dits?with the thumb, dahs with the finger but of course they are on the opposite sides. I was told by my mentor (50+ years ago) that using a fully automatic key would ruin my fist, so I'm using the other hand.?

Rightly or wrongly, I've mounted my tiny stainless twin-paddle key on a box with knee straps. The box contains a PIC, a lithium cell and a 2.4GHz transmitter to make it cordless. I wonder whether this makes iambic keying more difficult because the key can twist slightly on the straps. I've tried turning the box around so the paddles are pointing away from me and my hand rests on the box to steady it, but the box has a sharp edge which needs to be padded.?

I might try a single paddle and forgo the iambic mode, or make? a sideswiper. I've never used one of those.

Thanks again and 73,

John G4EDX



On Thu, 27 Mar 2025 at 15:45, Bruno R. via <ct7axa=[email protected]> wrote:
Hi John

It’s a matter of preference, i would risk saying that Iambic B is the only mode on the FT817 and also risk saying that it is the most common mode to be using a paddle. The main difference is how it handles “squeeze” that is maintaining the dash paddle held down and insert a dit on the right timing.?
?
Also if you are new to paddle use, i would also recommend dash on the right dit on the left. You can learn either way and there is no right way but it’s what most people use.
?
hope that helped.
?73 de CT7AXA/PA7AXA



--
John Fletcher
 

I use a palm radio pico paddle attached to the underside of the FT817 when doing on the air cw. But i go on VBAND website to practice a lot, and for that i detach the key from the radio connect it to the phone with a circuit and just hold it with the left hand while sending with the right hand. Bottom line being i think anything is possible as long as you get used to it. The paddle in hand thing works for me with the pico paddle because its small and light. with a regular sized paddle other will probably not be practical.
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I like paddles for the practicality and because you can’t send badly spaced/timed characters, that helps to build good “mental timing”. And i got used to “squeezing” sending some letters using both sides of the paddle simultaneously.?

But I haven't been doing CW for as long as you.
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73 Bruno
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John,
I'd second the recommendation for a single lever paddle.? A single lever is pretty much the same as using a bug.? If you accidentally manually key you dashes, the keyer will still accept the input (unless you like to send really long dashes with your bug!).? I use a 3D printed single lever paddle that was designed by Adam, K6ARK - actually, I printed a bunch of them and have one for each radio.
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73,
Mike, KL7MJ
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?
 

Why not use the keyer as a full keyer. ?Let it control the timing. I often hear users I can tell using a bug bad dah timing is sloppy sending. The why we are called hams poor cw ops from early days of radio?

73 Ron n9ee




On Friday, March 28, 2025, 10:41 AM, Mike, KL7MJ via groups.io <alaskamike@...> wrote:

John,
I'd second the recommendation for a single lever paddle.? A single lever is pretty much the same as using a bug.? If you accidentally manually key you dashes, the keyer will still accept the input (unless you like to send really long dashes with your bug!).? I use a 3D printed single lever paddle that was designed by Adam, K6ARK - actually, I printed a bunch of them and have one for each radio.
?
73,
Mike, KL7MJ
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